Nearly 200 volunteers at Texas Student Television plan to go beyond the standard 40-hour work week to produce 168 consecutive hours of live content for an annual broadcast and fundraising event.
24Seven started Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Unofficial Zach Anner Studio. For an entire week, TSTV will place continual live content on air that includes programming such as a cereal show, girl talk, the Newlywed Show, student organization shows including Student Body President Thor Lund and Vice President Wills Brown and a late night talk show, as well as regularly scheduled shows like KVR News and Videogame Hour Live.
Rebecca Rushworth, station manager and Radio-Television-Film senior, said 24Seven and all programming on TSTV is the culmination of hard-working individuals who volunteer their time and effort to help produce shows all while going to class and learning at UT.
“The purpose of the event is to show that our volunteers are working hard to maintain the standard of being the only Federal Communications Commission licensed entirely student-run station in the country,” Rushworth said. “Part of being entirely student run is that we support ourselves along with some very appreciated support from the Student Services Budget Committee.”
24Seven raised approximately $1,500 last year, Rushworthsaid . She said the event began in 2008 as a fundraiser to purchase the station’s digital antenna but did not become an annual event until Spring 2012.
In his second year as a volunteer for 24Seven, journalism junior and TSTV assistant news director Jon Scott said producing 168 hours of consecutive live content can get pretty crazy.
“We have people at the station all the time,” Scott said. “We have to. People sleep at the station. Someone has to be on camera at all times.”
Scott said he will spend around 20 hours on air throughout 24Seven, but not consecutively.
“Last year, I actually had to register for fall classes on camera at 8 a.m.,” Scott said.
Journalism senior and TSTV sports director Alexandra Stockwell said she enjoys the challenge.
“Some of the best content happens last minute at 3 a.m. so it’s one of those things that’s so much fun even though it’s technically work,” Stockwell said.
Content from 24 Seven will air all day online and on television — on digital antenna channel 29.1 and in dorms and Apogee on channel 15. Content will also air Monday through Friday from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Channel Austin for service providers Time Warner and AT&T U-verse.
Rushworth said she hopes to raise nearly $3,000 this year and establish a relationship with businesses and student organizations.
Published on March 25, 2013 as "TSTV hosts annual 24Seven fundrasing event".
