Ithaca College Television (ICTV) provides original, student-produced programming to approx. 26,000 households subscribing to Time Warner Cable in Tompkins County, New York. Additionally, a live webcast and video-on-demand are available on the website. ICTV, currently broadcasting on Educational-access television channel 16, has operated from Ithaca College on local cable TV since 1958. Ithaca College Television is the world's oldest student-run TV station. ICTV has over 250 student volunteers, and produces hundreds of hours of content each semester. Since most of the county does not receive over-the-air television signals, ICTV was created to provide community-oriented public affairs and entertainment programming to the Ithaca-area cable audience. Productions make use of the television facilities at the Roy H. Park School of Communications, which include two television studios and a master control center that switches programs directly onto the cable channel.
The organization is a Student television station operated with a full time general manager who oversees operations. Typically, 18-20 program units, some ongoing and some newly created, recruit cast and crew members at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. Roughly 250-300 students volunteer each term. Most of them major in communications, but the organization is open to students in any major. ICTV's flagship program, Newswatch 16, has been in production under different names for over forty years. It is now a tri-weekly half-hour primetime newscast that has won numerous student journalism awards over the years, including a College Emmy. Newswatch 16 was recently awarded the 2009 National Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for Best All-Around Television Newscast.
One show that generated excitement outside of the Ithaca community was The Race, a reality series inspired by the hit CBS show, The Amazing Race. The Race won several awards and was recognized on various reality TV websites and blogs. It aired for two seasons in 2007. Based on the hit MTV shows Laguna Beach and The Hills, IVY was the most recent show to gain significant attention at ICTV. The new comedy was the first ICTV show to take place entirely at Cornell University. Praised for its unique visual design and effective parody of reality TV-style shows, IVY became a major hit not only at Ithaca College and Cornell University, but throughout the entire Ivy League as well. After the first season premiered, Ivy was recognized on several blogs, and even The Cornell Daily Sun, which wrote an article about the show.
Current Shows
A Book By Its Cover - A dark comedy about a girl and her fellow students who get wrapped up in a series of accidental murders.
Bombers Basketball - A live remote truck production covering IC Bombers basketball games during weekdays and weekends. It covers both Men’s and Women’s home basketball games live from the gym at the Hill Center, complete with four cameras and instant replay capabilities. So far, Time Warner Sports has re-aired the games in the Syracuse market, which is a huge step for ICTV and the Park School of Communications. Bomber's Basketball was present for Stephanie Cleary's record breaking game as well as Coach Dan Raymond's 100th career victory.
The Big Red Faceoff - is solely devoted to Cornell Men's Ice Hockey.
Down With ASP - A show that airs student projects from the Advanced Studio Production class, including demonstration programs, game shows and musical performances.
DP Show - a sketch comedy show with raw humor
E16 - ICTV's very own entertainment-industry news show
Experts Say - ICTV's own public affairs and debate show. Featuring student, faculty, and commuity panelists, Experts Say digs into topics of local, national, and regional importance.
Fake Out - Fake Out is ICTV's longest-running game show. There are four rounds of play, featuring an object, location, sound, and a trivia question. The panel of liars tells the contestants a story about each round, and it's the contestant's job to figure out which one of our liars is actually telling the truth. Contestants wager points, and win them if they are correct, and lose them if they are wrong. The contestants with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
Following Serling - A group of students, during what was supposed to be a normal day of class, find it cancelled after their professor appears to leave school sick. However, they curiously follow him and in the process stumble upon the old office of Rod Serling during his tenure at Ithaca College. What follows is an adventure of the unknown akin to "The Twilight Zone."
Food Fight Face-Off - An exciting field shot competitive cooking show. Student "chefs" compete weekly to produce a meal that guest judges like best.
Frequency - An alternative music video program. Featuring both new and old music videos by established and emerging artists, this show highlights bands that would otherwise receive little to no airplay on mainstream video outlets.
Game Over - ICTVs only video game review show. It breaks the latest industry news, reviews the hottest new releases, previews much anticipated upcoming games, and puts their own spin on the gaming world with segments like Top 5 and Match Up. Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend.
Hold That Thought - a deeper look into what's going on in the sports world nationally and locally
Ithacan Inquirer - A political satire show styled after The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Host Greg Thompson works every week to strive for a resurgence in the conservative right and explore the numerous ways that liberals brainwash Ithaca, and America.
IVY - A reality TV-styled show that documents and follows the lives of ten Cornell University and Harvard University students as they brave the Ivy League world and all the challenges it throws in their paths.
NewsWatch 16 - ICTVs Emmy award-winning tri-weekly live newscast, featuring thorough, up-to-the-minute coverage of what is happening in Tompkins County, New York State, and all around the globe. The NewsWatch Weather Center brings Tompkins County residents their most trusted weather forecasts, and Sports Final covers all the scores and highlights. NewsWatch 16 is proud to cater to the community of Ithaca and its surrounding towns as the only truly local newscast in Tompkins County.
Now Hear This! - ICTVs new news magazine show. This show covers community issues throughout Tompkins County. It also features business and entertainment segments, a question of the week, and a guest editorial piece.
Quabble - Styled after Whose Line Is It Anyway? Quabble is an improv-comedy sketch show that features some of the finest improvisational comedians that Ithaca College has to offer. The actors participate in ridiculous improv games
reVIEW - A magazine-style news show covering everything from local issues in Tompkins County to international topics of debate
Say What! - A brand-new, high octane game show which pits three contestants in a karaoke battle with only one, coming out the winner. Each contestant is judged after each round with the lowest score being eliminated.
The Screening Room - ICTVs long-running movie review show. Each week, two reviewers critique and give their grades to recently released Hollywood films. It also brings the latest box office figures, a weekly movie quiz and a preview of the movies premiering each week. In each episode the reviewers also share their 'DVD Picks of the Week,' which are recently released DVDs
Sports Final - Sports Final features an action-packed half hour of highlights, postgame, analysis and commentary on all of Tompkins County sports teams, which feature games and athletes from Ithaca College, Cornell University and all the local high schools; Dryden, Groton, Ithaca, Lansing, Newfield, and Trumansburg.
Suiteness - Suiteness revolves around six suitemates with completely different personalities. It documents, mockumentary style, their interactions with each other.
This Week Tonight - Since it debuted in 2006, "This Week Tonight" is ICTV's longest-running active fake news show.