Tigervision to debut student-run programming

Those who have TVs on campus only rarely venture below channel 10, where simulcast lectures, university promo videos and the occasional USG debate are to be found. Hardly what would be considered must-see TV. Within a year, though, campus TV-viewers may well find sitcoms, sketch comedy and news programming among those single-digit channels. Tigervision will soon bring student-run TV shows right to our doorstep — provided that the three pilot episodes being filmed this weekend are up to snuff.

After much ballyhoo on the part of University administrators and USG members over the years, TV shows made by and for students are finally going to be made and broadcast on campus. "For about 10 years or so people tried to start it, and failed, and tried to start a backup, and failed again," said Tigervision general production manager Dave Uppal '08. "We're trying again to start it up, and it seems as though this time it's really going to happen."

Indeed, Tigervision has sported short-lived student programming before, but the momentum died down as the involved students graduated. "Not that many people are willing to devote time to put on a show, to write a script," Uppal said. This time, though, a network of full-fledged producers is in place to ensure that shows get made and continue getting made in years to come.

One such production manager is John Martinez '08. He, along with executive producer Jennifer Mickel '07, is overseeing "Daily Princetonian Television," or "DPTV." Their programming will consist of Daily Princetonian news stories transplanted from print to TV format.

"Yale has [a campus broadcast news program], Harvard has one, Northwestern has one, they all have their own TV stations, and we don't," said Martinez, striking a competitive nerve.

The appeal of TV news itself is also undeniable. "Most people don't have time to read a newspaper every day, if they read it at all," Mickel said. "It's much easier to turn on the TV and listen passively ... you're able to put things like video clips and in-person interviews and footage that you can't put in a print newspaper."

Another show to look out for is "Grounds for Expulsion," a sketch comedy program in the mold of Saturday Night Live. Executive producers Robert Moore '06 and Nate Domingue '06 are working to create a show that will push the comedic envelope.

"The only restriction we've been given by the network is that ... if [they] can get away with it on Comedy Central, we can get away with it on Tigervision," Moore said. Given the content of Chappelle's Show and South Park, Moore pointed out, that's not much of a restriction at all.

Though "Grounds for Expulsion" will naturally include some university in-jokes, the producers want the show to have a "wider appeal." This is in part because they intend to make episodes of the show available for download on the Internet. "The Internet is a place where things like this blow up, so if we could put some of the sketches online, there's a bit of a potential for that happening," Domingue said. "We've actually already bought groundsforexpulsion.com just in case we decide to use it."

For those who prefer traditional sitcoms, the tentatively-titled "Sprint Football" might be of interest. This show, written and directed by Ben Fast '06 and Scott Wolman '07, follows the misadventures of two Princeton sprint football players. One is Darren the Quarterback, played by Freddy Flaxman '07, who worries about his competing football and academic obligations. Darren is "the straight character," at least when compared to his wacky football buddies. "One of the players, [played by] Jon Ryan ['07], decides to toughen up for the football season. He puts IcyHot on his balls," Fast said. "He's like, 'I'm gonna be ready when the games comes, but you guys won't be, because I'm the guy who put IcyHot on his balls.' " The other main character is Pete the Awkward Freshman, who is "kind of befuddled, not sure where he fits in at school." In addition to Pete and Darren, the show will focus on the diverse ensemble of oddball characters.

There's more to "Sprint Football" than simple gags, though. "One of the things I'm very interested in at Princeton is that everybody at their high school is the best, and suddenly they come to Princeton, and they find that suddenly they're much more mediocre than they used to be," Fast said. Don't be surprised to find questions of success, loss and comparative self-worth sprinkled in with irreverent humor when this sitcom airs.

"Sprint Football," "Grounds for Expulsion" and "DPTV" are all filming their pilot episodes this weekend. Funding, equipment and administrative support depend on the success of these first episodes. The official launch day is still unknown, but Martinez is certain the programs will air "before next semester."

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At that time, both "DPTV" and "Grounds for Expulsion" would run either weekly or biweekly, while "Sprint Football" would produce four or five episodes per semester. There are a host of other shows in the works, too, such as a cooking program and another sitcom called "Shame on University" about a campus band. Finally, video footage of various campus events, as well as trailers for such events, would be aired in between broadcasts.