Student-run show to premiere on Big Ten Network
UW-Madison will premiere a unique 30-minute magazine-style program showcasing a variety of university stories on the Big Ten Network (BTN) on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m. central.
Reported and hosted by UW–Madison students, “The Wheel” will highlight different university programs and features. Stories include a feature on “First Wave,” the first university program in the country centered on spoken word and hip hop culture; the Langdon Street Neighborhood Watch Program, where students help keep their neighborhood safe; and university research on nanotechnology.
One unique aspect of the show is student involvement. “It’s refreshing and invaluable to get student perspectives and ideas in telling the university’s story,” says Amy Toburen, director of University Communications.
At the beginning of “The Wheel,” two student hosts spin a wheel to decide what features will be shown. Peter Kleppin, the UW–Madison Big Ten project manager, says the unique formatting of the program is part of the fun.
“We didn’t want to take the students and make them look like little anchor people,” he says. “We wanted them to have fun and be themselves and reflect the intelligence and the attitude that’s here at Madison.”
The first 30-minute show is produced by University Communications at UW–Madison in collaboration with John Roach Projects, a video production company based in Fitchburg. “The Wheel” will premiere to a national audience on the Big Ten Network on Thursday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m. central and the second episode airs on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. central.
The show is part of 60 hours of non-athletic programming allotted annually to each Big Ten school.
The Big Ten Network is available on campus through residence hall cable TV and Digital Academic Television Network (DATN). Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Comcast Corporation, Direct TV, the Dish Network and multiple local cable operators now carry the Big Ten Network. Please check with your provider for specific channel assignment.
