The title of one of ISU-9’s newest shows came to its creator while he was looking out the window.

“When I was home over the summer, there are a lot of squirrels that lived outside my window under a tree,” said Mike Irwin, co-producer of the half-hour entertainment show “Hello Squirrel.”

“The name was kind of crazy,” said Irwin, sophomore in journalism and mass communication. “We thought it was something that people would stop and look at, at least.”

“Hello Squirrel” was started this semester by Irwin, who also is the ISU-9 general manager. Co-host Daniela Matasovic, senior in journalism and mass communication, also co-produces the show.

Irwin said he wanted to create a unique entertainment show for the ISU community, and “Hello Squirrel” was the result.

“One of the on-going goals is to create programming that you can’t find elsewhere,” he said.

The show has featured a variety of interviews, live bands and person-on-the-street interviews. “Hello Squirrel” is completely pre-produced.

Irwin said most ISU-9 programs are shot in one time slot, but it takes the crew of “Hello Squirrel” about four hours to tape the show. The producers then edit the footage into the final 30-minute package.

The show tries to strike a balance between being “on the edge,” Irwin said, and addressing serious topics. He said sometimes, interviews on “Hello Squirrel” take entertaining twists.

“We had the GSB president and vice-president on,” he said, “and then we made them arm wrestle. It’s those kind of things that will keep ‘Hello Squirrel’ interesting.”

Matasovic said although the show is geared toward entertainment, they have been able to address social issues as well. Irwin said a recent guest talked about eating disorders.

“I think that’s very important, especially on a college campus,” he said. “People see a lot of it but never really talk about it openly.”

Matasovic said another popular part of the show has been the professional makeovers. Matasovic did a makeup lesson on the show, and she said a recent guest showcased spring hairstyles.

Irwin and Matasovic plan to do a summer edition of the show called the “Hello Squirrel Experiment.” Since ISU-9 will be in the process of moving to a new studio over the summer, Matasovic said many of the pieces for the summer show will be scenes from around Ames.

“We’re hoping to do more shooting in some of Ames’ ‘hidden places,'” she said.

Irwin and Matasovic said they plan to highlight areas around the city that college students typically do not know much about.

Irwin said feedback to the show has been positive, and because of “popular demand,” the show is now airing seven nights a week at 10:30 p.m. “Hello Squirrel” is produced once a week, and the new episode starts airing on Wednesday each week.

Both co-producers will be returning in the fall and said they hope to step up publicity to get word out about their show.

“I’d like ‘Hello Squirrel’ to be a household name,” Matasovic said. “And I’d like to see it keep running, even after Mike and I leave school.”