After a long and tiring day of classes, you collapse onto your bed, pick up the remote and prepare to be mindlessly swept into the world of television. Yet, no matter how many times you scan the channels, your favorite sports team continues to lose, Grey’s Anatomy is still a re-run, and the Weather Channel’s prediction of snow storms and sub-zero temperatures has not changed. You are about to throw down the remote in frustration when Channel 13 appears on the screen. CUTV, Colgate’s student-written, student-run and student-produced TV station, shines forth to save your evening.

CUTV, the name of both the television station and the club responsible for its creation, was first developed on Colgate campus in the 1970’s. The club was very popular right after its inception.

“They used to play it in the COOP TV room,” junior and club general manager Brian White said.

Today, CUTV features numerous different shows created by and starring Colgate students, along with sports coverage and movies. While they lost several key members after graduation last spring, CUTV still has a number of programs going strong and is hoping to bring back more.

The most infamous of the shows currently running is Booty Call, which airs on Saturday nights at 8 PM, a program where individuals call in to engage in sex talk. White said that Booty Call is the second biggest show next to The Bottom Line, which is on the comeback thanks to the efforts of first-year CUTV members. The Bottom Line is a talk show covering both professional and Colgate sports.

Junior Jon Cornfield, assistant general manager of CUTV, said that Gateline, a talk show making fun of articles and various happenings on campus, was very popular a few years ago and that CUTV is trying to bring it back. Cornfield’s personal favorite show is Extreme Colgate Challenge, a program not unlike NBC’s Fear Factor.

“It’s a reality show where Colgate students engage in competition and the winner gets a prize,” Cornfield said.

Junior Abby Schneider, CUTV’s technical director, hopes to bring back Gate Update, a show that she worked on with a friend last year.

“It’s a news show,” Schneider said. “It’s low commitment, and I am looking for people to write stories and be news anchors.”

White is also interested in bring back the show because it would bring CUTV closer to The Maroon-News.

“We used to work closer with The Maroon-News and WRCU,” White said. “It would be great to re-establish that relationship.”

Cornfield, however, feels that shows are not CUTV’s current strength.

“The popularity level of the station has changed,” Cornfield said. “But it’s balanced — now we are more geared towards movies and sports broadcast.”

White said that, due to the current security of CUTV’s athletic component, the club would be promoting some new shows in the near future.

“Watch out for a new debate show on Sunday nights,” White said.

CUTV certainly excels at broadcasting sports programs.

“We do a full broadcast of hockey and basketball,” White said. “All other events are Web-streamed with a camera fixed on the court.”

The other highlight of CUTV is the selection of movies it presents free of charge. White said that the station is given a fund by the Budget Allocations Committee (BAC) to achieve this purpose. CUTV shows 120 movies yearly, or 15 per month. These selections are popular.

“We work with Swank movies,” White said. “They give us an electronic list to pick from. They are a great study break with no commercials. After 7 p.m., only movies are shown.”

While many students might just see CUTV as a channel, there are a devoted group of club members behind the scenes. As general manager, White is responsible for all the shows and the funding, and Cornfield is there to help him.

“I also order the movies and load them onto the computer,” Cornfield said.

Schneider also has a big job.

“If equipment breaks, I take it to get fixed,” she said. “And if people don’t know how to use the equipment, I teach them.”

Other key positions include advertising director, sophomore Nate Del Prete who handles advertisements for TV shows, on-campus events and downtown businesses, and editing director, sophomore David Maley.

“We have some of the best equipment on campus, including the fastest editing computer,” White said of the group.

One of CUTV’s biggest draws is the fact that it is not regulated by the FCC or the administration.

“Students are allowed to do whatever they want,” White said. “And we do it all on our own.”

CUTV also has a very strong connection with its alumni, who graciously donate much of the club’s equipment. Many CUTV alums have gone to do great things in the world of television and broadcasting. Christine Naclerio ’05 is currently living in New York City and has worked for both MTV and Lifetime. Tom Bowles ’03 now works for the Nascar section of ESPN.

CUTV would especially like to highlight Robert Johnson ’94, who started a company called Sundance Digital, and thank him for everything he did for their club this year.

Overall, those involved with CUTV seem very pleased with their experience.

“It’s a great thing to be a part of,” Schneider said. “I have met a lot of cool people and it’s amazing what you can learn and go on to do.”

White agreed with Schneider: “It is an opportunity to run a small business and a way to meet a lot of alumni and administrators and build good community relations,” he said.

Cornfield feels that CUTV combines fun and experience.

“It’s a way for students to express their creative side,” Cornfield said. “And our editing programs and equipment are very similar to those of the real world.”

For those who want to get involved, CUTV is definitely always looking for new members of any class year, regardless of former experience.

“Students who are interested should email us at [email protected],” White said. “We’ll try to get them on the crew.”