Harvard-Radcliffe Television
Encyclopedia
Harvard Undergraduate Television (HUTV) is the Harvard College
Student television station
broadcasting to the Internet
.
HUTV carries original, student-produced content from eleven shows and from individual Harvard students. HUTV shows include Ivory Tower (the oldest college soap opera), On Harvard Time (an award-winning comedy news show), and video reports by The Harvard Crimson
(Harvard's daily student newspaper). The network has a full production studio and post-production editing facilities in Pforzheimer House
, a Harvard dormitory.
HUTV, under the guidance of co-President Derek Flanzraich, replaced then-defunct Harvard-Radcliffe Television (HRTV) on April 6, 2009, inheriting HRTV's shows and staff. The predecessor to HRTV, the Harvard-Radcliffe Film Workshop, was founded in 1975 by Bob Doyle, the inventor known for developing a method of syncing sound
on Super 8 mm film
and for creating the first desktop publishing
software, MacPublisher
.
in Harvard's Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, founded the Harvard-Radcliffe Film Workshop (HRFW), which offered filmmaking
instruction and film screening
s in the Morse Music Library in the basement of Pforzheimer House
, which was then known as North House.
In the 1980s, Doyle helped form the Desktop Video Group to "support undergraduate video production
and television distribution" at Brown
and Harvard
Universities.
In 1992, Emily Brodsky founded Harvard-Radcliffe Television (HRTV). That same year, Ivory Tower, the Ivy League's
oldest soap opera
, became one of HRTV's first shows.
Until 1996, HRTV's shows were edited
using Desktop Video Group equipment. In 1996, the Morse Music Library, which had previously been the site of HRFW's instruction sessions and film screenings, was re-organized into a television studio
for HRTV, overseen by Doyle and aided financially by Pforzheimer House
.
In its early years, HRTV screened its shows in dormitory common rooms and dining halls, as well as on various Cambridge
Public-access television
cable TV channels. In 2006, HRTV began posting all of its shows exclusively online, though episodes of Ivory Tower had been posted online before then.
Several prominent Harvard alumni in the film and television industries have been members of the HRTV Honorary Board of Advisers, including Matt Damon
, Conan O'Brien
, Mira Sorvino
, Jack Lemmon
, Elisabeth Shue
, and John Lithgow
.
smashing a television and telling viewers to "get with the times" by watching television online.
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
Student television station
Student television station
A student television station is a television station run by university, high or middle school students that primarily airs school/university news and in many cases, student-produced soap operas, entertainment shows, and other programming....
broadcasting to the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
HUTV carries original, student-produced content from eleven shows and from individual Harvard students. HUTV shows include Ivory Tower (the oldest college soap opera), On Harvard Time (an award-winning comedy news show), and video reports by The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
(Harvard's daily student newspaper). The network has a full production studio and post-production editing facilities in Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House, nicknamed PfoHo , is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It was named in 1995 for Carol K. and Carl H...
, a Harvard dormitory.
HUTV, under the guidance of co-President Derek Flanzraich, replaced then-defunct Harvard-Radcliffe Television (HRTV) on April 6, 2009, inheriting HRTV's shows and staff. The predecessor to HRTV, the Harvard-Radcliffe Film Workshop, was founded in 1975 by Bob Doyle, the inventor known for developing a method of syncing sound
Sync sound
Sync sound refers to sound recorded at the time of the filming of movies, and has been widely used in movies since the birth of sound movies.-History:...
on Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
and for creating the first desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
software, MacPublisher
MacPublisher
MacPublisher was the first Desktop Publishing program for the Apple Macintosh, introduced in 1984, the same year that Apple introduced the Macintosh...
.
Harvard-Radcliffe Film Workshop (HRFW)
In 1975, Bob Doyle, who was then working as a research fellowResearch fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
in Harvard's Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, founded the Harvard-Radcliffe Film Workshop (HRFW), which offered filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
instruction and film screening
Film screening
A film screening is the displaying of a motion picture or film, generally referring to a special showing as part of a film's production and release cycle...
s in the Morse Music Library in the basement of Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House, nicknamed PfoHo , is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It was named in 1995 for Carol K. and Carl H...
, which was then known as North House.
In the 1980s, Doyle helped form the Desktop Video Group to "support undergraduate video production
Video production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
and television distribution" at Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Universities.
Harvard-Radcliffe Television (HRTV)
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
oldest soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, became one of HRTV's first shows.
Until 1996, HRTV's shows were edited
Video editing
The term video editing can refer to:* Linear video editing, using video tape* Non-linear editing system , using computers with video editing software* Offline editing* Online editing...
using Desktop Video Group equipment. In 1996, the Morse Music Library, which had previously been the site of HRFW's instruction sessions and film screenings, was re-organized into a television studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
for HRTV, overseen by Doyle and aided financially by Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House
Pforzheimer House, nicknamed PfoHo , is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It was named in 1995 for Carol K. and Carl H...
.
In its early years, HRTV screened its shows in dormitory common rooms and dining halls, as well as on various Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV channels. In 2006, HRTV began posting all of its shows exclusively online, though episodes of Ivory Tower had been posted online before then.
Several prominent Harvard alumni in the film and television industries have been members of the HRTV Honorary Board of Advisers, including Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
, Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
, Mira Sorvino
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite and is also known for her role as Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.- Early life :Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey...
, Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Judson Shue is an American actress and producer, most famous for her roles in the films The Karate Kid, Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, Back to the Future Parts II and III and Leaving Las Vegas, for which she won five acting awards and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden...
, and John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
.
