IUSTV accepting ideas for shows

Two IU sophomores share a vision of creating and starring in their own TV show. Colin Jorgensen and Katie Calahan have been dreaming up the idea for a new show, but they don't have to wait years to break into showbiz.\nIU Student Television started broadcasting 24-hours-a-day last week. With all the air-time to fill, the station is accepting proposals for new show ideas year-round. Anyone with a show idea can submit a proposal and work toward its realization.\nCalahan and Jorgensen were waiting to audition as newscasters for the IUSTV news program when they came up with a concept for their own show.\n"We were just joking around at first because we weren't sure about the formula of the current news format, so we made up our own," Calahan said.\nJorgensen, co-creator of the idea, described the program as a "reality TV morning show with guests."\nTheir goal is to create an audience for the show by getting as many students involved as possible, whether it be through having guests or talking to people on campus. The show would cover everything from student opinions to cooking segments.\n"For example, dorm denizens might learn to make things from a coffee maker," Jorgensen said.\nDespite enthusiasm for the initial idea, the show creators anticipate many challenges in following through with their plans. Finding the time to put together a pilot can seem impossible to weave around busy schedules. \nAnother important issue with developing a new program is assuring that the show will not die after the creators graduate. But Calahan has confidence in the longevity of the program because of the flexibility of its genre.\n"There's not really a set formula. It can change and grow," Calahan said.\nExecutive Director of Programming for IUSTV, Laura Hilker, also an Indiana Daily Student staff writer, assures program creators that television experience is not mandatory. \n"Nine times out of 10, the people we receive pilots from don't have any television background and just come to us with a proposal in hand and no other inkling of how to get it started," Hilker said.\nIdeal student shows are innovative, have staying power, aren't too risqué in content and don't cost a fortune to produce, Hilker said.\nAside from various student news broadcasts, IUSTV only has two student produced shows: "Hoosier Date?" and "Cruise Control." \nHilker said she anticipates an increase in student-produced programming for the coming year.\n"We just need some diligent, committed souls to help make that a reality," Hilker said.\nDetails for submitting program proposals can be found at www.iustv.com. \n-- Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu .