January 21, 2000 - On channels 40 and 41, Tufts Television (TUTV) broadcasts several kinds of programming, including blockbuster movies, original student-produced entertainment shows such as Almost Ivy, and news productions like On Campus Live. However, with the exception of the Hollywood fare, due to a lack of knowledge and interest among students, these programs go largely unseen in the Tufts community.
Sophomore Adrian Baschuk, the co-news director and anchor for TUTV Newsmag, which resembles programs like ABC’s 20/20 or NBC’s Dateline, likened TUTV to any other broadcast network.
“[TUTV] basically [does] what any TV station does. They have entertainment shows and shows for information,” he said.
Most students, however, don’t seem to know much about TUTV, and as a result, do not watch the programming.
“Regular viewership, in terms of knowing the [TUTV] schedule and actually sitting down and watching the programs, is not that great,” Baschuk said. He explained, however, that the number of students who stick with TUTV when just flipping channels is much greater.
A boost in advertising may help to increase the number of viewers. Freshman Diana Cohen, who worked for TUTV briefly, thinks that more students would tune in if they knew more about the station and its programming.
“I think that more publicity would be needed. If I hadn’t attended TUTV meetings last semester I wouldn’t have known when [programs were] on or anything like that,” she said.
Many students are not even aware of TUTV’s existence because of the lack of publicity for the station. Freshman Darin Sakdatorn donned a puzzled expression and laughed, saying, “Uh, they have that?” when informed about the student-run television station. Freshman Marie Yamaguchi also remains unaware of TUTV, saying she has never seen ads for it or heard about the station.
“I don’t watch TUTV because I don’t know what channel it’s on. I don’t know what it’s about,” she said.
Currently, TUTV advertises through ads in the Daily and puts up flyers. A lot of viewership depends on word-of-mouth, or chance instances when students spot TUTV crews filming and ask about the programs and when they will be broadcasting.
Sakdatorn says she probably won’t check out the station, instead preferring the more readily available alternative. “I’d rather read The Tufts Daily than watch [a TUTV news program] because the Daily is everywhere. You can just go pick one up,” she said.
Many students are also settled into normal viewing habits and don’t have time to stray from their Simpsons or Dawson’s Creek schedule. “Most people don’t watch TV because they never have time, and basically people watch the same shows,” sophomore Cyril Thomas said.
TUTV’s former head of development junior James Lubin, who produces On Campus Live and Almost Ivy, thinks that viewership on campus is actually fairly large. “To be honest I’ve always been surprised at how many people watch [TUTV]. When I was doing Almost Ivy, people would always come up and say, ‘Hey, I saw you on TV,’” he said. “I think a good portion of the campus is watching.”
After a recent airing of TUTV Newsmag, Baschuk enjoyed relative fame on campus, which proves that people managed to catch the show. “I consistently had people come up to me and say, ‘I saw you on the news show, it was cool.’ There’s a fairly good amount of people going through channels and coming across it,” Baschuk said.
The station is still fairly young, although a version of TUTV has been lurking around for about 20 years, according to Lubin. In the fall of 1997, TUTV began broadcasting in the dorms, and the staff has doubled its size in the past couple of years. “Last semester was a building semester. We’re getting more programming on the air,” he said.
For instance, basketball fans can keep up with how the Jumbos are doing by reading a newspaper, but they can actually view highlights and commentary on Sports Doc, catching the games they didn’t have a chance to attend. “Not a lot of people have the opportunity to see the players and see the actual teams. [TUTV] has coverage of the Tufts basketball team and shows [its] games,” Baschuk said.
TUTV’s diverse programming schedule attempts to provide television that will spark controversy and offer comic relief. On Campus Live, a Politically Incorrect take-off, is broadcast live and features on-campus personalities debating campus issues. The cast of Almost Ivy, a sketch comedy show, mocks nearly everything in the spirit of parody.
TUTV news programming, such as TUTV Newsmag, offers a more in-depth look into the issues that affect Tufts. “[The show] does a lot of longer case studies. It examines all aspects [of the issues] in an in-depth manner where people can see images and hear the sounds,” Baschuk said.
TUTV Newsmag, which is still in the growing stages as Tufts’ first news show, began last year. Producers take about two weeks to create a program that runs from a half-hour to 40 minutes, according to Baschuk. The show addresses human-interest stories, Boston events and attractions, and campus and residential life at Tufts.
The staff at TUTV encourages budding media students or those interested in film to share their ideas with the station and help in producing programming. “We encourage people to come in and bring us new ideas for shows. If [students are] flipping channels and see something they like, they should definitely come down and see what TUTV is all about,” Lubin said.