UTV aiming to be city-wide cable station

Will begin using CNN footage University Television will face its new cable competition in some campus residences as a CNN affiliate, with 24-hour access to the national network's coverage. In addition, the University's student-run television station plans to become an official Philadelphia cable station during this school year. "In the past year, we've had a lot of improvements," UTV Vice President of Production and Programming Dan Schorr said. "We have CNN, a new studio, and new production scheduling. We're ready to be seen by Philadelphia." UTV is the newest recipient of CNN's Newsource, a raw feed service provided free of charge by CNN to high school and college television stations. With Newsource, UTV will supplement its coverage of world events in its broadcasts with footage from all over the world, taken directly from CNN. "A lot of our stories were lacking in terms of not having pictures from Russia, the Middle East or Washington," UTV Operations Manager Todd Donovan said. "This will keep the show dynamic and moving." Donovan, an Engineering junior who utilized Newsource while in high school, said the station is in the process of making the transition to the new system and figuring out its cost. Donovan estimated a cost of $5,000 to $6,000 in equipment fees, which are necessary to utilize the satellite feed. "We're going to have to pay through commercial revenues and general fundraising," Donovan said. "We tape things on campus for departments, and we charge for that." In addition, CNN will solicit financial help for student-station affiliates from foundations and other television stations. While UTV can currently be seen in the High Rises, Modern Languages House, DuBois House, Eisenlohr, Kings Court, English House and Ware College House, the station is in the process of negotiating a contract with local cable companies to broadcast off-campus as well. According to Schorr, the General Counsel's office is currently examining a contract with the city that would allow UTV to become an educational channel on Philadelphia cable. UTV would either have its own channel or would share space with Drexel University's student channel. Schorr said the University is one of the few college stations in the Philadelphia area that does not have general cable access, and said this is because "other school stations are basically run by their administrations." The cable station "will begin once the University has evaluated the contract, and approves of letting the student [television] signal go out without administration monitoring," Schorr said. Schorr said he believes the administration's apprehensions over live student broadcasting stem from UTV's Pig Penn program of three years ago. Because of the show's offensive content including coarse sexual remarks about women made by the show's hosts the University received a lot of negative publicity. Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta said the University supports UTV's plan, although officials are concerned about the possibility of bad publicity for the school. "The University is currently smarting from its publicity and how it appears to the public at large," Moneta said, adding that he feels that UTV should get their signal up on the new ResNet system in campus dorms before going off campus. Schorr said, however, that UTV's live programming is supervised by other students, and good judgment will be exercised in all cases. "I think the most difficult obstacle is getting the University to approve the concept of us broadcasting to Philadelphia," Schorr said. "We're hoping that it happens within the fall semester. We're ready to broadcast to the city and to make the University very proud, and we're just waiting for the go-ahead." And there is already the perception that Newsource has lent UTV a new timeliness and legitimacy. "CNN feed suggests that they really want to be a very legitimate television station," Moneta said. "I feel comfortable that there's some real integrity in what they want to do."