This from All Access:

---------------Report: CT School Of Broadcasting Closes---------------

The CONNECTICUT SCHOOL OF BROADCASTING has abruptly shut down its operations, reports ABC affiliate WTNH-TV/NEW HAVEN, which said that students at the school's FARMINGTON, CT campus found the operation locked with a note on the door reading "We regret to inform you that CSB has shut down all operations until further notice. If you are a current student ... someone at CSB Corporate will be in contact with you in the next coming days and/or weeks."

The closing came a week before graduation for the current class, and students' demo reels were locked in the building. Teachers told WTNH that they were "all called into the office and fired; told to pack up their things and get out."

ALL ACCESS hears that the shutdown affected the school's locations nationwide. [26 locations in 16 states].

The school's founding ROBINSON family may be reopening the school under their name, WTNH reports. The ROBINSONS sold CSB to DLJ CAPITAL GROWTH PARTNERS and KNIGHTSONE MEDIA in 2006.

This included the school in Las Vegas, where I taught. Students showed up for class to find that the doors were locked. Very sad, though certainly not unexpected. I feel sorry for the students and for those teachers that took the program, seriously.

.....sold CSB to DLJ CAPITAL GROWTH PARTNERS and KNIGHTSONE MEDIA in 2006.....

Another business killed by the money boys?

On the upside, there weren't any broadcasting jobs for these graduates anyway.

Enough sarcasm, Bright eyed students looking to make a mark in an industry, and staffs who still had the passion if not the outlet, and the industry is worse off for the end result. Another bruise for broadcasting.

Roger...so true. To be frank, the whole program and how they sold it to prospectives seemed shady, at best. The Las Vegas campus did have the best equipment. However, it was a two month program that cost the student 14 Grand. They were promised "life job placement and use of the facilities, nationwide".

My feeling is: that won't happen.

14 grand for a two month program? Holy Schnit! Why would ANYONE pay that kind of money for a quickie course, to try to get into a business with famously declining opportunities?

Smacks of a bunch of starry-eyed dreamers taken in by a group of snake oil salesmen. (Or am I missing something here?) When I attended Ron Bailie S.O.B. in the late 70s, it was $2,500 for a nine-month course. And for what you got, even that was overpriced. But 14 grand for two-months? I don't know of any school teaching any subject that's worth that much.

Yep. It was 14 G's for two months, if you attended the day class (4 days a week). A student in the night class would attend two nights a week for four months.

Playin' on hopes and dreams, for certain.

That being said: There were always a couple of students in each class that were naturals. They had the talent and the ability. All that they required was the knowledge of how to turn on a mic and use editing software.

I have always enjoyed teaching. They are young and old people who honestly believe that they have a chance in a difficult business. It's cool to be around those that are hungry.

I remember in the 80's when we joked about the local school, here in pdx. that it was five grand to get a five dollar an hour job at the coast. Now its 14k for what 6-8 dollars an hour.
wow. Glad i'm 54. regards to all my friends. steve.

a two month program that cost the student 14 Grand. Ohioh center for broadcasting is a fortune as well, but I think most of the grads intern for CC then move on to traffic updates.

I went to the WIXY School of Broadcast Technique a daily two month course with the same bennies for 1100.00 in 1975, No third class license? no Graduate. They had a placement rate of over 98 percent of all GRADUATES. thing was, out of our class of 25 only three of us got the license.

"...out of our class of 25 only three of us got the license."

Roger, you mean the Third Class Radiotelephone Operator Permit? Only three passed the Third Class? I could see difficulty getting a First or Second Phone, but only three of you got a Third? Amazing!

Maybe it was the Broadcast Endorsement they had the problem with........
You know the one...... With a picture of a meter with the needle somewhere in the middle and you had to answer a multiple choice question of what it read.
According to the local examiner here, you would be surprised at how many missed that question.

When I took the first phone test, there were still some essay (non multiple choice) questions that you had to draw things and calculate things.
Still had tube questions on it, also.

Ooops. that dates me.

Dates me too, Jimbo! Gosh, those were the days!

The CSB School of Broadcasting. Note, it says in the web address: "GO CSB"

http://www.gocsb.com/en/

Doesn't that seem redundant, Craig?
Doesn't CSB mean "C School of Broadcasting" so is it... C School of Broadcasting School of Broadcasting...

Is this a deliberate attempt at "echo?" echo... echo...

Reminds me of the guy on Laugh-in who did the annoucing in front of prop old-style radio microphone...

I passed the 3rd phone while in high school, just reading the information. By the time I got to college, I didn't have to go to the 3rd phone class. In the meantime, the test for the broadcast endorsement had been changed but not the study info so almost no one could pass it! What hope is there for any of us when the legendary Gary Owens is thought of as "the guy on Laugh-In, who did the announcing in front of prop old style radio microphone"?

