Why You Should Watch ATVN

By Sammie Yen

When I first stepped into the Annenberg Media Center, I was blown away — and also a little overwhelmed. Television screens stretch high up the walls, displaying various news outlets and types of current news. There’s overlapping sounds about sports, culture, health and foreign affairs. From KTLA weather forecasts to CNN political panels, the message is clear: there was always news, there is always news, and there will always be news. It’s a cycle that never sleeps.

It wasn’t a surprise to see how Annenberg, one of the top communication and journalism schools in the country, prioritized the flow of journalism as a constant for students to absorb and engage with. I admire how Annenberg emphasizes this abundance of knowledge. 

What surprised me, then, was how Annenberg turned an emphasis on the external news experience into its own television broadcast.

Annenberg TV News is USC’s student-run, half-hour news broadcast that runs from Monday to Wednesday, with shows airing at 5:30 on Youtube. They cover campus news, local stories, and national headlines that resonate with the USC community. 

Examples of covered topics include California elections, the legacy admissions ban for private universities and Metro safety.

If you want to stay engaged with the world around you, and you want news that is relevant to your student experience at USC in South Central, then ATVN is the perfect platform for you. 

Staying Informed

I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand the environment around you. 

It’s more than just reading a headline. Staying informed isn’t just about knowing what’s happening, but understanding why it’s happening and how it affects us personally. By tuning into ATVN, you’re connecting with a USC-centric perspective that helps you as you navigate life here.

In the spring, Annenberg Media covered various aspects of the encampment and student protests, including days 11 and 12, the USC faculty march and the pro-Palestinian protestors clash with the Department of Public Safety. 

For students who either weren’t at the protest or were unaware of the heightened tensions on campus those weeks, ATVN was the crucial link to the events happening right outside their door. The show helped bridge the gap between those directly involved to the rest of the student body.

Convenient and accessible

The shows are all available to stream on Youtube under Annenberg Media’s “Live” module, easy for students to find. If you can’t catch it live, it’ll stay up on the page. You can sift through the feed based on a particular day, or find a headline that catches your attention. 

Specialized shows

Every Wednesday afternoon, ATVN’s “Sports Scene” segment airs at 1 p.m., bringing you the latest news about USC and Los Angeles sports. The show includes major headlines from outstanding teams in the season, commentary and analysis, as well as upcoming events on the athletic calendar. The segment “Trojan of the Week” features a lively debate between two anchors about which Trojan came out of the week with the top performances across all sports. The latest headlines from “Sports Scene” cover the Dodgers in the World Series, domination by the Women of Troy, and USC football’s slip from national rankings.

Thursday’s ATVN show looks a little different. Available at 6:30 p.m., “See it Live” focuses on a single timely topic, exploring that topic thoughtfully through various perspectives and sources. Previous shows have covered Trojan Family Weekend, the USC Next Level Sports Conference and California elections.

Finally, ATVN covers important political milestones. The show has provided and will provide comprehensive coverage of Super Tuesday, and the upcoming presidential election.

Why it matters

In numerous ways, USC, and the greater Los Angeles area, is a microcosm of the country at large. Many issues that affect USC students — housing, safety, environmental concerns — are reflective of broader national and global conversations. 

ATVN gives students the context to see how larger events impact them directly. Staying informed through this show means connecting with news that is immediately relevant and fostering awareness that extends beyond campus.

It’s different from getting your news from social media. While it’s palatable and fast-paced, social media often doesn’t include depth or complexity in their perspectives on news. You might not even know who is pushing this information or what their agenda is — it might be to provoke rage, to spread misinformation or to mistakenly recirculate false narratives.

Tune into Annenberg TV News to consume news actively and become a part of a well-informed community.