Brown Television is set to air eight new student shows this fall. The season's schedule will be more full than any in recent years and will include comedies, sports, news, a poker tournament and a drama produced as a Group Independent Study Project.
BTV Station Manager Ariana Nobles '06 said she is excited that BTV could go "back to the old days" when student shows were in abundance, adding that BTV is "trying to go back to a good balance" between movies and shows.
"It's for the students. We want to do things for the University," Nobles said.
Since BTV began showing movies five years ago, the number of shows has dropped. But this semester, a few elaborate student projects will take the spotlight.
"Double Blind" is one such ambitious project. The serial, which will follow four undergraduates and one graduate student as they uncover a campus conspiracy, is the product of a GISP called "Episodic Storytelling," which is running this semester. The GISP is cosponsored by the Department of Visual Art and the Department of Theater, Speech and Dance.
Erica Meredith '05 is the leader of the GISP and the show's producer.
Meredith, an MCM concentrator and PLME student, said she would "love to continue in the tradition" of creating dramatic, serious shows like those that appear on commercial television or, in the past, on BTV.
The show is a chance to "try things you don't have the leeway to do in a professional setting," said Meredith. She sees the show and the GISP as a great opportunity for experience in TV theory, reception, production and management.
Meredith and her production crew, WESt TV, plan to have five episodes per semester over the course of the year. The show has been filmed in high definition, and episodes will also be available on the Internet in streaming video.
"Double Blind" will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. starting tonight.
The fall season will also see the premiere of three new comedies - "Thayer Street," "White Brown Friends" and "The Erica and Diana Show."
"Thayer Street" follows two puppets named Steve and Brodie as they play out the lives of first-years. It airs Thursday at 10 p.m. and will continue in that time slot.
"White Brown Friends" is a series about four students who point out some of the ridiculous parts of life. The premiere is this week on Wednesday at 9 p.m. and will continue in that time slot.
"The Erica and Diana Show" is a sitcom featuring false accounts of events on campus. Its timeslot has not yet been determined.
Nobles said she is excited about the work that went into all the shows. Because of the large amount of editing and filming that is required for series shows, the number of episodes per semester is rarely more than three.
This semester will also see the return of "TheBAR," a live sports commentary show that airs Thursdays at 8 p.m., and "Brown Date," which pairs up students on blind dates.
Also, now that ESPN has finished broadcasting the World Series of Poker, BTV will show one of Brown's own poker tournaments. "Brown Poker Championship" is scheduled for December.
In addition to the shows, BTV will also continue to air feature films - the station buys licenses for eight films a month.
