Naperville Community Television, Channel 17 is airing its first-ever episode of Naperville News Extra, a show aimed at expanding stories to provide a deeper look into Naperville’s news. Whether it’s introducing a special guest, going behind the scenes or taking a closer look at a local event, our reporters will take a more comprehensive approach to a story that isn’t always possible in our weekly, thirty-minute newscast.
Naperville News Extra will premiere on June 18 at 8:30PM and will become a future staple of NCTV17 programming, airing on the third Tuesday of every month. Each show consists of brand new or additional coverage and previously unseen details of several Naperville News 17 stories.
The debut show will feature four stories, and each will be hosted by a different NCTV17 reporter.
Judy Blume, beloved author of books such as Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, is coming to Naperville. NCTV17 anchor and reporter Jen Hannon will discuss how Blume’s writing has impacted teens throughout the years.
Ryan Dowd, the Executive Director for Hesed House, a not-for-profit dedicated to helping the homeless in the greater Chicago area, is leaving the organization to move to Washington D.C. Reporter Ashley Vroman will sit down with Dowd and talk about Hesed House, the work Dowd has done, and the homelessness present in Naperville and the surrounding area.
If you continuously find your child’s head poking out of a tree in your backyard, perhaps they are destined for the Illinois Tree Climbing Championships. NCTV17 reporter Kevin Machak will be taking a closer look at how local tree climbing professionals brush up on their skills and leave the competition behind.
Preserving our area’s trees and natural environment remains a strong Naperville tradition, and reporter Jordan Abudayyeh will give viewers the opportunity to learn about the Illinois Prairie Path’s 50th anniversary. The 61-mile trail used to be an old railroad, but was transformed into a footpath after Naperville resident and naturalist May Theilgaard Watts sent a letter to the Chicago Tribune advocating for the vacant railroad’s conversion. Abudayyeh will look back at the trail’s past, discuss the path’s present and talk about what will be done to this longtime staple of the Chicagoland area in the future.
“The idea for the Naperville News Extra came from wanting to give our stories extra time in the show and from wanting to give our viewers a little extra,” explained Liz Spencer, Executive Director of Naperville Community Television.
Tune in to NCTV17 on Tuesday, June 18 and get to know more about the stories that matter to Naperville.
Naperville Community Television’s mission is to celebrate and preserve the spirit, character and experience of Naperville through diverse and informative programming that connects residents to each other and the community. All programming can be viewed on Channel 17 on Comcast and WOW! and Channel 99 on AT&T in Naperville or on-line at NCTV17.com. The studio is located at 127 Ambassador Drive, Suite 103 in Naperville. For additional information, visit NCTV17.com.
