Press:
In the late spring of 1999, armed with a great idea and a business plan, a group of ambitious students, led by the dynamic vision of Finn O’Brien ’00, obtained the charter and initial funding for the Bowdoin Cable Network. Their mission was simple: To create a cable television station that could be a creative outlet for students as well as a hub for campus news and information.
Because of the size and complexity of the project, initial funding was obtained through numerous sources including the Student Activities Board, The Office of Development, and the President of the College. BCN still very much depends on the dedicated support of the college and generous alumni donations.
During the summer of 1999 equipment was purchased and a location was secured in Adams Hall. The latest in digital video technology was chosen as the technical foundation for the station. Digital cameras and the first release of Final Cut Pro were purchased to produce high quality video and streamline the production process.
BCN’s inaugural broadcast was in the fall of 1999. During the first school year landmark productions such as The Bowdoin Tower (lead by Philip Sharp ’03 and Andy Cashman ’03), Pine Films (lead by Finn O’Brien ’00 and Brendan Smith-Elion ’02), BCN Sports (lead by Matthew Volk ’03) and Cooking With Anand aired and took the campus by storm. BCN found its niche in campus life.
In 2000 BCN continued to establish itself as a great resource for Bowdoin students and faculty. New shows were produced and new video equipment was obtained. BCN became a household name on campus proving its value and ensuring its future as a student run organization. BCN’s second year on air was marked with memorable productions that stretched the limits of student television with new shows The Bowdoin Bubble (lead by Brendan Smith-Elion ’02) and Where’s My Dinner (lead by Scott McCabe ’02). The Bowdoin Bubble and Where’s My Dinner became such fixtures on the Bowdoin campus that they virtually ensured increased funding for the network for the following year, as BCN showed its muscle to produce high quality live and post-production shows. 2000 also marked the continued development of The Bowdoin Tower, BCN Sports, Pine Films.
The fall of 2001 marked the true turning point for BCN, as BCN made it’s first live broadcast from its Adams Hall studio and followed it that winter with a live broadcast of the Men’s Hockey game vs. Colby College. BCN Sports would develop instant replay for games and go on to telecast several other events ranging from Indoor Track to Men’s and Women’s Basketball during that academic year. In addition, under the guidance of Brendan Smith-Elion ’02, Philip Sharp ’03, Matthew Volk ’03 and Steve Gogolak ‘05, the second season of The Bowdoin Bubble showed the full expansive abilities of BCN, with a 24hr live telecast streamed over the Internet that included online voting and message board interaction.
During that academic year it became clear that the Adams Hall studio would not be sufficient to meet BCN’s needs, which at the time were three live weekly shows (Polar Pride, Tuesday Night Political Battle Royale, and Bear Essentials). In the spring of 2002 BCN began to look for new locations on campus. One location that came to mind immediately was the former Dining Service office on the first floor of Coles Tower. BCN management led by Nathaniel Felsher ’02, Philip Sharp ’03 and Matthew Volk ’03 acted quickly securing the central location through conversations with the college’s Administration.
The new space provided plenty of room for a better-organized studio, allowing for individual spaces for equipment storage, broadcasting area, tape storage, and a decent live set. Permanent lighting and wiring were installed on the new set, making live production easier. In addition to the new studio, BCN undertook a project to fully digitize its production operation. Through the purchase of two 100 disc DVD players and the re-writing of a macro by BCN Co-General Manager Philip Sharp ’03, BCN became what may have been the first fully digital campus cable network.
Entering the fall of 2002, BCN was ready to ramp up its live studio productions (lead by Andy Lapham ’04 and Steve Gogolak ’05) and started off the year with “Wednesday Night Raw,” a political talk show featuring Todd Buell ’03. It demonstrated BCN’s live capabilities as well as the increased quality of its shows, which included live internet questions via a BCN chatroom.
In the winter of 2002, BCN attempted its first live sports Internet broadcast of the Colby-Bowdoin Hockey game. The test run was a wild success and has developed into a very popular service amongst alumni. Today, BCN broadcasts and archives nearly all of its original content and has a dedicated server for streaming video.
In the winter of 2002-03, BCN began planning what would amount to a massive project in the production of the original film “Its Lonely at the Top.” Two months of shooting and two months of post-production resulted in a 90-minute horror/comedy that mocked many of Bowdoin’s idiosyncrasies. The project showed the great collaborative power of BCN’s staff with extended effort by Matthew Volk ’03, the film’s Producer, Associate Director and Writer (of the story, not the screenplay), as well as Philip Sharp ’03, the editor. Both were also the station’s Co-General Managers and founding members. Monica Guzman ’04 wrote the screenplay for the film.
