The Big Ten Network is looking for University of Wisconsin students to host a new "magazine-style show," the network announced Thursday.
BTN project manager and show producer Peter Kleppin said the network is looking for one or two students interested in hosting a 30-minute show that would highlight the UW campus.
"An interested candidate for the job will be a good spokesperson for the university, witty and not afraid to have a little fun," Kleppin said. "Somebody who is really good thinking on their feet, who can change things up (and) is not afraid to take risks."
The position is paid, though no salary has been fixed yet, Kleppin said.
"If he or she had to go dance with Bucky Badger during the football game, we'd have to have somebody who could do that," Kleppin said.
According to Kleppin, BTN gives each Big Ten university up to 60 hours of programming per year, and the university can chose what kind of a show to produce.
"We'd like to do a magazine-style show, showing the aspects of the university, research, student life, medical developments, campus history and others," Klepping said.
UW Communications and the production company John Roach Projects will join efforts to produce the show, which would be broadcast to the network's more than 30 million viewers.
Creative Director of John Roach Projects Matt Solomon said the traditional magazine format is "kind of tired, kind of boring. … We wanted to do something more fun."
According to Solomon, the show will feature a roulette-style wheel with a story assigned to each section of it.
The host would spin the wheel to determine which segments will be aired next.
"We will have shows that are more serious, and shows that have more humor in them," Kleppin said.
The wheel could also features guests and student participation, Solomon said.
"We're open to the notion that anyone could stop by the show," Solomon said. "We may do something like a man on the street, [where] we go out on campus, with some kind of relevant question of the day."
John Roach Projects will be holding auditions from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 1501 Monroe St.
