When it comes to talking about the news, the theory goes, it’s better to make it entertaining. That humor and entertainment are the best ways to get to a crowd explains the popularity of topical comedy and late-night shows. The method has been working for years for major networks, and now our own campus has jumped on board.
BTV6, which began in the late ’70s as Harper Television Workshop, develops student films, documentaries and TV programs. Recently, they’ve launched two new shows: “The Weekly Show,” a less-frequent and Binghamton-centered take on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and “Binghamton Update,” a Binghamton-based version of “Weekend Update” from “Saturday Night Live.”
Keith Shapiro, host of “The Weekly Show” and a junior double-majoring in mathematics and economics, admires Stewart’s work to expose the corruption and absurdity in politics. He chose to create a show that would poke fun and satirize life at Binghamton University modeled off of “The Daily Show” — complete with a “Binghamton Moment of Zen.” He believes that situations exist at Binghamton that are being mishandled by the administration, and it gives perfect leeway to the material for his scripts.
The material is written by a team of writers who collaborate and come up with ideas to be featured on the show. They work off each other’s feedback to implement jokes that one might not see on the surface of a story.
In the first episode, Shapiro discussed the struggle for students to sign up for housing less than two months into the school year.
“Cause who wouldn’t want to pay $14,000 for students to sleep on an oversized maxi pad?” Shapiro joked to a live studio audience.
Following a series of jokes, each episode features guest appearances, typically from people with something to promote to those watching. However, as the show continues to grow, Shapiro plans to bring on such guests as administrators, professors and other people with interesting things to share.
“I enjoy the challenge of finding material to work with and trying to turn it funny, especially in a place like BU where frequent stories are hard to come by, which makes the material very hit-or-miss,” Keith said.
“Binghamton Update,” hosted by Jordan Siegel, a senior majoring in mathematics, and Amanda Rizzi, a sophomore majoring in geography, is a rendition of “Weekend Update” with the two anchors delivering their satirical takes on the campus news of the week.
After the news segments are over, a special involving interviews with students and faculty is aired. Finally, a “character” is interviewed, which will either be a member of the writing staff or a friend of a member of the production team.
Siegel, who’s made brief appearances on the show “Comics Anonymous” and “Pizza with Vaughan,” boasts an impressive comedy resume.
“I got involved by answering a casting call in the B-Line, then auditioning for the anchor role,” Siegel said. “I am the president of Bing Stand Up, and after taking improv classes this summer at the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre in New York, I was eager to apply my new skills in a comedic acting outlet on campus.”
Neither of these new inclusions would be possible without the help and determination of producer Jared Skwiersky.
Skwiersky, general manager of BTV and executive producer of “The Weekly Show,” oversees the entire process of recruiting a team, brainstorming ideas and directing people on how to execute them while, of course, facilitating production itself.
“Even in high school, there was never anything more rewarding than completely finishing a project and showing it off,” said Skwiersky, a junior majoring in economics. “But the feeling is made that much better now when I get to share that pride with the rest of the team.”
Both shows are currently in continuous production. “The Weekly Show” can be found on BTV’s YouTube page, and “Binghamton Update” will premiere Wednesday at 2 p.m. on channel 6, and will also be on the television screens in the Marketplace.