Harvard Undergraduate Television (HUTV)
On April 6, 2009, HRTV relaunched as Harvard Undergraduate Television, under the direction of co-president Derek Flanzraich. The transformation included a new website and a short promotional video featuring Harvard professor and prominent psychologist Steven PinkerSteven Pinker
Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author...
smashing a television and telling viewers to "get with the times" by watching television online.
HUTV Productions
HUTV currently produces eight shows.- Ivory Tower - Created in 1992 by Sara Alexandra Bibel and Andrea N. Moore, Ivory Tower is HUTV's longest-running show and the Ivy League'sIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
oldest soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, and according to the show's staff the oldest college soap opera. In fall 2008, Ivory Tower switched from a soap opera format to a situation comedySituation comedyA situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
format. It has been popular not only on the Harvard campus but also, since being posted online, in South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
- Respectably French! - A sketch comedySketch comedyA sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show created by Nicholas Krasney, Ho Tuan, and Matthew Tai, Respectably French! is currently in its fifth season. In addition to popular sketch comedy programming, the show has interviewed and been endorsed by celebrities such as Kevin NealonKevin NealonKevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Eric IdleEric IdleEric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
of Monty PythonMonty PythonMonty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
, Homestar RunnerHomestar RunnerHomestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
, and Pleasureman Gunther. In 2008, Respectably French! has also covered ROFLConROFLConROFLCon is a biennial convention of Internet memes that first took place April 25–26, 2008, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The meeting was first announced in late 2007....
and the 2008 Republican National Convention2008 Republican National ConventionThe United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
.
- On Harvard Time - HUTV's satirical newsNews satirethumb|right|220px|[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]] is a news satire program.News satire, also called fake news , is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content...
show, modeled after The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, presents and comments on news at Harvard in a comedic fashion. Currently in its fourth season, On Harvard Time produces weekly episodes as well as periodic humorous interviews with both Harvard and national public figures, such as Harvard DeanDean (education)In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of Admissions William Fitzsimmons, Deputy White House Chief of StaffDeputy White House Chief of StaffThe White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, who is the senior aide to the President of the United States. The Deputy Chief of Staff usually has an office in the West Wing and is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the White House...
Karl RoveKarl RoveKarl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
, and 2008 U.S. PresidentialPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
candidate Mike GravelMike GravelMaurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election....
. On Harvard Time's November 2008 "Harvard Yale Aid" video, mocking Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
before the annual Harvard-Yale football game, was named 2008 Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
Video of the Year by IvyGate BlogIvyGateIvyGate is a blog and online news source covering news and gossip at Ivy League universities. The site is written and edited by students and recent graduates.- History :IvyGate was founded in 2006 by Columbia University alumni Chris Beam and Nick Summers...
. Founded and created by Derek Flanzraich in 2006, today it is "HUTV's most popular show."
- Crimson Edition - A long-form news documentaryDocumentary filmDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
show, Crimson Edition made its debut in 1995. It was relaunched with a more serious focus in 2006 by Executive Producer Eric Paternot, and is inspired by television news magazines such as 60 Minutes60 Minutes60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. Past topics have included Harvard's African-American community and the situation of the homeless in Harvard SquareHarvard SquareHarvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It is the historic center of Cambridge...
.
- HUTV News - Founded in 2007, HUTV News is HUTV's short-form newsNewsNews is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
show, producing shorter reports than Crimson Edition on a wider range of topics. Before HRTV became HUTV, HUTV News was called HRTV News.
- Harvard Hooligans - This comedic show follows a group of college roommates. Most Harvard Hooligans episodes depict them speaking into a webcamWebcamA webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
and portraying a stereotypically nerdy students commenting on Harvard events. However, members have also interviewed comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, covered the 2008 Democratic National Convention2008 Democratic National ConventionThe United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
, and run for president of the Harvard student body over the course of the show.
- Love@Harvard - Modeled after The Dating GameThe Dating GameThe Dating Game is an ABC television show that first aired on December 20, 1965 and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s...
, Love@Harvard is a show in which three students compete to win a dateDating (activity)Dating is a form of courtship consisting of social activities done by two persons with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a partner in an intimate relationship or as a spouse...
with another student contestant. It debuted in November 2008.
- H-Biz Tonight - Formerly HBS TV Market Minute with Mia Saini, H-Biz Tonight features short daily reports from Harvard Business SchoolHarvard Business SchoolHarvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
student Mia Saini on economic news.
Content Partners
HUTV also currently features three "content partners" on its site. These shows are not produced by HUTV staff, but according to HUTV's website "HUTV distributes their content as part of [their] mission to connect media groups on the Harvard campus."- The Harvard Crimson Video - Video reports from The Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard CrimsonThe Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
, Harvard University's daily student newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. The Crimson began producing videos in March 2009 as part of its "Project Sorrento", an effort to modernize the paper's website through the use of multimediaMultimediaMultimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
.
- UCTV - Biweekly addresses from the President of the Harvard Undergraduate CouncilHarvard Undergraduate CouncilThe Harvard Undergraduate Council, colloquially known as "the UC", is the representative student government of Harvard College. The Council was established in 1982 by a vote of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences and student referendum...
(UC), Harvard's student governmentStudents' unionA students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, to the Harvard student body, modeled on the weekly United States presidential addressUnited States presidential addressThe Weekly Address of the President of the United States is the weekly discussion of current events in the United States by the President. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to deliver such radio addresses...
.
- The Yard - An improvisedImprovisationImprovisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
"docu-soap" about six Harvard undergraduates, premiered in 2009 and produced jointly by students at Harvard and Emerson CollegeEmerson CollegeEmerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
.