Students have enjoyed the campus radio station, WMSV, for some time. MSTV has been on the air since 1990 but is not as well-known. MSTV Station Director Alex Brown would like to change that.
“We have programming that is generated by the TV Center and the University. We broadcast five evenings a week, Sunday through Thursday. There is a three-hour block of time,” Brown said.
“We work through Channel 30 on Northland Cable Television. We also have an agreement with The Learning Channel (TLC). TLC is a nice education-oriented channel for profit,” Brown said.
“They show documentaries and such. We import TLC over to the Wise Center. We then send that signal over to Northland Cable Television,” he added.
TLC is not the only programming on MSTV.
“Our arrangement with TLC is such that we can put in our own programming,” Brown said. For example, MSTV produces the “Bully Board,” an electronic calendar of campus events.
“We try to cover some special events,” Brown said. “We replay the football games. I shoot the games, and I try to involve my students if they are interested and have the time.”
Khristi Wickersham, a senior broadcasting major from Madison, edits the football games that are broadcast on MSTV.
“Basically, working at the station will give me good experience for when I get out of school,” Wickersham said. She added, “I also love the people. We have a lot of fun and learn a lot as well.”
Lee Smith, a junior chemical engineering major from Vicksburg, agrees. She has only been working at the station for a week, but she enjoys it.
“The job is pretty simple, but it’s interesting. It can be a lot of fun. It could be a career,” Smith said.
Broadcasting majors are not the only MSU students who reap the benefits of working at MSTV.
“It helps the meteorology students because they can come over and practice. They tape themselves delivering a weather cast, and we play these broadcasts every night,” Brown said.
Brown’s television programming class has the opportunity to work on projects at MSTV. He invites other interested students to give television production a try.
“We would be absolutely happy to have volunteers. Most of our students are on a fixed salary, or they are on work-study,” Brown said. “We welcome any interested students that have even just a little training, he added. “It sure is fun.”
Any interested students should call 325-1332 for more information.