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The simulcast was made possible by ASUCD, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of University
Relations, and Information and Educational Technology. Photo by Jim von Rummelhoff, IET Mediaworks
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When President Clinton recently made a stop at UC Davis (by way of the Mondavi Center's
Distinguished Speakers Series), he announced his resolve to, "make [himself] available to students
when [he] visits college campuses." As it became clear that only about 300 of the 1800
ticket-holders for Clinton's speech at the new performing arts center were students, a couple of
campus units stepped up to help the 42nd President keep his word.
Freeborn Hall became host to a crowd of 650 people (mostly students) and a live video-feed
telecast of President Clinton's address. Since so many Mondavi tickets went to season ticket
holders and "special guests," many students had to camp out overnight to compete for the few
remaining tickets made available to students. There were waiting lists, long lines, and upwards
of 30 dollars on the price tag. For those students who didn't feel like camping out overnight or
just plain couldn't afford it, the Freeborn simulcast was a relief.
Plugging in to the President
A lot of preparation went into the simulcast event. Besides the funding, planning, and special
security measures, Information and Educational Technology (IET) had its hands full laying the
groundwork for a smooth live video feed that would meet the crowd's expectations and the Secret
Service's requirements. A Communications Resources (CR) team laid three fiber-optic feeds that
would transmit the speech via live video. One feed would do the job, but they configured three to
ensure multiple back-ups in the event of a technical problem or last minute change. Doug Hartline,
CR Director, and his crew set up the fiber-optic lines between the Mondavi Center, the video
team's production vehicle, the high-powered news-satellite truck, and Freeborn Hall, where a new
video system with specialized projectors beamed Clinton onto a 20-foot screen for the anxious
crowd.
Due to security regulations set by the President's Secret Service team, back-up sites for the
production trucks had to be established. "And we did have to use our plan-B locations," Hartline
explains. "We also set up dedicated land phone lines at all production sites in case of cellular
phone problems," Hartline says. The cell phones that production crews often rely on during events
like these became inoperative shortly before the President's appearance: although not confirmed,
it appears that the Secret Service may have jammed local cell phones for safety measures.
IET Mediaworks provided the live two-camera videotaping of the event. From the control room of
the Mondavi Center, Mediaworks also fed a separate video and audio signal through another
switcher to a second dedicated fiber link to Freeborn Hall, in case power in the production truck
was lost.
The Audience Response
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Immediately after the speech, the audience at Freeborn was treated to an in-person
visit from Clinton. Photo by Jim von Rummelhoff, IET Mediaworks.
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ASUCD entertainment director and student Andrea Chalupa had a ticket to view Clinton's speech at
the Mondavi Center. However, when she heard about how many students were still hoping for
Mondavi tickets to Clinton's speech, she joined the simulcast efforts and even, impressively,
initiated the arrangement that brought Clinton in-person for a 20-minute surprise visit to
Freeborn after the speech (for more details and photos, visit
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/clinton/.)
Needless to say, Chalupa gave away her Mondavi ticket and opted to stay at Freeborn. Even before
Clinton's in-person appearance, Chalupa says the telecast created a unique experience of the
speech: "On the 20-foot screen, Clinton was a huge figure," she recalls. Chalupa remarks on the
youthful air of excitement in Freeborn: "We could hear the Mondavi audience's reaction to
Clinton's address and I noticed that we were laughing and cheering about different things."
Well after the big event, the speech is being made available to an even wider audience, thanks
to the Mediaworks videotaping. UCTV is still running the tape so that others can benefit. To
check listing times for the month of December, or to view the speech online, you can visit
http://www.uctv.tv/. (You will need Real Player-- which is downloadable for use at
http://realplayer.com/-- to view the event online). ¤
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