Ryerson University’s Television and Radio Achievement Awards are in their 23rd year, but for the TARA 2001: Time Warp show April 12, the school intends to present a convergence production unlike anything it has done before.

4th Wall Media, a company formed by seven graduating students from Ryerson’s Radio and Television Arts program, is using the awards as the basis for a multi-platform delivery experiment. The TARAs will be broadcast live from the Rogers Communications Centre using Digital Audio Broadcasting technology, which facilitates high-quality radio delivery with text and interactive capabilities. It will be delivered simultaneously through Web TV, the Internet, personal digital assistants and cell phones. The producers are stressing the interactive nature of the broadcast.

4th Wall believes its multimedia presentation can serve as a broadcast convergence model. And, as show producer Michael Girgis adds in explaining the incentive behind the approach, ‘Why not?’

‘We’re learning all of this stuff, why not present it exactly as we’re being taught?’ he continues. ‘This is where we see [this technology] going. We’re taking the live interactive model and showing the audience and guests what these things do.’

The iTV broadcast will be fed by Microsoft Web TV and Rogers Digital Choice TV and, while online, the awards show can also be seen at www.torontostartv.com.

Instant polling for viewers’ choice awards in three categories will be conducted through PDAs, cell phones and Web TV. And it doesn’t stop there.

4th Wall has another version to work on for the show’s re-cast on Rogers Television (May 5, 2-4 p.m.) and CFMT (Aug 14, 2-4 p.m.) in Toronto. The latter broadcasts will maintain the same level of interactivity as the original.

Girgis explains the show will be run similar to the MuchMusic Video Awards, taking place in 16 different locations and featuring an interactive lounge and celebrity presenters including Pamela Wallin, Colin Mochrie and Ernie (Mr. Dressup) Coombs. They won’t have any envelopes to tear.

‘We’re taking paper away from the show,’ says Girgis. ‘The presenters will receive the [names of the] winners of each award in realtime from Rogers BlackBerrys [similar to Palm Pilots].’

While this multimedia interactivity takes the TARAs to a new level, there are always potential problems.

‘It was a lot of work learning all the technologies, making sure everything meshes, creating content and sending it off to multiple [platforms],’ says Girgis. ‘But you never know what will happen. The night of the show we may not receive a signal.’

Nonetheless he remains optimistic, adding that the show ‘has never received this kind of buzz. We’re very excited.’ *

-www.tara2001.com