The online TV programming will feature content from Tippecanoe Valley High School and the entire school district.

AKRON — RTC Fiber Communication, of Rochester, and Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation have established an online dedicated TV station.

Tippecanoe Valley TV, is now available and currently airing programs from this past school year. There is no cost to download the channels or apps. There is also no cost to view the live channels.

The TV station will focus on Valley and the Valley community.

The school has added a radio and television class this fall and students in that class will be instrumental in providing content for the TV station.  

The students will be trained by RTC to use their equipment. The students will be paid for the extracurricular events.   Parents can download the app to watch the channel, etc.

This new offering provides continuous availability of video channels. The channels are available to view on the RTC Cable system, online at www.RTCtv4.com, on the RTCtv4 Roku Channel, and through a free mobile app available for both Apple and Android devices.  

The video content will be managed by RTC staff and personnel, but production will involve a combination of RTC staff along with Tippecanoe Valley students, faculty and community members trained and equipped in conjunction with RTC.

The content will focus on six main areas of coverage: news & interviews, school programs, live sports coverage, public meetings, community events and original programs. The schools themselves will not only utilize their channels for communication and promotion but also as a training tool and in the case of Tippecanoe ValleyTV, an accredited class (Radio and Television I) for students interested in broadcasting and media has been established starting the 2019-2020 school year.

Video on demand is available on all of the platforms with a paid subscription.

TVHS Principal Brandon Kresca said, “We are beyond excited for this opportunity to work with RTC to provide a unique learning opportunity for students. We have kids who are very interested in a career in radio and television who are thrilled with this course offering. Not only will this partnership create an opportunity for our students, but our community will have access to Tippecanoe Valley content 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  We have so much to show our community about all the great things happening at Valley.”

RTC is providing Tippecanoe Valley with computers, cameras, remote tripods, software and other essential equipment along with a commitment to assist in the training of their students through video clubs or accredited class instruction.

While RTC has offered video coverage through its cable and online services in the past, this new offering is one of the most accessible and pervasive local video offerings anywhere in the country. Scott Sayger, managing director of RTCtv4, says after talking with his vendors and cohorts around the country, he believes that the partner schools will be the smallest (enrollment) public schools anywhere in the world to have something like this.

For RTC’s part, President Joe McCarter said, “This is a great service that we can provide to the community. It has taken a lot of time and resources to get to this point. It is a great community service we want to offer to help promote our local communities. We are fortunate to be in a position to provide this service and give Scott and his team the opportunity to find a way to make it sustainable.”

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available for all of the channels, according to Sayger. “We have worked very hard to offer sponsorship and advertising opportunities that everyone from the big business to the small store to even individual patrons can support this program and market to potential viewers.”

Tippecanoe Valley, in partnership with RTC, is working on ideas for programs and segments. Announcements, interviews, school news and more are all on the agenda.  “We are here to facilitate their vision to the best of our ability,” Sayger said. “The staff and I are expecting an infiltration of creative ideas to rain down on us in the coming weeks and months.  From the moment I met with the school administrators, I could see the idea train was leaving the station. It is now our job to keep up. I expect more and better coverage of these communities as we move forward.”