Television station to air in spring
By Kristi Walker
Staff Reporter

TCU’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization is starting a university TV station next semester that will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide the campus with up-to-date world news, movies and student programming, said Jason Ruth, president of CEO.

“This station will provide TCU students with a means to learn and understand business in a hands-on environment,” said Ruth, a senior e-business, marketing and entrepreneurship major, who had the initial idea of CEO TV.

There will be opportunities for radio-TV-film, broadcast journalism and theater students to work on programming, he said. Opportunities will also be available for advertising and public relations students to get hands-on experience in broadcast production and advertising, he said. Also, the organization has an agreement with Res Life Cinema to show blockbuster movies that have just been released, Ruth said.

“We want to encourage students to create and tape material that they want shown on CEO TV and give it to us to review for programming,” Ruth said.

Monica Mahorney, a junior broadcast journalism major, said she thinks broadcasting majors can benefit greatly from the station.

“A cable show that gives students going into the TV market a good tape of their work to show to potential employers would be very beneficial to the department and to students,” Mahorney said. “It will promote TCU students as the up-and-coming market for broadcast journalism.”

TCU business majors can gain experience in running a business and handling its finances, since CEO TV will be responsible for managing the station and creating quarterly statements, Ruth said.

Michael Hennig, a sophomore marketing and entrepreneurial management major, said the organization is in the process of developing the financial plan of the station.

The initial startup cost for the station is about $40,000, which includes money for computers, film equipment and other office expenses, said Hennig, one of the innovators of CEO TV. The remainder goes toward the first month of production, he said. After the first month, the station will be funded by advertising sales, he said.

Ruth said CEO will request the $39,800 loan today from Student Government Association.

“So far the administrative cabinet of SGA has strongly supported the bill,” Ruth said.

The bill will be presented, go to the finance committee and then be reintroduced to SGA for a final vote, Ruth said. CEO is requesting a loan instead of a grant in order to gain a true business experience of taking out a loan and paying it back with interest, Ruth said.

Although Ruth said he is optimistic about getting the loan, he said he also has other sources willing to contribute to the project.

CEO is also planning to offer paid internships or paid jobs to students in all majors. He said it will take about 14 students total to run the station in the beginning, since there will be no live feeds.

Doug Newsom, a public relations professor, said any internships or experiences the advertising and public relations students can gain will be helpful.

“All students who have successfully gotten through the required advertising (and) public relations courses will be well equipped to take on an internship with the station,” Newsom said.

The station will be broadcast from Steve and Sarah Smith Entrepreneurs Hall on channel 47, which is an existing, non-working station, he said. CEO’s goal is to start broadcasting in March 2004 to a closed-circuit audience of TCU students in dorms, faculty and staff, and on-campus buildings, according to the CEO TV business plan. This will last for three years and during the fourth, CEO TV plans to broadcast on an open circuit to the Dallas/Fort Worth circuit, according to the plan.