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By Josh Mason Daily Bruin Contributor

Few Bruin sports fans are familiar with one of UCLA's hidden gems - "Bruin Talk," a unique student-run television talk show that features interviews with UCLA coaches and athletes but remains little known despite 23 years of production and airing in the Los Angeles area.

The weekly show's central focus is UCLA athletics. Two Bruin sports teams are featured during each half-hour airing and are interviewed by two hosts, newscaster Marcola Washington and Keith Owens, a former UCLA basketball player and current sports correspondent for Fox Sports West.

Each team is interviewed in a 15-minute segment, with a couple of players or coaches representing the team. The production staff attempts to feature a coach and a player in each segment, though that is not always the case. The interviews range from topics such as the team's season progress to emphasis on the individual achievements of the athletes.

The show also names an athlete of the week, determined by the UCLA Athletic Department, and provides a schedule of games to be held in the coming week - promoting attendance at upcoming UCLA events.

"The show gives the viewers a better sense of the athletes and the coaches of smaller sports by exposing them to those athletes and coaches they may not usually follow or have a chance to follow because of a lack of coverage," senior co- producer Michelle Cole said.

"Bruin Talk" analyzes UCLA athletes and programs not normally accessible on other sports talk shows. The show's producers try to arrange for every sport to appear at least once during the production year, sometimes inviting back certain sports for extended coverage.

Going further than just familiarizing viewers with UCLA players, "Bruin Talk" provides an opportunity for athletes and coaches to gain experience communicating with the media. It also serves as a recruiting tool, as athletes are often encouraged to describe their college experiences as well as their reasons for attending UCLA.

"The great thing about the show is that it serves two functions," said Rose Huelskamp, a show advisor from the UCLA Athletic Department. "On one level it helps promote UCLA athletics, and on another it provides hands-on experience to those students who get involved with the show's production."

"Bruin Talk" has been on the air since 1978, when it first debuted as a half-hour talk show to promote involvement in women's sports. Now in its fourth decade, the show has expanded, moved from black-and-white to color and gradually integrated male sports into its weekly agenda.

Though the show has evolved in format and targeted audience, its production scheme has not changed: to boast an entirely student-run staff.

"It's very important that the show is student run," Cole said. "Not only is it more personal in that it enables UCLA students to decide what Bruin fans are interested in seeing, but it also gives students an opportunity to find out first-hand how production works."

The current "Bruin Talk" production team consists of four UCLA students. Seniors Cole and John Tovar produce the show, and sophomores Melanie Kersler and Jen Taylor are the producers-in-training. Associate Athletic Director Michael Sondheimer serves as the executive producer and oversees the show's progress.

The production staff share several duties during the show's bi-weekly Wednesday tapings, including talking with coaches and setting up interviews, preparing questions for the show and handling the audio equipment, cameras and graphics during on-air production.

"I came on to the show with little experience in working the cameras or audio or graphics," Kersler said. "Now I'm actually considering some related field for a future career.

"Not only has the show been a good experience for me, but it has been fun to work on because it provides the best of both the sports and entertainment worlds," Kersler added.

"Bruin Talk" currently reaches a potential viewership of 2.7 million people in the Los Angeles county area, while recently adding Santa Barbara to its viewership. The production team hopes to expand throughout California and promote the show through newer avenues.

"We're looking for newer and better ways to let people know about 'Bruin Talk,'" Kersler said. "It's a great show, but not many people really know about it yet."

"Bruin Talk" tapings occur once every two weeks, and the edited show airs two weeks later at various times. The show airs in Westwood every Sunday at 4:30 p.m. on channel 77, or channel 22 in the dorms.

Information and clips of "Bruin Talk" can also be accessed by going to the Athletic Department Web site at

www.uclabruins.com.

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