Naperville Community Television (NCTV17) had a ribbon cutting to celebrate its 35th anniversary year and welcome guests into their newly-renovated studio. In 2021, the station underwent a remodel, with the biggest change being the combining of news and sports production into one room, which then made way for a brand new conference room. Other improvements include new furniture where guests can gather as they wait for their television debut and updated control room with the latest technology for television production.
Dignitaries including Mayor Steve Chirico and Kaylin Risvold, President and CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, assisted in the ceremonial event. Fans and friends of the station also gathered with staff and board members for conversation and refreshments.
“The staff at NCTV17 are all true professionals. They love what they do and take pride in this place,” said Chirico. “They made it a special organization for this community. We’re very, very lucky.”
“[We are] incredibly grateful for the stories you tell,” said Risvold. “It’s very necessary in a community like ours and you’re world-class.”
About NCTV17
Founded in 1987, Naperville Community Television is proud to have been telling and sharing the community’s stories on air and online for the past 35 years. As a nonprofit, the station delivers hyper-local news coverage – all free of charge – to the people of Naperville, covering the people, places and perspectives that matter most. From local perspectives on national news to what’s being discussed at Naperville’s City Hall, Naperville News 17 keeps residents informed about what’s happening in their community.
“Here we are in 2022 and we’re streaming. We still have a cable and we’re still here,” said Liz Spencer, Executive Director for NCTV17, who also happens to be celebrating 20 years as the station’s leader. “It says volumes not only about what our staff has evolved to but what the community has evolved to and has kept with us in the role that we have played in your lives.”
The television station covers local elections, puts viewers curbside at parades, and showcases a wide variety of community events, performances and presentations. NCTV17 also produces a variety of talk shows and on Naperville Sports Weekly the sports reporters cover both boys’ and girls’ varsity sports from all six local area high schools bringing fans the highlights, interviews, and stories not seen anywhere else.
More On the Studio
NCTV17’s professional studio is the foundation from which all of its programming stems from. Featuring four high-definition cameras, an overhead light grid, green screen, and space for backdrops and props to be swapped in and out for various talk shows, the studio connects to the control room in order to capture the conversations on camera and ultimately become available on air and online for viewers. NCTV17 uses the studio space frequently to record the following:
- NCTV17 News Update
- Naperville Sports Weekly (NSW)
- Dana Being Dana
- 630 Naperville
- Spotlight
- The Red Zone
- Business Connection
Given the flexibility of the studio, NCTV17 is also able to welcome businesses and other non-profits into the space to capture their messages on-camera to assist in telling their story and marketing their products/services.
The studio also features several editing suites and storage for its wide variety of equipment for use outside the station (“in the field”), including:
- More than a dozen HD video cameras
- Drone Camera
- GoPro
- Steadicam
- Light Kits
- Microphones
- Batteries
- Tripods