Fake news, real laughs; Mass comm students launch ‘Channel 410’ parody

Saanvi Vootla, Contributing Writer

Channel 410, a project from students taking MASC 410, is mixing news-desk skits and street interviews around VCU and the Richmond community. They deliver a hybrid of real campus happenings and satirical “hit or mis-information” for students to enjoy. 

MASC 410 is a media entrepreneurship class offered to mass communications majors and is responsible for inspiring students to choose projects that touch the community through multimedia.

Past class projects included documentaries, albums and commercials — all created by students.

A row of bright lights in a small television studio on campus, a make-shift news desk, green screens, silly costumes and student anchors make the Channel 410 project come to life.

In an era where students juggle academics, jobs and extracurriculars, Channel 410 provides them with laughter and unserious news.

“Our goal for this entrepreneurial venture was to create something that was not only going to challenge us, but would entertain our community as well,” scriptwriter Hannah Johndrow said. 

Channel 410’s skits and street interviews reference genuine campus and Richmond topics, but with comedic twists and framing. 

“Channel 410 was aimed toward providing our VCU and RVA communities with completely unserious news catered towards our campus culture, hoping to bring lighthearted humor to our audience,” Johndrow said.

A recent interview on their Instagram — listed as “Rodney the Ram Shakes Up the Election” —  included Stuart Shafer asking students around campus about their thoughts on “Rodney the Ram entering the race for Virginia’s governor,” while sporting a coat hanger for a microphone.

The bit — released on the day of Virginia’s nationally-watched election —  channeled the importance of being civically active while making it less politically intensive.

Pressure builds for the team as they try to continue to create this content that entertains the audience and fulfills the expectations of the team.

“At first I felt a lot of pressure of being on the scripting team, as it felt like we had the fate of our channel in our hands, but we’ve had so much fun experimenting with different ideas when scriptwriting,” Johndrow said. 

Brief sketches from Channel 410 that take a lighter approach to serious matters allow both participants and viewers to acknowledge stress without being crushed by it.

Fan favorite stories from the channel include “VCU turns Johnson Hall into Spirit Halloween” and “Francine the Lowe’s Cat Speaks Out: Exclusive 410 Interview.”

“We’ve had mostly positive interactions with students regarding our content,” Johndrow said.

But with any form of media comes criticism, and the same is true for Channel 410.

“People have come up to us and said we’re funny, which makes our day,” Johndrow said. “We’ve also gotten criticism, but we’d like to think that that’s how we know we’ve made it.”

Laughter is one of the most commonly used coping mechanisms for people of all ages, helping them connect with others in times of stress or despair. Humor and laughter can foster resilience and enhance group cohesion. 

“My favorite part of working on Channel 410 is collaborating with my classmates and it’s been really fun to bounce ideas off of each other when writing scripts,” Johndrow said.

On a large urban campus like VCU, these comedic interludes act as social glue for students to relate to other interviewees on the channel. The campus-town boundary blurs and all things become material. The result: laughter becomes a shared currency.

Channel 410 is not just about jokes; it is a student-run entrepreneurship project that hopes to combat serious, stressful matters with a sense of community and comedic relief. 

For more Channel 410 content, check out their Instagram @ch4nnel410.