Station Spotlight: Elon University’s ESTV

Last Updated on March 13, 2014 by askcbiorg

Special thanks to Matt Lee for answering the questions!

Tell me a little history about your station and where your station is now?
Elon Student Television was started in 1992 by a former student named Christopher Waters.  Every year since then the station has grown and as of now, we have 272 people working across six shows.  Many of our shows have won national awards and recognitions, including Emmys and other Communications Honors.  In 2009, One-on-One Sports accepted the University’s first College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundations.  In 2001, Phoenix14News (now Elon Local News) won 1st place in the College Television Awards newscast competition in Los Angeles.

What sets your station apart from other college TV stations?
We have six different shows, while many other college TV stations don’t have that many.  We cover news, entertainment and comedy and do it in a timely manner.  Even if we are scheduled to work with one specific show, we all help each other out if needed.  Our faculty advisers always have our back and have helped us pave a path to follow in order to continuously thrive and grow as a student-run television station.  We all have bright personalities and are eager to learn more about the field of television which is shown in each of our shows.

Why did you choose to work at the TV station?
I chose to work at this TV station because it is a great way for students to get involved in a professional type TV station. The opportunities to get hands-on experience working for programs from game shows, comedy, talk and news programs is a great way to get a feel of what interests you. Since my first year, I have been a contestant on Win Stuff, acted and directed for Elon Tonight, and anchored and reported for Elon Local News. There are so many ways to make an impact on the shows and figure out your niche. The diversity of the station means that anyone can get involved in whatever interests them. It also means that we offer whatever a real station would offer: news, entertainment, and talk shows.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your station?
The craziest thing I have ever done for ESTV was a man on the street for Elon Tonight where I interviewed people about Big Sean coming to Elon. It was an adventurous time walking up to random people and making them uncomfortable. I asked them questions about Big Sean coming to Elon and the “guap.” Some did not take so keenly to being interviewed but we respectfully left them alone. I don’t think I have ever talked to so many strangers in such a short period of time. Sometimes when I am walking around campus a person will give me a weird look and then I realize that I interviewed them before and they probably despise me. But then they smile and laugh because they had such a good time being interviewed and being in a fun sketch. It’s all for the good of television!

What’s the best part of college tv? And the hardest part?
The best part of college TV is that you have so much freedom to try new things and be creative. The ELN Morning show launched last year and now has the potential to be a college Emmy-award winning show! In February, Elon Tonight released a sketch welcoming Kate McKinnon to Elon for her show. McKinnon saw the sketch and even asked us to open up the show for her. ESTV has the chance to be more than just a TV show. We have the opportunity to reach a broader audience and be known around the nation.

Want your station profiled for Station Spotlight? Email Jessica Clary.