Marks Anniversary With 30-Minute Special and Other Programming. Milestone Coincides With Five New York Emmy Award Wins for a Total of 49  

CUNY TV, the City University of New York’s 24-hour television station, today announced new special programming to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, including a half-hour special on the history of the storied television station that will air at 8 p.m. on October 20. This milestone coincides with the station winning five New York Emmy Awards. 

“For 40 years, CUNY TV has been educating, informing and entertaining New Yorkers and its programming today remains just as relevant and vital to our city as it did in 1985,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Both as Chancellor and host of ‘Café con Felo,’ it’s been a privilege to be part of CUNY TV’s history. I look forward to helping CUNY TV uplift and educate New Yorkers for years to come.”

“From the very start, CUNY TV has been a home for the diverse voices of our community and a platform for bold stories that demand our attention,” said CUNY Senior Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing Maite Junco. “As it enters its fifth decade, I know CUNY TV will continue to play this vital role for our University and our city. I also want to congratulate this year’s New York Emmy winners, ‘Nueva York,’ ‘Shades of U.S.’ and ‘Anemoia,’ a short film that aired on ‘CUNY TV Presents,’ for their well-deserved recognition.” 

CUNY TV reaches more than 7 million households across the metro area. As part of the commemoration, the station is also airing two new series that feature CUNY TV highlights. The shows are “And the New York Emmy® Award Goes To…,” which will feature CUNY TV’s original shows that earned New York Emmy Awards for local programming in the New York region, and “From the CUNY TV Vault,” which will feature in-depth interviews with icons from the last four decades, including playwright August Wilson on a 1989 episode of “Spotlight,” Broadway star Audra McDonald on a “Women In Theatre”episode from 2004 and Civil Rights activist and politician Percy Sutton on a 2002 episode of African American Legends.  

Critical Recognition 

This summer, the station received 21 nominations for the 2025 New York Emmy Awards for 10 shows and two films. On Saturday, at the 68th Annual New York Emmy Awards Gala, CUNY TV won four awards, three for the series “Nueva York” and one for the short film “Anemoia,” which the station aired as part of “CUNY TV Presents,” a film forum focused on city filmmakers and their work: 

Magazine Program – Single Program & Series (Spanish Language): “Nueva York”: Heritage and Justice – Latinos Leading the Way 

Arts/Entertainment – Short Form: “Nueva York”: Alexis Rodriguez, Tico Torres 

Military – News & Content (Spanish Language): “Nueva York”: Music and Pride in the Army  

Entertainment – Long Form Content: “Anemoia” from CUNY TV Presents: Chelsea Film Festival 

In addition, “Shades of U.S.” took home a prize at the 3rd Annual New York Sports Emmy Awards last month: 

Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Sports: “Shades of U.S.”: Major League Baseball Officially Recognizes The Negro Leagues 

To date, CUNY TV has received 215 New York Emmy Award nominations and won 49. 

Expansion into new forms of media has also brought new accolades to the station. Last year, it created “Audio Maverick,” the station’s first original podcast, spotlighting the life and work of radio and TV industry pioneer Himan (Hi) Brown, a graduate of CUNY’s Brooklyn College who produced and directed more than 30,000 shows for every major radio network in his lifetime. The podcast is a finalist for Best Writing and Best Sound Design at the 4th Annual Signal Awards. The winners will be announced on October 15. 

Looking Back and Moving Forward 

At the time of the station’s founding, CUNY, like many universities, owned a cable channel that aired sporadic programming. In 1985, CUNY TV unveiled a more deliberate content strategy to make higher learning accessible to more New Yorkers. The New York Times described this move as transforming “more-or-less random offerings at more-or-less random times” into a “dynamic source of cable fare.” Over time, the station became a home for thoughtful and original programs like “African American Legends,” hosted by Tuskegee airman and Bronx Community College President Emeritus Roscoe C. Brown Jr., and “Cityscope,” hosted by CUNY TV’s first executive director, Robert Hirschfield. 

In 1999, CUNY TV moved to its current location at the CUNY Graduate Center and in 2013 expanded from cable to begin transmitting on broadcast Channel 25.3.  

“Like the city we serve, CUNY TV has gone through incredible change and growth over the past four decades. What hasn’t changed is our commitment to great storytelling that speaks to the lived experience of New Yorkers from every borough and every walk of life,” said CUNY TV Interim Executive Director Chiqui Cartagena. “I’m honored to lead such an outstanding organization that means so much to so many.” 

Today, the station has adapted to new forms of media ranging from studio shows and documentaries to student films and artistic performances. Last year, CUNY TV launched a digital app, enabling viewers to watch the station’s original content on the go. But even as it continues to grow and adapt, the station has remained committed to its founding mission to make higher education more accessible to more New Yorkers. 

CUNY TV is the City University of New York’s public educational television station. Established in 1985, CUNY TV is committed to extending CUNY’s academic mission to connect and uplift the diverse experiences of New York communities through relevant and meaningful stories. The station reaches 7.3 million broadcast households in the New York metropolitan area from its studios at the CUNY Graduate Center. Programming includes 26 locally produced shows from CUNY TV staff and 100 hours a month of programs from CUNY’s 26 colleges and external partnerships. Program formats include magazine and studio shows, documentaries, student and faculty films, lectures, academic symposiums, artistic performances and more. The station is the recipient of 49 New York Emmy Awards as well as other prestigious industry honors including the Telly Awards and Communicator Awards. CUNY TV is broadcast in the city’s five boroughs over the air on Ch. 25.3; and through cable signals with Spectrum and Optimum on Ch. 75; RCN on Ch. 77; and Verizon FiOS on Ch. 30, as well as on YouTube and Apple Podcasts and the CUNY TV app. Its original programming is archived for a global audience at tv.cuny.edu.  

– Courtesy of CUNY Communications