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  Daily Bruin File Photo Senior Anita Brkic chats with Alex Trebek at a taping of "Jeopardy" last year.

By Suneal Kolluri

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Perhaps one of the main reasons UCLA students watch so much television is the fact that the delightful programs on their beloved boob tube come completely free of cost.

Many students, however, are unaware of the fact that they can also attend live tapings of many of their favorite shows without making a dent in their dismal savings accounts.

Participating in the studio audiences of television show tapings has become a staple of the freshmen dorm experience as dorm residents will commonly watch their favorite TV stars in action at studios all around the Los Angeles area.

“It’s a community builder because floors get together and they’re watching the show together,” said Joe Manko, the program coordinator for Hedrick Hall who is a fifth-year history/political science/sociology student. “And usually they pay you $10 to $15 a head to go to the show. It’s a way of getting money but it’s also about doing it in a fun way where everybody’s interacting.”

Program assistants of residence halls often arrange for members on their floor to attend tapings of shows such as “The Price is Right” or “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“We usually have a couple groups each year who go to ‘The Price is Right,’” Manko said. “That’s real fun because usually as long as you bring over 20 people they guarantee that you get one person on. Other groups have gone to go see ‘The Tonight Show,’ ‘Hollywood Squares’ and sitcoms.”

PAs reserve group tickets months in advance so between 20 and 25 members of their floor can attend a taping of “The Price is Right.”

On the day of the taping, groups of UCLA students arrive at the studio early in the morning.

Before the show, the producer and an assistant interview the audience members in order to determine who will compete on the show. In the past, UCLA students have gotten the chance to be contestants and some have even won “The Price is Right” Showcase Showdown.

During the show, audience members can see aspects of the filming that are not shown on TV.

“When they bring in new prizes and change the set, they have to stop so there is a little down time,” said guest relations manager for CBS Karen Winchell. “During that time Bob (Barker) talks to the audience, and that’s when he takes their questions.”

According to Winchell, the show is popular among college students, bringing them from across the nation to the tapings.

“They come from all over. Especially during spring break. It starts in early March, because spring break starts back there earlier. We get college kids year-round, but we get a lot of college kids during the spring.”

“The Price is Right” is filmed Monday through Thursday, two to three weeks of each month.

Although “The Price is Right” is one of the most popular tapings students go see with their floor, students can also attend tapings of such programs as “Friends,” “Just Shoot Me,” “Will & Grace,” “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and more than 30 other programs through a company called Audiences Unlimited.

Audiences Unlimited allows large groups to reserve seats at these tapings.

“There are fund raising opportunities for our shows so groups like sororities and fraternities can earn money for their organizations. You actually get paid for coming to a show,” said Steve Sheets, ticket department manager of Audiences Unlimited.

Production companies hire Audiences Unlimited to provide studio audiences for shows that require laughter and applause throughout the show.

Audiences Unlimited also has a Web site, www.tvtickets.com, where customers can order and print their own tickets, look at maps to the studios, and get information about some of the shows.

“Really, the easiest way to obtain tickets and the best way to get the most information about our show is on our Web site,” Sheets said.

However, an individual ticket does not guarantee admission to the show. On the day of the taping, Audiences Unlimited recommends that viewers be at the studio no less than one hour before the taping begins, and guests with general admission tickets are let in on a first come, first served basis.

Once inside the studio, the guests are seated and given a brief introduction on how the show will be filmed.

“All of the shows have what you call a ‘warm-up person,’” Sheets said. “It’s the guy who comes out and gives instructions and might set up the scenes before the show starts. Then, usually the cast will come out and he’ll introduce the cast to everybody. Then they start.”

The scenes are then usually shot in chronological order and the audience follows along as the story unfolds.

“It’s very much like watching a live play,” Sheets said.

Oftentimes, guests get the chance to see the bloopers that get cut from the actual program.

“One of the fun parts of the show is you get to see all the bloopers and mistakes that you don’t get to see on TV – they forget their lines, start giggling, break a door … studio audiences get to see all that stuff,” Sheets said.

And they get to see it for free.

“It doesn’t cost anything and it’s an opportunity to see your favorite stars and people you watch on TV in person,” Sheets said.