UTV 13 officials hopeful for future on cable

UTV13, the University's student-run television station, may soon be taking a place next to CNN and MTV on Philadelphia-area cable boxes. According to Heather Dorf, general manager of the station, UTV will most likely be on Wade Cable -- a local cable service -- by the beginning of next year at the latest. Dorf, a College senior, said she is optimistic about UTV's future on cable. "I foresee there definitely being a strategic laid out plan by the end of the year," she said. But Dorf added that the station still needs administration approval in order to be viewed by people outside of the University community. The issue was debated at a December 18 meeting of the University Council Committee on Communications. At that time, the administration agreed to look into the desirability of putting UTV on cable, according to committee co-chairperson Ira Winston. Winston, director of computing for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, explained that the University is mainly concerned with the legal issues involved in exposing UTV to a wider audience. "The University would be liable for anything that was aired," Winston said. As a result, Council recommended that an advisory system be put into place. But rather than being a censor, the advisor would merely be a sort of backbone, according to Dorf. "The University can't and won't censor," Dorf said. "The advisor would just be someone to hold together the whole operation." Winston emphasized that an advisor is necessary to make sure that UTV's programming is appropriate for a wider audience. "With an advisory board, the station would be more professional," he said. "The quality would go up." According to Winston, some Student Activities Council members, who were present at the December 18 meeting, were upset with negative remarks made about them on UTV's Frontline program, and as a result attempted to thwart the station's bid to be on cable. Council member David Shapiro, a College junior, said the students had expressed concerns to him about the contents of some of UTV's programming. "It concerned me that disputes between students would be propagated outside of the University," he said. But Winston characterized the protest as more of a personal attack than one on the station's integrity. In addition, he emphasized that the administration is committed to seeing this idea to fruition. "Committee members and the administration like the idea of doing this," Winston said. "There's no opposition." But UTV currently has no clear-cut plan that outlines the specifics of their idea. "UTV needs to go off and meet, do their homework, and come back to the committee with a proposal that is actionable," Winston explained. College junior Lisa Raphaeli, the station's vice president of Production Programming, said she believes the station is heading in a good direction. "I'm very optimistic," she said. "The issues are on the table and certain blanks are being filled in. We're heading in a good direction."