2002-03 was an important year for BCN’s growth as the network had clearly become a destination point for students, as the amount of original consistent programming grew. In addition to original programming, interest amongst students was very strong, thanks in large part to BCN’s contract with Residence Life Cinema that had been negotiated the previous year by Torrey Liddell ’02. The deal with Residence Life Cinema allowed for the broadcast of up to 8 movies each month in a 4 movie per day rotation. Some have described BCN as “Bowdoin’s personal HBO.” Also, a new graphics generator, a DVD burner, and a 200-disc player were massive innovations to the studio in 2002-03.
The fall of 2004 began like a small snowball gathering speed as it rolls down a steep slope. The level of first year involvement skyrocketed with the members of Ironic T-Shirt at the core. These wily first years started a comedy group that produced several shorts throughout the year. A large undertaking moved forward in the form of Laugh Out Loud with Hari Kondabolu. The format was an evening talk show held in Kresge Auditorium with a live audience of over 300. The two episodes produced entertained all with guests like College President Barry Mills and Professor Henry Laurence.
In addition to LOL and the Ironic crew, BCN saw the evolution of the political show in the form of “Rock & Rau” with Pat Rockefeller ‘04 and Alison Rau ‘04. This weekly debate show was broadcast live every Wednesday from 7-8pm and drew the attention of many students as it explored current events on and off campus from two very different political standpoints.
Beyond the seriousness of Rock & Rau was the Tuesday trivia sensation “A Piece of Brain,” a show that featured 3 contestants battling it out for the chance to return the following week. The brainchild of Peter Hastings ’05, this show has been one of the most popular due to its relaxed atmosphere and humorous questions.
BCN grew in unprecedented ways in 2004 stemming from a new relationship with Information Technology that was bridged by General Manager Steve Gogolak ‘05. In January of 2004, a second channel, 41, was established under the title of BCNews. This new channel is “a 24 hour campus cable station dedicated to Bowdoin news and advertising.” In addition to the new channel, a 32” flat screen monitor was mounted across from the mail center in Smith Union, which plays the channel 24 hours a day.
In addition, BCN ramped up its Internet streaming capabilities with a dedicated Apple xServe. Several hockey games were streamed live throughout February, much to the delight of alumni and parents not able to attend the game. One parent, stationed in Kosovo with the UN, watched the Bowdoin Men’s Hockey Team defeat Norwich University and was ecstatic that he was able to watch the game live.
2005-2006 marked the greatest building year that BCN has ever seen. Two Apple PowerMac G5 computers were added to the studio to give students the very best editing machines available. Under guidance of Dotan Johnson ’07 and Steven Bartus ’08, a corner of the Coles Tower studio was renovated to create a custom-built editing space for the new computers. Johnson and Bartus also facilliated the construction of a new live set, giving BCN a professional setting to film its productions. This time period also saw the creation of BCNews, a weekly news program anchored by Priya Sridhar ’07, Ali Sozio ’07, and Dana Borowitz ’08.
The 2007-2008 season saw some major improvements to the BCN Studio. Two Mac Pro computers were added to the line of cutting edge editing technology, allowing more people to edit more efficiently. The Green Screen was also added to allow editing with Chroma Key, which played a pivotal role in the new show Pants Off, Dance Off. Additionally, the Network added a Whisper Room where voiceovers can be recorded without any background noise that would interrupt the the narrator.
History of BCN General Managers
Finn O’Brien ’00 (General Manager, 1999-00)
Bharat Reddy ’02 (General Manager, Fall 2000)
Nat Felsher ’02 (General Manager, 2000-01)
Philip Sharp ’03 (Co-General Manager, 2001-03)
Matthew Volk ’03 (Co-General Manager, 2001-03)
Andy Lapham ’04 (Co-General Manager, 2003-04)
Steve Gogolak ’05 (Co-General Manager, 2003-04 and General Manager 2004-05)
Dotan Johnson ‘07 (General Manager, 2005-2006)
Steven Bartus ‘08 (General Manager, 2006-2008)
Zachary Skipp ‘11 (General Maganer, 2008-Present)
Krista Gladman ‘11 (General Manager, 2009-Present)