Late Night Oneonta - Oneonta's Student-Run Talk Show

By Aidan Simonds (Oneonta, NY)

For any Oneonta student interested in working in television, there's no better organization than Wire TV. It is a student-run television channel operated on the campus, and students can get real-life experience in a working studio. There are a variety of shows on the channel, and one such program is Late Night Oneonta. It is a talk show styled similarly to shows like The Tonight Show and The Late Show, and features student interviews, skits, and performances. The director is junior Marissa Tambasco, currently on her second year running it.

Host Troy O'Brien and Laura Varela interview a guest on Late Night Oneonta

When asked how she got the job, Marissa joked, "There wasn't anyone who wanted to do it." Right after, she clarified that even so, she wanted the job. "If there were a line of people, I would've made sure I got the show," she explained, showing just how dedicated she is. Marissa also wanted to have someone in charge with her, so she turned to senior Daniela Plunkett, who only joined Wire when Marissa asked her to join LNO. "Marissa and I do a lot of things together," she said, saying that Marissa told her "we should take a crack at it together."  For someone who leans more to film, Daniela noted several differences. "Television, at least the multi-cam format is much more low maintenance," she explained in how having several cameras in a studio, as opposed to only one on a film set, can completely change the feel.

Troy and Laura enter the studio

One of the hosts of LNO is sophomore Laura Varela, who was not expecting hosting a TV show to be part of her college experience. For her, that is what has made the experience so memorable. "I guess my favorite part is the fact that I've never done anything like this before," she said. When asked to give advice on anyone looking to do something similar, she replied, "You should look up some of the people that are inspirations."

When asked to give advice for anyone looking to work into television as well, she had one piece of advice. "It's okay to ask for help."