Gary Owens:

http://www.hippieradio.net/images/owens.jpg

Are you sure this closing isn't a good thing. $14,000 for two months of training to enter an industry with no decent jobs. It might be doing a lot of young people a big favor to have it closed.

yeah, everyone, except the three, that took the test blew the endorsement part. Of course half the class never got as far as taking the test!It was given monthly in Cleveland or, you could drive up to Detroit and take it there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We drove up, slept 8 in a hotel room, and only 3 of the eight passed the whole package...

My First phone test in 82 also still had a couple of tube questions on it as well.

Like today, I'm sure, only a handful of us had the PASSION. The rest of them just wanted to play records on the radio.

Hell, I'd put my production pieces from 1975 done with china marker and razor blade up against most anything that passes for "PRODUCTION" today. I remember one piece I did for "OUTER SPACE MOTORS"
where I looped the tape under the capstan to speed up the reel then read the piece veeeeeerrry slooooooowly, set the tape back to normal did a separate SFX tape, mixed the two and added a feedback echo at the end to create a WARP SPEED effect. Sure, Cool edit makes it easier now, but those cut and tape pieces were a labor of love! No one taught it, It was just one of those things you figured out if you had "IT".

Those production pieces saved me. I was a real class cut up and at one point the school offered me a full refund plus 50 bucks to drop out. They NEVER refunded anyone for any reason. After they heard my production reel, I got to stay, and did a couple of spots for them as well. Fun times. Fun business. Or, it was at one time.


As for the 14 grand... most specialised schools are expensive for a short cram course, ITT ain't cheap, nor are the truck driving and specialty trade schools. Bates Voc Tech was more expensive than Community college, but it was two years, for many of the programs and there was various state aid packages.

Unfortunate now most of the aid has been replaced by student loans and kids come out of school buried. My wife got a 4 year degree and between grants, Work study, other aid packages her total Student loans were less than 3500.00. I did Voc school, and two Associates plus a year and had NO STUDENT LOANS. Got pissed at the job world and never finished the bachelors. Seemed like everytime I meet one requirement, Employers would up the ante regarding educational requirements.

I feel sorry for anyone in school with a pile of loans and the job market is still a crap shoot.

"Bates Voc Tech was more expensive than Community college"
I worked with a guy about 14 years or so ago who had gone through the program at Bates. He was working at the deuce when he went back up to Tacoma for some family thing and stopped in at Bates. The teacher asked him if he could answer some questions and talk to the "students" about working in television. They thought they all wanted to be camera people. or something similar. So, Denny went in and listened to them for a few minutes and then the first thing he said was if they wanted to go into TV to be camera persons, they needed to rethink it because it was becoming a thing of the past and unnecessary because of robotics taking over. He said the teacher and the students all dropped their jaws. It was not what they wanted to hear. He said he had to tell it like it was. He ended up going over to CH12 and drove their ENG truck around for live shots in the evening. I saw him out in Troutdale one winter evening at the truck stop setting up the obligatory winter wind shot out there for the 10PM News.
No point going to school for an education for a dying field. Same for radio school, I guess.

I went through the tv program there as well, The night instructor was great, we did EVERYTHING, I produced a twice nightly newscast, a documentary on the local Civil Air Patrol, and was working on a pilot for a locally produced comedy show along the lines of Second City. It had already been approved by the station. As soon as he retired the whole program basically became put up tapes and stand behind a camera. NO OUTSIDE PROJECTS. My pilot and the news was shelved, and I along with a couple of others were "GRADUATED". No support for job placement, and about a dozen of my working tapes were BULKED. I managed to sneak in a couple of times after hours and edit some stuff together. I stll have 4 or 5 KTPS tapes that I wasn't finished with. I believe Jim Hallenbeck was the one who killed everything. he would have made a good low level bureaucrat...

I remember a long time ago the production guy at KINK showing me his quick tape editing skills, he whipped out a spot and cut out a few seconds, spliced it back together, exactly in the right spot on the first try, then put it back and you couldn't even hear that it was out in the first place... for a 10-year-old kid that was amazing.... then I did some myself before finally throwing away my last open-reel deck... fun stuff, way better than Cool Edit or Protools IMO...

Feel free to make fun of me, but I went to National Broadcasting School back in 1990. The only thing it really did for me was open some doors and show me the basics of running a board. We did however learn editing the old fashioned way and I am ever so thankful today. In this antique station where I work today, without the fancy equipment, I can still create a great piece of production.

This from R&R:

----------------------Broadcasting School Re-opens----------------------

By Kevin Peterson

CSB School of Broadcasting will re-open its campuses and resume classes next week.

On March 6, 2009, CSB filed for bankruptcy relief in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston after its primary lender offset funds from CSB’s operating accounts. As a result, CSB suspended classes at all 26 of its schools in 16 states.

On March 19, 2009, the bankruptcy court approved a motion allowing the bankruptcy trustee to operate CSB School of Broadcasting for a limited period of time, sufficient for students to complete the current trimester. As a result of the court’s order, classes will resume on March 23, permitting all affected students with the opportunity to complete their studies and graduate.

CSB President David Banner said, “We recognize that the needs of our students are paramount. We are actively working with the trustee to promote a sale that would enable CSB’s continued ability to provide quality education to aspiring media professionals.”