HCTV Takeover Scheduled to Highlight Media Programs

On Saturday, November 21st, the Communication Arts programs at Herkimer College will present the return of the HCTV Takeover live on Time Warner Cable’s public access channel, HCTV. The three hour live television event will begin at 8 p.m. and run until 11 p.m. The HCTV Takeover highlights the various Communication Arts programs at Herkimer, including Radio-Television Broadcasting, Digital Filmmaking, New Media and Music Industry.

Assistant Professor of Radio-Television Broadcasting Douglas Flanagan says the idea for the show began in 2013 over discussions with Professor Robert Gassmann. “It was his idea to create an event that encompasses and showcases all of our media related programs here,” said Flanagan. “It used to be just Radio-TV here at Herkimer, but in the last several years we’ve added all these other curricula.” All of these programs use the facilities and resources of the original ‘RTV’ program as a base. Flanagan added, “this is the most ambitious studio based production of the year at Herkimer College.”

The show will be hosted by current HCTV anchors Jack Sehn and Bridget Roberts, along with former Communication Arts: Radio Television Broadcasting students Melissa Krull and Patrick Malowski. Krull is currently a multimedia journalist at Time Warner Cable News in Utica, NY and Malowski is an anchor/reporter at WWNY in Watertown, NY.

“The evening will consist of live studio interviews with current and former students in the media industry along with presentations of student work,” said Flanagan. “The Radio-Television Broadcasting program will be highlighted via the entire live production, and by an encore presentation of that week’s live HCTV News program. Live simulcasting of radio programming from WVHC 91.5FM, the on-campus FM radio station will also be featured. Current Digital Filmmaking students will be interviewed, and several student films from that program will be shown. The Music Industry program will be featured via a live performance from ‘The Old Main’ featuring former students Seth Becker and Nash Robb.”