CSB school of broadcasting

[LCHS05]

I’ve been lurking around these boards for quite a few years now, and I have recently been looking to get into broadcast journalism and while doing a search for schools I came across a school called “CSB-School of Broadcasting” and was wondering if this school will help me at all getting into the broadcasting field. I’ve read some good and bad things about the school on the internet, their website also boasts of working directly with local media, I don’t know if that is just one of their gimmicks to get you to register for their programs or not, so I was wondering if anyone here has ever graduated from this school or has dealt with this school in any way, or should I just stick with UH or HCC
Thanks for all your responses
http://www.gocsb.com/en/

 

[soloflyr1]

If you don't mind driving to Alvin for classes & your air shift(s), you might want to look into KACC-Alvin Community College.

The late, great Cathy Forsythe & her staff built a fine reputation in the industry & turned out quite a few of the people in tv & radio today. Bill Lewis & Mark Moss (her longtime staff & friends) are keeping it all running now.

I liked the fact that they would honestly tell you the current state of radio & tv, no rose colored glasses B.S., they didn't just want to enroll people for the revenue, they wanted people that shared their passion for the industry. At least with their honesty you could make an intelligent decision about whether you thought it was worth doing just to satisfy a passion you might have for the industry.

 

[rip-n-read]

CSB doesn't say on its website how much its program costs, but I've been told its about 12 grand. Yikes! You can get a college degree at Alvin Community College for a fraction of that, plus you can also work at a great radio station with a major market presence.

A school like ACC would also give you the chance to study other subjects that can help you in your career.

 

[MorningTFXdude]

When compared to college classes, CSB is like a "mini 3-week course" compared to a regular college being like a "regular one-semester class."

CSB is fine, but going to a real 'school' will give you more credibility. Plus, CSB costs $12,500. Two years at a community college costs less than 1/3 of that cost - and community college = 2 years, whereas CSB is only for two-three months.

I would look into Alvin Community College.
They run an excellent RTVB program, and have cable access channel KACC-TV and of course, 89.7 KACC.
Mark Moss does a pretty good job, along with Mr. Nichols on the Television end of things.

Thing about CSB though is that it's good for networking.
A lot of people in the biz (Channel 11 reporters, 94.5 the Buzz staff, etc.) are instructors at CSB, and it's a great place to toss your card around.

Another one not to be outdone is HCC. They have a great Broadcast Technology 2-year program. Their facilities on their Stafford campus are great. And, they have HCC cable access. Plus, HCC is cheaper, by a bit (but when in college, you count EVERY penny!), but cheaper than ACC.

Hope this helps.

 

[cabuck]

Not to be rude but, I work for CSB (and am a graduate of the Dallas campus) and just to let you know it is more than a "mini 3-week course". The training phase is actually 112 classroom hours. We have been here in Houston for almost two years and have successfully helped people who want to get into the industry. It is true that CSB is great for networking, ALL of our instructors are people who do this for a living and have been great helping our students get into industry. Not to knock college at all, but we have great studios with everything being taught hands on, our students can use those studios six days a week to practice, we have lifetime job placement assistance, and you can use ALL CSB studios for the rest of your life. A lot of our students are actually people who have a degree in communications but, did not receive the hands on training they need.

My suggestion would be to check out all of the schools and what they have to offer. Go visit each campus and see which one will be the best fit for you and the way you learn. You can call our campus at 713.877.1524 if you'd like to talk to someone.

 

[PapillionWyngs]

Guess the latest course is Voice Tracking 101?

 

[careful705]

Guess the latest course is Voice Tracking 101?

Now that was funny...

No need to worry about the "live" aspect of everything. Mess up, just start over! The danger of getting it right the first time is out the window! Let's hope local news, radio or TV never go this route.

 

[fredcantu]

it is more than a "mini 3-week course". The training phase is actually 112 classroom hours.

Let's see. 112 hours divided by 15 days (5 days per week for 3 weeks) equals 7.46 hours per day for three weeks.
But I'm guess CSB spreads out the classes [ast three weeks.

I'm trying to remember how long it took me to get thru Elkins Institute. But I did get my first class license.

 

[AMRadioListener]

I graduated from CSB -- the original one in Connecticut. I went during the day back in 2000, and in my opinion...it was worth it. I'm in the business, and have been since I graduated. CSB helped me get my first job at Metro Traffic. I've then moved on from there BY MYSELF.

At that time, the tuition was 7-thousand dollars. There were 23 people in my class, three people got jobs (including me). That leads me to believe that they'll take your money whether you have the talent or not. They told me I did...and I KNOW I did...but most of the other people in my class didn't.

