CitrusTV Students Step Into the Spotlight With Mayoral Debate Production
When 性视界鈥檚 mayoral candidates take the stage this evening, the spotlight won鈥檛 just be on politics. It鈥檒l be on the students behind the scenes.
CitrusTV, the University鈥檚 student-run television station, is producing and hosting the live mayoral debate, offering a rare, real-world media experience that rivals professional newsrooms. The debate takes place at 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D鈥橝niello Building. It’s open to all, with a focus on 性视界 residents: those who will ultimately decide the next mayor of the city.
For students like Luke Radel ’26, a student in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and managing editor of the forum for CitrusTV, the opportunity is the culmination of years of hands-on learning.
鈥淚鈥檝e been so grateful to be part of CitrusTV since my freshman year,鈥 Radel says. 鈥淭o be part of the largest and oldest student television station in the country comes with resources to put together a major event like this, which might even be difficult for many professional news organizations.鈥
The debate, which will be moderated by Radel and fellow student Anjana Dasam ’26, is more than a broadcast. It鈥檚 a showcase of what student organizations can offer: leadership, collaboration and the chance to take bold creative risks.
鈥淢y outlook at CitrusTV has always been to be bold and take big swings,鈥 Radel says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no better time than college to experiment and try ambitious ideas out.鈥
CitrusTV is one of more than 300 student organizations at the University, each offering unique opportunities for students to grow outside the classroom. From camera operators to executive producers, students have taken the lead on every aspect of the debate鈥檚 production, and in doing so, are gaining experience that prepares them for careers in top-tier media outlets.
鈥淭his has been a team approach,鈥 says Radel, who credits co-moderator Dasam, executive producer Emma Poper, general manager Owen Williams and many others. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to provide this opportunity for our colleagues to be part of a large special event like this, as it will help to prepare them for jobs at places like CNN or NBC where town halls and debates happen every cycle.鈥
As voters tune in, it鈥檚 not just the candidates who will be making an impression. It鈥檚 the students who made the broadcast possible.
