Look up, look down, all around, hey satellite...

By Laura M. Schneider
THE POST

"Is this the new Burrito Buggy?" joked Keith Newman, Ohio University director of production for the telecommunications center, as he climbed aboard OU's newest link outside of Athens.

But the 27-foot-long truck parked across from Baker University Center Friday - just down the street from the real Burrito Buggy on Union Street– serves up live satellite feeds that connect OU to regional and national television stations.

"One of the main reasons this truck is here is a teaching tool," said Paul Ladwig, OU executive director of media services.

The truck will teach satellite technology to communications students and give them experience using these broadcasting tools, he said.

Many video production and broadcast students must learn how to use such equipment for their future jobs, Ladwig said.

The truck was funded by the Ohio University Foundation through private gifts to the university for $480,000 and arrived at OU on Sept. 27, said Leonard Raley, OU vice president for university advancement.

"This is a huge boost for T-Comm," he said. "Now they'll have hands-on experience."

The College of Communications is creating a curriculum for students to utilize the truck as a classroom, Ladwig said.

The truck also will open up OU's resources and events to the world, he said.

"This gives the rest of the world access to our experts and events," Ladwig said.

News networks often asked the university to provide video footage of OU experts and students but could not create it because of technology constraints, he said. But the new satellite truck will allow OU to send live signals.

The truck will be parked at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville for the WOUB/WOUC-TV broadcast of a performance by the band "Rarely Heard" Oct. 12. The truck will send a signal 22,000 miles into the sky from the satellite. From there, it will return to WOUB on OU's campus, where it will be sent to PBS for viewing.

OU senior Anthony DeMarco, cameraman for Ohio Sports Network and director of WOUB's newscast, said the truck will open new doors for OU students.

"It's exciting in the sense that it's going to give us experience - you don't get any more real world than having a satellite truck and being able to go anywhere in the region to produce news," he said.

The truck also will allow students to edit and send footage from the truck, saving valuable time, he said.