UW-Madison: ‘IMHO’ to debut on Big Ten Network

CONTACT: Peter Kleppin, 608-262-8292, kleppin@wisc.edu

MADISON – “IMHO,” or “In My Humble Opinion,” a lively student talk show produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s University Communications, will make its national network debut on the Big Ten Network at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 12.

Guided by five student hosts, the show will explore issues including politics, entertainment, sports and student life, all from a student perspective. The unscripted conversation, in a roundtable format, is sometimes raw, sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always from the students’ point of view.

March 12’s program will tackle the complicated balance between the stress of college academics and enjoying a social life. Future episodes will cover a potpourri of topics, such as racial diversity, social media, relationships, college money issues and generational differences.

Andreall Moore, a senior from Memphis, says she planned only to support two of her friends who were trying out for a spot on the show, but decided to audition herself and was ultimately selected.

“It’s raw,” says Moore, who is graduating in December with a major in German and sociology. “It’s a little like what you might see on ‘The View,’ with our own freshness.”

Moore, whose extracurricular activities include WSUM and the Black Student Union, is just one voice on the panel. The other hosts are:

– Meredith Clanfield, a senior from Janesville who is graduating in May and majoring in journalism, mass communications and communication arts. She is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and is a former host of “The Wheel.”

– Alexandra “Alex” Pope, a senior from Minneapolis who is graduating in May and majoring in journalism and political science. Her extracurricular activities include being part of the Roosevelt Institution. She studied abroad in Spain and had an internship at CNN in Atlanta.

– Mike Montgomery, a junior from Los Angeles majoring in legal studies and African studies. He is a Posse scholar and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Students for Equal Access to Law School.

– Jeff Wright, a senior from Montello who is graduating in May and majoring in history, political science and international studies. He is active in student government and has studied abroad in Italy and Spain.

The show will be given a regular weekly timeslot on the Big Ten Network, starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, and running through July.

The Big Ten Network is carried on Dish Network channel 439 and Direct TV channel 610, Charter cable on channel 73, along with multiple other cable companies in the state of Wisconsin.

The Big Ten Network is also available on campus through the Division of Information Technology’s Digital Academic Television Network (DATN) and is available to students living in residence halls through ResNet Cable.

For more details on “IMHO,” visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/IMHO-University-of-Wisconsin-Madison/53382567083