HillTV completes transition with new set, broader goals

When Eric Fleming came to Syracuse University four years ago, HillTV didn’t exist.

But last fall, Fleming and approximately 250 other SU students went through the process of creating HillTV, a completely student-run television station, from University Union Television after its separation from University Union.

This semester, HillTV is up and running after launching an official Web site, joining forces with professionals at DomeTV, installing a new set and generating new ideas for shows.

One of the major differences between UUTV and HillTV is the availability of programming being more readily available on the Internet, said Fleming, a senior public relations and marketing major and former general manager of HillTV. UUTV programming was, for the most part, unavailable to student viewers.

‘There was no easy way for students to access UUTV’s programming,’ said Fleming. ‘When Ethernet access became available on campus, the lifeline to UUTV programming got cut off.’



The availability of programming on the Internet better serves students, Fleming said.

‘The Internet is an active medium – you’re always choosing what you see,’ Fleming said. ‘We did studies and found that most students don’t really want to watch more than 15 minutes of TV at a time. So, we launched a Web site where all of our shows are posted and broken up into segments.’

In addition to a name change and Internet synergy, HillTV renovated its set which is located in Menschel Media Center in Watson Hall.

‘We went from a cardboard set that was built for $100 a few years ago to a custom made set designed by Blythe Design,’ said Joe Iuliano, a sophomore political science major and general manager at HillTV.

Blythe Design has designed sets for major television networks including NBC and Fox News.

‘A custom-made set improves the quality of our programming,’ Fleming said. ‘As a student TV station, we’re doing things at a professional level.’

HillTV has also begun a partnership with DomeTV, a station that broadcasts Syracuse athletics in the Carrier Dome. Students from HillTV work with professionals from ESPN and ABC during games to produce DomeTV programming.

HillTV has also taken steps to make programming more student-oriented.

‘We will provide new ways for student organizations to reach students,’ Iuliano said. ‘We recently started to rebroadcast in Schine, and we have plans of launching a University channel that will be aired in the dorms.’

Although HillTV is an independent student organization, it receives funding from the Student Association.

Carrie Grogan, assistant director in the Office of Greek Life and Experiential Learning, advises HillTV.

‘I’m really just here to help navigate HillTV students through the university system,’ Grogan said. ‘I have supported them through the process – but all the new changes that they have made have been completely their ideas. They are a very self-sufficient group.’

HillTV provides students with real-life experience that they cannot get in the classroom, Iuliano said.

‘The easiest way to learn is by experience,’ Iuliano said. ‘We are really focused on peer learning, and people end up learning a lot from their peers at HillTV.’

HillTV plans to experiment with different shows this year, including a game show with members of fraternities and sororities.

‘The nature of these groups is competitive,’ Iuliano said. ‘This is just one way to get people involved with HillTV and get people interested in what we are doing.’





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