Anyway...that's my seven-cent testimonial of CSB.

 

[hmart70]

I graduated from CSB -- the original one in Connecticut. I went during the day back in 2000, and in my opinion...it was worth it. I'm in the business, and have been since I graduated. CSB helped me get my first job at Metro Traffic. I've then moved on from there BY MYSELF.

At that time, the tuition was 7-thousand dollars. There were 23 people in my class, three people got jobs (including me). That leads me to believe that they'll take your money whether you have the talent or not. They told me I did...and I KNOW I did...but most of the other people in my class didn't.
Anyway...that's my seven-cent testimonial of CSB.

I guess they believe in

SW SOME WILL

SW SOME WON'T

SW SO WHAT

WN WHO IS NEXT???

It would also be safe to say they are there to make a profit

 

[aunti-terrestrial]

I graduated from CSB -- the original one in Connecticut. I went during the day back in 2000, and in my opinion...it was worth it. I'm in the business, and have been since I graduated. CSB helped me get my first job at Metro Traffic. I've then moved on from there BY MYSELF.

At that time, the tuition was 7-thousand dollars. There were 23 people in my class, three people got jobs (including me). That leads me to believe that they'll take your money whether you have the talent or not. They told me I did...and I KNOW I did...but most of the other people in my class didn't.

Anyway...that's my seven-cent testimonial of CSB.

Yep, I've got a seven-cent testimonial, too. I attended a branch in Florida (mid-1980's), and completed about half the course when they gave me my first job lead. I trotted out to that station and was immediately hired. I was moved to fulltime in the business within two weeks of that initial interview, so I stopped sending my tapes to the CSB instructors and let the whole thing lapse. About six months later, I dropped back by the CSB branch and found it closed and gone. All the furniture was gone, and there was a big Building For Lease sign in the window. A few years down the line, I found that they considered me a "graduate," even though I only completed about half of the course. Of course, they had to do that because I still had that two grand in student loans to pay off; after many phone-hours with the SLA I finally convinced them that I couldn't have "graduated" in the time frame that they claimed because the branch office was well and truly closed at that time. The student-loan debt was substantially reduced because the branch of the school was closed during the time they claimed I graduated (I know the tuition and supplies were higher than the two grand, but CSB had also helped me apply for, and get, a Pell grant).


When I went for my first lesson in the branch, I passed a man in the hallways there who had a substantial harelip, getting the same encouragement and sales pitch that I was getting. It cracked me up and made me a bit uneasy, but I'd already signed my name on the dotted line, so there was nothing to do but plunge ahead with the realization that, like any class, you must take from it what you can use in life and not worry about the rest.

 

[LoveThisWork!]

I have trained several of their new grads. Here are some of the questions they've asked:

"What does top of the hour and bottom of the hour mean?"

"What's a legal ID?"

"Pattern change? What is that?"

"Dump button? Never heard of it....what is that?"​

So, I would like to say to all of you at CSB: radio stations still have to keep their licenses. Please give these new folks in the business some legal common sense.

 

[1900radio]

Save your $12,000 and just offer to "intern" (aka, work for free), at the best radio station in town in your format. You'll get REAL experience and learn a TON. Plus, you'll start networking. In this town, all the pros have worked many other places and can be GREAT references. Or you might get a paying job with that station.

 

[fredcantu]

In the modern times you need to be getting college credit for your internship. You just can't ''work for free'' without opening the station to all kinds of liability issues... not the least of which would be violating the fair wage laws.

 

[Bill Lewis]

Thanks for the kind words! Our formula has been tested for a long time now - three decades of training some pretty successful folks in radio, television, advertising, etc. We don't compare the value of our education with other schools but we love it when potential students take the time to come down and visit and tour the place. We definitely try to paint an honest picture of the business and the skills needed to try and build a career.

Thanks again for the compliments.

Bill Lewis
Department Chair
ACC Communication/Radio & TV Broadcasting

If you don't mind driving to Alvin for classes & your air shift(s), you might want to look into KACC-Alvin Community College.

The late, great Cathy Forsythe & her staff built a fine reputation in the industry & turned out quite a few of the people in tv & radio today. Bill Lewis & Mark Moss (her longtime staff & friends) are keeping it all running now.

I liked the fact that they would honestly tell you the current state of radio & tv, no rose colored glasses B.S., they didn't just want to enroll people for the revenue, they wanted people that shared their passion for the industry. At least with their honesty you could make an intelligent decision about whether you thought it was worth doing just to satisfy a passion you might have for the industry.