"WSU Presents" Recordings, 1992-2004

WSU Presents broadcast addresses by WSU and visiting scholars, as well as events on the Washington State University campuses, especially Pullman. While many campus presentations were recorded and are available elsewhere, the WSU Presents collection groups those recordings made between 1992 and 2004 that were selected by KWSU-TV staff to broadcast on WSU Presents and then preserved here. Selection criteria according to Mr. Curry included: significant WSU events such as convocations and commencements; talks by WSU personnel; addresses delivered by nationally recognized figures including Murrow Symposium addresses; and topics of special interest to WSU or to the region such as Native American issues.

The collection consists of the edit masters by program number in analog and digital video format. Because only selected programs were preserved, those numbers are discontinuous. Each item notes when it was recorded and then its air date on KWSU-TV Pullman.

The bulk (51 analog versus 34 digital video) of the recordings are 1/2” metal analog videotapes, specifically Panasonic MII, which were the industry standard for most TV stations. Although these tapes are 1/2” and approximately standard VHS cassette size, they are metal not plastic and will not play in VHS decks. As of 2013, the only known Panasonic MII player on campus is in the KWSU-TV studios.

The collection reflects the shift in professional production from analog to digital recording. From 1998 to 2004, all but two of the recordings are digital video using magnetic tape, specifically Panasonic’s DVCPro, on L-Size or M-size cassettes. Large cassettes, measuring 4 7/8" x 3" x 9/16, were used in editing decks and could record up to 126 minutes. Most standalone DV tape recorders play these tapes. Medium cassettes, measuring 3 13/16" x 2 1/2" x 9/16", were used in the cameras to record up to 66 minutes in length.

A 4-page manuscript A Short History of the Television Program 'WSU Presents' written by Robert Curry in 2002 accompanies the collection. A producer/director with what was then Educational Technology and Telecommunications and had been Radio-TV Services, Mr. Curry recorded and edited the majority of the programs preserved here. He explains some of the technology changes in the recording and editing of the programs and includes a tabulation of the number of shows broadcast each year from 1992 to 2001, which ranged from 31 in 1992/1993 to 44 in both 1994/1995 and 2000/2001. Handwritten documentation of the taping schedule from 1992 to 2001 is included as are typescript copies of press releases about a recorded event, WSU memoranda announcing the air dates, broadcast release forms signed by the speaker, and any accompanying documentation such as materials handed out to the audience and event programs.