New Multi-Media Recording Studio in Lansdell Hall
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes.
A new multimedia audio/video recording studio for the Communications Department is being built in Lansdell Hall that will give students several opportunities to explore different types of broadcasting.
No specific date has been set for the studio to be finished, but it is possible for it to be ready for use as soon as this spring, but no later than the fall semester of 2026, according to Vincent (Hal) Keene, director of facilities and maintenance. The broadcasting room will provide students with an opportunity to experiment with many different forms of broadcasting, such as podcasting, a possible weekly newscast, a potential streaming TV network, and much more.
“Coming as someone who has been fascinated with photography and videography, the one qualm I always had was finding a space to do so,” said Karyss Milby, BU Communications student. “I think that having a designated space for Communications will help current students and attract new and upcoming students.”
The project was inspired over a decade ago when Communications professor Allen Roberts taught his first video class in 2014. The project was officially launched when an individual gave the school a generous donation specifically for the Communications Department. The process has “stopped and started” over the years but is now “rolling quickly” due to it being tied with the work in Lansdell Hall happening with the new heating and cooling system. According to Keene, the project should move rapidly, once major infrastructure is built.
The recording studio also poses the possibility for new courses in the future. The first class that Roberts would like to offer is a basic introductory course for audio and video production. It would explore the “ins and outs of the technology, how to hook everything up, how to get it live…then start staging something within that class, a newscast or whatever we brainstorm as a class what we want to do and then start producing it.”
A space will be provided for anyone to learn any part of recording, whether it be in front of or behind the camera. Milby added that she’s excited about the opportunities for BU students.
“I think Bluefield has so many creative students that this space will be given so much love and attention,” she said.
Roberts is equally excited and encourages all BU students — not just Communication majors — to make use of the new facility.
“Let’s hear from anybody on campus that may have an interest in communication,” Roberts said. “You’re not a communication major, dip your toes in a class or two. You want to get involved in something like this, throw ideas out there.”
Roberts is excited about the possibilities and many avenues of production that this project could offer while welcoming any and all students who might want to be involved.
“Stay tuned,” he said.