by Sidhartha Banerjee

With a new logo, new equipment and a slew of fresh volunteers, energy is radiating from CUTV’s cramped quarters on the sixth floor of the Hall Building. A group of dedicated students are looking to restore Canada’s oldest student television station to its former glory.

After a tumultuous year, about 50 student volunteers have big plans. Their mandate, included in the group’s newly minted constitution, is to produce solid programming that appeals to all Concordia students.

“Our mission statement says that we want to produce flexible, independent, edgy programming with a station that is run by the students for the students,” said Olivia Gottlieb, CUTV’s executive producer and a third-year Film Production student.

Another innovation for CUTV this year: Web broadcasting. With the help of Concordia’s Instructional and Information Technology Services, the station intends to put all of its programming on the Web.

“I put a lot of importance and emphasis on the Internet,” said Nick Wilson, the station’s newly appointed program director and a first-year English student.

The station will broadcast on monitors in the Hall Building. For the time being, the goal is to produce at least 30 minutes of quality programming each week. CUTV will also air on Canal Savoir, channel 26, in four half-hour slots during yet-to-be determined week-nights. There is also a good possibility that channel 14, the local ethnic channel, will also broadcast CUTV programming for one or two hours a week.

CUTV would also like to fill out its executive and attract some more talented and committed people to the fold. The group is also looking to increase ties with other departments like Journalism and Communication Studies, where students have a vested interest in gaining experience. Enn Raudsepp, chair of Journalism, said he would welcome an association with the group.

“We have always encouraged our students to get involved with student media,” he said. “Journalism is something that you get better at by doing, and the kind of experience people get from working things out for themselves can be invaluable.”

Founded in October 1968 as “TV Sir George,” the station claims to be the oldest student-run television station in Canada, and has received a number of awards in the past. It was renamed CUTV following the merger of the Loyola and Sir George campuses in 1974.

Well-known local alumni include CFCF Pulse news anchor Mitsumi Takahashi and Global technician Ron Nessin. A CUTV crew recently visited Global television studios in Montreal to interview members of the newsroom, which is filled with Concordia graduates.

The first CUTV broadcast is slated for early February. Stay tuned.

For more information, you can visit CUTV’s temporary home online at http://alcor.concordia.ca/~cutv