The Radio, Television and Film (RTVF) program at San Diego City College has been offered since 1947, according to a film professor Cy Kuckenbaker, and it’s about to evolve.

Plans to merge the RTVF and Digital Journalism (DJRN) programs were set in motion after the San Diego Community College District approved the merger last November.

According to Kuckenbaker, the new Film, Journalism and Media Production (FJMP) program will be offered to students starting Fall 2024, providing the same courses under new names.

Kuckenbaker stated the goal of the consolidation is to simplify and clarify course progression for students. 

“People were spending so much time decoding the old system and doing workarounds,” Kuckenbaker said. “This should be much, much more efficient for everybody.”

Susana Serrano is a Journalism and News Broadcast student at City College. After learning about the merger, she says that she would have taken her courses in a different order.

“I took writing class after finishing all of TV,” said Serrano, who often relied on her professors to help guide her. “I would have done it more in order rather than just picking and choosing.”

A student who is finding it difficult to determine the correct order of classes to take is Benjamin Guadarrama, an RTVF student that didn’t receive assistance from an academic counselor.

“At the moment, it does seem a little jumbled, I will admit,” Guadarrama said.

Kuckenbaker is caught up on one thing: retiring the decades old RTVF name.

“We decided to change the name because when students are looking for these programs, right now they have to look under radio, and young people typically are not ever looking at radio as a career anymore,” Kuckenbaker said, knowing the change is necessary.