Matthew Charof and Geoffrey Grasso have had their faces plastered all over the Purchase campus for a few weeks now. For about a month, it was hard to walk past any bulletin board without seeing their “I Don’t Have AIDS” flyer. The PTV duo, who have been getting flak for the name ever since the flyers first went up, aren’t discouraged.
“Our posters got ripped down,” Charof said. “We started to feel bad about the name. But publicity is publicity whether it’s good or bad.”
Although Charof said he and Grasso were skeptical about the name, which just “kind of popped up,” they knew it would make them stand out.
“People have called in and been like: ‘I Don’t Have AIDS,’ you guys aren’t funny,’” he said. “We’re always really polite.”
The name doesn’t relate to the show or its themes, nor is it a social statement.
“When we started, we said our show has nothing to do with the disease or our views of it,” Charof said.
Although Grasso admits that the two purposefully wanted to offend people by having a provocative name, their tactic has generated a decent viewing base for the show.
“At least we know people are watching,” he said. “The first show the board was lit up.”
Now that Charof and Grasso have the campus’ attention, they don’t feel the need to keep the name.
“We’re going to start having the name go along with the theme of the show,” Charof said. “It’s going to be ‘I Don’t Have _____.’ During finals week, we might call it ‘I Don’t Have Adderall.’”
The fifth show aired last Tuesday on PTV, which Charof and Grasso named “I Don’t Have Mos Def: Culture Shock Edition,” referring to the controversy over whether Mos Def was going to be performing at the biggest Purchase event of the year.
Around 11 p.m., roughly 15 people gathered into the studio, full of the free pizza and Red Bulls the two provided at the beginning of every show. Donovan Ernest, lead singer from this year’s Battle of the Bands winner Under the Rasta Influence, performed a solo set of two songs. Charof, Grasso and the audience were enthusiastic about Ernest’s performance, but the hosts wished the whole band could have played.
“We want live bands to come on with no difficulty,” Charof said, pointing out that they would have had problems getting all of Under the Rasta Influence to play in the studio.
Videos made by Charof and Grasso were shown in between the interviews with PSGA Presidential hopeful Steve Sabel, Major Events Coordinator Alaina Stamatis, and MEC hopeful Jeff Levin. One of them, entitled, “Matt and Geoff Being Weird,” was recorded about an hour and a half before the show. It featured the two, shirtless in their dorm rooms, practicing some strange moves and freaking out their roommates.
The board was lit up throughout the show, especially during Stamatis’ interview. Viewers called in to complain about Culture Shock, praise Stamatis for her efforts, and offer suggestions. If the caller was being impolite, the show’s sound man DJ Knowledge would play insultingly hilarious sound bytes from his iTunes.
Charof, who is a new media major, and Grasso, a cinema studies major, hope to improve PTV over the next two years they’ll be at Purchase.
“We want to make PTV more organized and better,” Grasso said. “We want to fundraise and talk to investors about giving the station money.”
Along with that, the two are going to try to start their own production company next year.
Filming episodes of “I Don’t Have AIDS/I Don’t Have _____” every Tuesday night is a top priority for Charof and Grasso.
“I look forward to the show,” Charof said. “It’s the highlight of my week.”
“I find myself skipping class or leaving early to work on the show,” Grasso said.
Despite a controversial start, Charof and Grasso enjoy what they do.
“The show is such a big deal for us,” Charof said. “We’re trying to make PTV better.”
Grasso agreed.
“We all have fun here at PTV,” he said. “We’re very relaxed on the show. Unless we start to drink Red Bull. Then our hearts start pounding.”
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