TV screens irk viewers

Freshman Allen Griffith and junior Mike Kawka watch the television in the Student Union.

Abigail Gontis

Freshman Allen Griffith and junior Mike Kawka watch the television in the Student Union.

Emily Moore, Staff Writer

The cable television channels provided to Pitt-Johnstown students have been unfulfilling for some.

Some campus television channel images have been cut off, making the television images appear to be cropped.

According to junior townhouse resident Carrie Albright, she and her roommates watch cable television consistently.

“We watch aired broadcasts of hit television shows like ‘The Bachelor’ or ‘The Walking Dead.

“We also watch broadcasts of Steelers, Penguins and March Madness games,” Albright said.

“When the picture gets cut off, I get irritated because I feel like I am missing half of the action that is going on.”

Contact was unable to be made with Pitt-Johnstown Physical Plant officials, although phone calls were made, emails were sent and a visit to Physical Plant offices was made.

Pitt-Johnstown Information Technology office workers had no information to explain the cable problem and said that Physical Plant officials should know what the problem is and how to fix it.

According to senior Willow Hall resident Mauro Pasquini, he has a flat screen in his Willow suite and watches television daily.

“The cropped sides on the flat screen do not make too much of difference compared to how it would look on a smaller television set,” Pasquini said.

“But it still is distracting to try to watch a football or hockey game and miss a play because that side of the broadcast was cropped off.”

According to Pasquini, the broadcasts did not used to be cropped off.

“When I was either a freshman or a sophomore, the television shows used to fill the screen entirely,” Pasquini said.

“It seems to have only been these past couple of years that the cropping started,” Pasquini said.

“I do not know what the problem is, but it needs to be fixed pronto.”

The screen-croppings are not limited to just on-campus housing. Even off campus, in the College Park Apartments, students experience television cropping.

Junior College Park Apartment resident McKenna Kern said, after the wait for cable to be installed in the apartments, it was a disappointment to see shows being cut on the sides.

“With my nursing major, I have little time as it is for relaxation,” Kern said.

“When I do have some leisure time, I like to watch my Pens play, and it is annoying to not be able to see a shot or a steal because the television picture is cropped,” Kern said.

“I just want to watch the Penguins when I can, and I want to see the game, not part of the game.”

Atlantic Broadband did not respond to a phone call about screen problems.