Northern Television Center now has the opportunity to have two one-hour blocks on the DeKalb Government Access Channel.

After being approved by the DeKalb City Council, NTC will do more expanded news programming, said Allen May, a general broadcast manager of NTC.

“The department of communication has, in past years, aired programs on the government access channel,” May said.

The department used to put on “Northern Tonight,” but since has decreased its programming to five-minute inserts on CNN’s local news.

With the increased programming time, the station hopes to add longer news programs and documentary-type projects, May said.

May said one of the reasons he asked for the expanded time was because of the increased number of students interested in broadcast journalism.

“We are a major university with a very limited broadcast platform,” he said.

The station has received new equipment to help with the longer broadcast, May said.

Students involved in NTC’s programming are from the department’s broadcast journalism classes.

“There are more than 50 students associated with the programming,” May said.

Along with broadcast journalism students, graduate students, volunteers and those doing independent study also help run the station.

May said that although the one-hour block is set up, the center probably will start with only a 20- to 25-minute program.

“We don’t contemplate having one-hour programs so quickly,” he said.

May said he was excited about the potential of having longer programming.

“We’ve been seeing a growing demand for it,” he said. “This is not a kid’s exercise; it’s the real thing.”

Because DeKalb is between Chicago and Rockford, it doesn’t have a real television station presence.

“We’ve been ready for a couple of years,” graduate student Colleen Magnifico said. “It’s more of a window to expand our newscast.”

Magnifico said specifics for the expanded programming haven’t been set.

“We’re still talking about all that,” she said.

The expanded programming will begin the first week of February.

Currently, NTC helps broadcast the DeKalb City Council meetings.

If students are interested in participating in NTC, they can call graduate student and Northern Star columnist Ken Beck at 753-8888.