On Thursday, Apr. 27, “Caton’s Corner” aired its final episode titled, The Farewell Show. During the final episode, Tom spends time revisiting some of his favorite memories from the show. 

He is also visited by some special guests including his first ever guest, Kimmi Rhoades, and his mom, Dianne. This episode also included a special “wayback lookback” segment, in which he reviewed his favorite moments from the run of the show. 

“Caton’s Corner” is a talk show hosted by Thomas Caton and produced by the PennWest California CUTV station. “Caton’s Corner” is the second-longest running show in CUTV history. The show covers a range of topics including politics, current events, and local news. The show has had a local following in our CalU community, and has created new episodes regularly on the CUTV YouTube channel. 

“Caton’s Corner” was inspired by Tom’s lifelong dream of pursuing a career in the broadcast/television industry and wanting to become a talk show host. He drew inspiration from talk shows hosts including Oprah, Ellen Degeneres, Steve Harvey, Kelly Clarkson, etc. Gary Smith was Tom’s CUTV advisor who offered the idea of hosting a show, and Tom knew he would like a talk show since he had a previous interest. A wide range of topics were covered on the show and a lot of content came from interviewing people on campus. 

“I wanted my show to be a platform where I could escape with my guests and focus on having fun,” Caton said. Tom hosted many interviews with students, student athletes, professors, and even former university President, Geraldine Jones, which was Tom’s favorite interview. 

During the early days of “Caton’s Corner”, Tom believes his biggest challenge was his nerves and getting into the routine of developing plans for a new show. 

“I was so nervous to host this show because it was my first time ever on camera with CUTV, and I didn’t want to disappoint. Fortunately, I overcame this challenge by getting more comfortable and hosting more shows,” Caton said. 

Tom also claims that he got more comfortable developing the show through finding guest interviews, writing his scripts, making graphics, testing studio equipment, etc. again, through practice by hosting more shows.

Tom had so many great moments from “Caton’s Corner” but he claims that his interview with former university President, Geraldine Jones, was a top memory. 

“For me, that was a rather big deal because Jones was seen as the most powerful and respectable person on campus,” Caton said. 

The annual Halloween episodes were a favorite because Tom and the guests would dress in costumes, decorate the studio, and they would feature a clip of Tom and the guests walking through a haunted house. 

“My Halloween 2022 episode is by far my most favorite because of how everything and everyone looked that day. It was truly amazing and fun,” Caton said.

Hosting “Caton’s Corner” impacted  Tom’s personal and professional growth in many ways. Many shows of practice have allowed Tom to become confident speaking publicly and in front of a camera, as well as gaining experience and exposure in broadcast. Tom covers many of the lessons he learned while hosting “Caton’s Corner” during his farewell show, including that people should use their platforms to speak their mind. 

“My show taught me that every single conversation we have throughout our lives holds a significant meaning whether we see it or not,” Caton said. “Whether someone hosts formal sit-down interviews like I did or if you’re out running errands and you run into a friend and talk for a few minutes, it all ties back to meaningful conversations.”.

Although “Caton’s Corner” has come to an end, its legacy certainly has not. Aside from being the second-longest running studio show in CUTV history, the show gained a reputation for its fun and positive nature.

“I wanted my show to be seen as a hangout space where we could get away from all the craziness in the world and just relax and have fun,” Caton said. “I hope the university community has recognized that and I will truly miss hosting my show.”

Tom will be graduating with his MBA, and is looking forward to it. His plans after graduation include finding a full-time job in the broadcast/tv industry. He hopes that his experience hosting “Caton’s Corner” will allow him to step in front of the camera again soon. 

“I will miss hosting new episodes of Caton’s Corner dearly but I am more than excited to see what future career possibilities await me and I hope to pursue a career similar to my days as hosting Caton’s Corner,” Caton said. “I will always thank Gary Smith for initially coming to me and asking to launch a show. If it wasn’t for his initial move, Caton’s Corner would have never come into existence. Also, a big thank you is in order for Pam DelVerne for all her contributions to my show as well. I will miss Gary and Pam so much but I know I will stay in touch with both of them and make surprise visits when needed. Caton’s Corner may have ended, but my legacy certainly has not. This isn’t goodbye forever from my show. It’s only until we meet again.”

Readers are encouraged to subscribe to CUTV’s YouTube channel, and to view the farewell show of “Caton’s Corner,” here.