Tiger TV is up for a $2 fee increase today. This is a repeat of last semester’s attempt, which coincided with our own plea for additional funds. Though we believe that Tiger TV should have waited a few semesters following their significant defeat last semester, we still endorse their attempt to gain much needed funds to expand their operations and improve their equipment.
Tiger TV is, at the moment, best known for showing films and a collegiate version of MTV. Its original programming is sparse, though entertaining for the most part. Its other function is to work as a laboratory for broadcast journalism students seeking to develop their skills in the field.
Some have criticized both parts of this function. Some have not found the programs entertaining or have even questioned why they should pay more for students to gain skills that they themselves do not personally benefit from. These are fair questions that deserved to be answered. We argue that in the case of programming, University students simply get what they pay for.
If one wants better television, then an extra $2 fee would let Tiger TV hire more staff, buy better equipment and possibly broadcast off campus.
For those opposed to paying more in fees because they benefit only a few students, we simply ask them to take a broad look at the situation. Take the student fees all of us pay for the University Recreation Center. Not everyone uses it, and it undoubtedly provides facilities for kinieseology majors to practice and perfect their craft. Campus busing, which has even less to do with academics, is a service used almost entirely by off-campus students. Yet both fees passed.
Perhaps it is best to look at the $2 fee increase as an investment. These students, with the increase in funds, may well be able to break free of their campus shackles and broadcast off campus. This training ground for students will be enlarged, making our University more prominent in the field of broadcasting and provide added incentive to keep better in-state students right here.
In short, in order to better provide for ourselves and our future, we should invest now. Still, it is not the money that makes those of us in student media do our jobs. In truth, most of us make less than minimum wage for the hours we work. But money is not the issue; we do these jobs because we love them, because we want to inform and entertain the student body. That is our passion, and we are confidant that Tiger TV shares it, regardless of how you vote. They are only asking for the tools with which to do a better job in serving you and educating themselves.
Vote yes today.