MUTV is an American student university Student television station channel that originates on the campus the University of Missouri in Columbia. The station airs original student programming in addition to recently released major motion pictures. MUTV airs to the campus on channel 23, though its programming is also simulcast to local cable TV subscribers (see below). The station is funded by the student government and gives undergraduate students a chance to gain experience before entering their journalism sequence.
MUTV off-campus on Mediacom
MUTV programming can also be seen on all Mediacom Public-access television cable systems throughout the Columbia-Jefferson City market on cable channel 20, Tuesdays 9:00-10:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 12:00 midnight-1:00 a.m., Thursdays 5:00-6:00 p.m., and Saturdays 3:00-4:00 p.m.
History
MUTV was founded in the late 1990s by the Missouri Students Association, the student government organization on the Mizzou campus. The station’s founding purpose was for it to be promotional tools for MSA much like the student run radio station, KCOU, was. However, this original purpose was not followed and after the first couple of years the station operated on its own and only looked to MSA for funding and support.
It was during those first years that the leaders of MUTV redefined the stations goal. By 2001, the station became a tool for students to gain real life journalism experience before entering Missouri’s journalism or communication schools. MUTV took its place on campus as a student run media outlet like sister-station KCOU, and campus newspapers The Maneater and the MU Student News (MUSN).
In late 2003 the station began broadcasting two of its programs on Columbia’s local Public-access television channel (CAT-TV). Only the shows JC Rocks and Nitetime with Nelson Muller were aired. This only lasted a couple of years and had ended by 2005.
The station does not currently have studio space of their own to produce their programming. Instead, MUTV uses a television production studio that belongs to the university’s academic support center. In 2005, the station’s General Manager, Derek Schnell, began working with the team designing a new Student Center so that MUTV would have studio and office facilities in the new building. Construction is ongoing.
Movies
MUTV started showing movies in of August 2003. The movies were the result of a deal between the station and Missouri’s Residence Hall Association. RHA agreed to fund the movies as long as MUTV would take responsibility for programming and airing them. Currently, the station airs approximately sixteen different movies each month.
Current Shows
The station has several shows in their current rotation. These include news, talk, entertainment and sport shows.
23NEWS, is a news show anchored by station volunteers with an emphasis on University of Missouri topics. The news show has aired under several different names since the station’s inception. It originally aired under the name MUTV News and ran approximately 20 minutes and aired about 5 to 6 times a year. In the 2001–2002 school year it was just 5 to 15 minutes long. The following school year, the show was expanded to a full 30 minutes that aired every other week and sports was integrated into the program. Starting in 2003, 23NEWS expanded to a weekly newscast that aired twice daily. The news department also supported special programming such as candidate forums for campus elections and on-location sports coverage for Missouri football bowl games. In 2007, the 23NEWS format was changed back to its 2001 season with the inception of 23NEWS WakeUp, a 5-minute morning show airing weekend mornings. Sports was spun off to its own show, This Week in 23Sports in favor of more news content.
Tailgaters is a sports show discussing MU sports, and sports from across the country. The show originally aired under the name Open Mike during the 2006–2007 programming year.
MUTV also airs The ProwL an entertainment show and Triple Play, a sports trivia game show.
Past Shows
Many of the stations shows only last a year or two before they are canceled and replaced. Two of the shows that had a relatively long run were Nitetime with Nelson Muller and JC Rocks. JC Rocks stopped airing on the station in the spring of 2005 following a four year run with more than 50 episodes. The show’s founders took the program national in 2005 and it can now be seen on several Christian TV networks.
The show MU Talks was a talk show discussing topics of student interest with guests. It was hosted by Lorenzo Hall (now reporter at WTVR in Richmond) who was also the show’s executive producer.
Notable alumni
Mike Hall anchored MUTV's sports show for 2 years while a student at the University of Missouri. Hall won ESPN's Dream Job program and served as the principal anchor for ESPNU until 2007. He now works as an anchor for the Big Ten Network.
Nelson Muller is former general manager and host of Nighttime. Muller is now the midday personality on KOQL-FM, "Q106.1" in Columbia, Missouri.
Paul Matadeen was a lead host and producer for MUTV's JC Rocks program. He is now a reporter at WNCN television in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, and continues to develop a Christian Music news program, presently named Source One Television.
Derek Schnell served in various roles at MUTV, from News Director to General Manager. He reinvented the graphic image for all MUTV programming and the station's website between 2003-06, including the MUTV and 23News logos that continue to be used. Schnell is now the Morning Executive Producer at KOCO in Oklahoma City.