IUSTV to begin 24-hour casts

IU Student Television will air 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week on campus television starting Wednesday. \n"Basically, we will be taking over the programming on campus TV channel 2," said Gauri Sharma, marketing coordinator for the channel. \nIUSTV is a completely student-run organization. Last semester, more than 120 student volunteers produced, reported, marketed and managed the television station. \nThe organization, which began in spring of 2002, produced more than 20 news programs and five dating programs during its first year of operation, according to an IUSTV press release.\n"Since we did not have our own channel, we broadcast on Community Access Television Services and offered all of our programs on our Web site," said senior Kieran Farr, executive director and founder of the station. "However, we didn't get as many viewers as we had been expecting, so we pursued taking over Channel 2 on campus which was approved late last spring by the Residence Halls Administration."\nIUSTV will implement new fiber optic equipment which will connect it to Channel 2 and allow it, for the first time, to broadcast live. The original launch date of Monday, Sept. 20, was pushed back to Wednesday because the fiber optic equipment did not arrive in time. \nIUSTV airs several local news programs as well as a dating show called "Hoosier Date?" and a new show, "Cruise Control," which presents some local attractions close to campus. As the station begins to air 24/7, producers will be adding to their programming. \n"We will be running current events on campus, and a TV guide to the campus movie channel on the side of the screen," Sharma said.\nAccording to its Web site, IUSTV "hopes to become the source for up-to-date information and entertainment for the entire Indiana University community." \nStudents can tune into IUSTV on Channel 2 anywhere on the Bloomington campus starting Wednesday. Students can also suggest ideas for shows at the station's Web site, www.iustv.com. \n"We are very excited about this," Sharma said. "We see this as something that would be of great enjoyment and benefit to the student community."\n-- Contact staff writer Greg \nIngram at rgingram@indiana.edu.