CTV History

During spring semester 1989 the Board of Student Communications (BSC) loaned a fledgling group of students enough money to purchase one camera and one editing system. With this equipment, Campus Television was born and a volunteer staff began producing about 10 programs per semester.

After two years of operating in this mode, Campus Television volunteers identified a demand for additional student programming. But to produce more programs, a better facility and more equipment would be necessary. CTV staff members, in conjunction with student government, placed a student fee referendum on the spring 1991 ballot. The student body overwhelmingly voted to provide a five-year $2.50 per-student per-semester student fee for installation of a comprehensive television production facility. In turn, students operating this facility under the Board of Student Communications agreed to produce five programs per week by 1995.

A Student Media Department conference room was remodeled during the fall of 1991. New equipment was purchased and installed. Production of a news show in the new facility began in the spring of 1992. Scores of students became involved and the CTV program quickly developed into a quality operation.

By the fall of 1995, the student staff numbered close to 100. In the fall of 2000, six original 30-minute shows are produced each week. These shows include two news programs, one sports program, one talk show, an entertainment show and a music video program.

All of these Campus Television programs rely on a student point of view to tell stories that directly affect college students of all ages, with content that also interests most young adults. The staff primarily covers campus and city events, also discussing trends, debating issues and seeking solutions to student problems. Typical topics include academics, jobs, money issues, entertainment, sexual issues, sports, personalities, trends, local bands and concert events.

In the beginning, there was trouble finding a satisfactory distribution outlet for these programs. There are no broadcast television stations in Fort Collins, and while the University's cable channel 11 (formerly channel 25 always has cablecast the show, only the local cable company's subscribers could receive the signal. CSU's cable channel 11 now cablecasts CTV programs each weeknight from 8 p.m. to midnight.

In addition, the Poudre School District's channel 10 agreed to cablecast the program beginning in the Spring of 1995. Each week four CTV programs are repeated as a two-hour block on channel 10 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In 2004 CTV students began streaming video on a student produced website. Viewers can now visit www.ctv11.com to view streamed, up-to-the-minute news and sports reports on demand.

During more than a decade of existence, CTV has engaged thousands of students in campus issues, debates and concerns, earning significant recognition in the form of awards from professional, academic and student-oriented groups.