WOLV (TV)
| Ann Arbor, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Branding | WOLV |
| Slogan | We Love It When You Turn Us On |
| Channels |
Analog: U of M Cable 55 Digital: U of M Cable 55 |
| Affiliations | Michigan Cable Network |
| Owner | The University of Michigan |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Website | wolvtv.org |
WOLV TV is the Student television station of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is operated entirely by students, though it receives assistance from university housing, and its stated mission is to educate students in all aspects of television production. The station broadcasts year-round on channel 55 in all campus buildings including dormitories, though it produces material only during the regular school year. WOLV TV is currently a Sponsored Student Group that operates on the ninth floor of South Quad at 600 East Madison Street. It is a subsidiary of the Michigan Cable Network. Although its name is similar to the callsign format of a broadcast station, it is only available on closed-circuit cable and not over-the-air.
History
A group of students led by Danny Schway (President), Scott Doyne (Vice-President), and Jeff Holzhausen (Sports Director) formed WOLV-TV during the 1994-1995 academic year. The station had no studio at that time and it largely focused on airing Michigan Ice Hockey Games. Despite its limited abilities, WOLV-TV earned the outstanding new organization award, and has continued functioning since that time. WOLV-TV was granted a studio, control room, and office on the ninth floor of South Quad a few years after its creation. It now operates out of that workspace, which it shares with the Michigan Cable Network. The station adopted its current Constitution in 2011, which is still in force. Starting in the spring of 2010, WOLV students began broadcasting baseball and softball games live on BigTenNetwork.com for BTN. These Student U productions later re-aired on the linear Big Ten Network. This new venture is just the beginning of WOLV's involvement with BTN. In the 2010-2011 school year, WOLV will broadcast more than 50 events for The Big Ten Network.
Operations
WOLV-TV operates under a Constitution written in 2009, though said document is revised annually. The station is led by an Executive Board, which is chaired by the General Manager. The station is divided into seven departments, each led by a Director, and each having certain responsibilities.
Current executive board
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Michael Lieberberg | General Manager |
| Julie Fassnacht | Public Relations |
| Josh Denzler | Internal Communications |
| Jess Knight | Entertainment Director |
| Marcella Milder | News Director |
| Jabrill Peppers | Sports Director |
| Karen Brownman | Programming Director |
| Hannah Noel | Operations Director |
Programming
WOLV-TV currently produces ten shows, including a twice-weekly news report. These shows are broadcast regularly throughout the year. All shows on WOLV-TV are 30 minutes in duration.
Current shows
| Program | Producers | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Newsfeed | Karen Brownman, Anisha Nandi, Marcella Milder, and Josh Denzler | Ann Arbor's only local newscast, featuring stories from around Ann Arbor, weather reports from meteorological students at the university, and specials on university events. |
| The Entertainment Buzz | Jess Knight, Julie Fassnacht, Marie Monark, and Madison Hurtubise | Program featuring Hollywood news,celebrity interviews, movie reviews and more; plus recaps of all the popular television shows, full coverage of awards shows, celebrity gossip, and local entertainment news. |
| Wake Up With WOLV | Sarah Ponczek, Ryan McDonough, and Larissa Rosen | WOLV's morning talk and news show. Because 11am is the 8am of college. |
| Sportsnite | Ben Meyers, Matthew Kipnis, and Jack Springgate | This weekly wrap-up show focuses solely on Michigan sports. |
| Turned On | Erica Fox and Rachael Kerr | This entertainment production of WOLV-TV focuses on providing advice about safe sex, relationships, and life. |
| Varsity Blue | Ben Meyers | An insider's look at the Michigan football team produced by Michigan student fans, for Michigan student fans. |
| Wolverine Alleyoop | Ben Meyers | Highlights and analysis on the latest UM Men's and Women's basketball games, plus NBA and NCAA predictions and insight from analysts. |
| Ultimate Sports Show | Aaron Tishkoff, Richard Bailey, and Andrew Scott | Your source for sports, with a comedic twist. Providing analysis for hot topics in sports, and hilarious reenactments. |
| You Say Maize, I say Blue | Ben Meyers | The program on all things sports with interviews with sporting personalities from across the campus. |
Former shows
| Program | Hosts | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reasonably Late (2010-2011) | Katherine Riley and Lissette Valdez | A forum for student issues. Discussion takes place on everything from celebrity "hot topics" to the latest political issues. |
| All Around Ann Arbor (2010-2011) | Nick "Hollywood" Tejeda | An entertaining program focused on educating freshman, sophomores, and even juniors and seniors, on what it means to be a student in Ann Arbor. |
| Inside Michigan (2006-2007) | Darren Cunningham | This show provided an in-depth investigative report on an aspect of Michigan life every week. |
| Keepin' It Real (2006-2007) | Stephanie Mansour and Kenn Szawala | A Doctor Phil style talk show. |
| Culinary 101 (2007) | Leah Steckler | An introductory cooking show featuring international cuisine. Produced by Pablo Schott. |
| Michigan Amp (2005-2006) | Tom Shea | WOLV-TV's music show, featuring interviews and live performances with bands and performers from the UM community, Ann Arbor, and nationwide. |
| Michigan in Motion (2006-2009) | Jake Serwer | Originally a music show in its first season, which exposed talented student musicians, Michigan in Motion ultimately focused on providing a funny perspective on campus life. Serwer took a sometimes irreverent look at the unusual, humorous and often bizarre people, student groups and stories that made up the variety of life at UofM. The show included personal interviews and features, both inside the studio and on location. |
| The Big Shtick (2001-2003) | Matt Engelberg and Dani Steinberger | A fast-paced and graphics-heavy talk show that touched on more than 20 topics per week. |
| Caroline in the Kitchen (2009) | Caroline Dunbar | A cooking show featuring campus cuisine. |
| Peomp $heott or Peomp Sheott (2005-2006) | Dinkar Jain and Tony Brieschke | Perhaps one of WOLV TV's strangest, most popular, and most random shows to have ever aired, Peomp $heott was an improvisational comedy show. Helped along by Sean King, George Mike, John Zhang, Steve Nannes, and many other guests, the show was an unforgiving satire of campus events, political issues, and sports headlines. For a brief period, the show also included a Peomp Cribs segment where students from around campus would subject their dwellings to the scrutiny of the unpredictable hosts. |