Fordham Student TV, the university’s broadcast organization, returned to the Rose Hill campus following several years of hiatus. The Communication and Media Studies (CMS) department hired Katie Corrado, FCRH ’12, a decorated broadcast journalist with WPIX-TV, to work as the club’s faculty advisor.

Corrado was a news anchor for Fordham Student TV throughout her college career and worked as the student manager for the station her senior year.
Fordham TV was Corrado’s “second home” and hugely influential in her post-Fordham successes. “You need a demo reel to get on air; the TV station was the only way for me to generate that material,” Corrado said. “Without it, I don’t think I’d have my job.”

Katie Corrado is not the only Fordham Student TV alumni to lead a fruitful journalism career. Ann Pierett, an investigative reporter with ABC12 News, and Keith McGilvery, a weekday morning anchor at WTIC-TV, both gained valuable experience at the station.

Corrado and others were saddened to hear of the club’s disbandment in 2016, a result of scheduling issues with the Electronic Information Center in Walsh Library where the studio was located.

In its absence, students interested in journalism still had the opportunity to write for campus publications or work at Fordham’s radio station, WFUV. However, there was no opportunity to generate on-air material or learn the specifics of broadcast.

“I wondered how students who wanted to be on air were going to prepare themselves,” Corrado said.

Both Corrado and Jacquelyn Shannon, FCRH ’22 — one of the club’s co-presidents, along with Hayley Gunning, FCLC ’23 — hope the return of Fordham Student TV will fill this void.

“We haven’t had an option for students interested in broadcast journalism,” said Shannon. “[With Fordham TV], students will have the opportunity to produce their own news packages, so they can gain experience and build their portfolios.”

Corrado also wants the club to provide a community for Fordham students. “I hope for students that are interested in television, Fordham TV is that second home on campus like I had at the station,” she said.

Right now, the club leaders’ main priority is gauging student interest, according to Corrado. Because the club is returning after so many years, there is a lot of flexibility in how it takes shape.

“It can really become whatever students want it to be,” Corrado said. “This is really a blank canvas; someone could do an entertainment show or a sports show.”

Shannon hopes this opportunity for creativity within Fordham TV piques students’ interest. “We are excited for students to join and we want them to be excited about it, too,” she said.

While the club gets on its feet, students will likely produce their shows without a studio, according to Corrado.

Initial hopes were for the club to regain access to the Electronic Information Center in the library. However, after Hurricane Ida in early September, the space sustained significant damage, and its use in the near future seems unlikely.

Corrado remains optimistic about the shows the club will produce and the possibility of moving into a more permanent space. “Our goal is to put something together well enough that we can raise money to rebuild the studio,” she said.

Students interested in joining Fordham Student TV should attend the club’s informational meeting on Friday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Faculty Memorial Hall building, Room 232.