February 11, 1997
University of Washington Reaches Spokane Through UWTV
The University of Washington is now bringing UWTV and its original line-up of educational programs to the Spokane area through the experimental and innovative use of multiple state-of-the-art technologies. Over 30,000 cable viewers will have access to programs on subjects such as physics, astronomy, computing, public affairs, entrepreneurship, as well as University of Washington special lectures and events. Channel 16 on Cox Cable is the new home of UWTV.
Since the premiere of UWTV in the Greater Seattle area in 1994, UWTV has received numerous requests about the possibility of reaching more areas throughout Washington. UW President Richard McCormick commented that the demand for greater access to higher education is increasing and that UWTV’s arrival in Spokane is a step closer to an educational environment in Washington State that offers multiple learning opportunities for everybody. “We are glad to be able to offer University of Washington resources to the communities in the Spokane area. Educational programs emanating from our state’s public universities and community colleges should be distributed widely. We are happy that this step enhances the links among the higher education community and with the general public,” McCormick stated.
In efforts to accommodate more people throught the state, UWTV has developed a unique method of transmission that has brought UWTV to viewers in the Wenatchee Valley in 1996, and to viewers in Spokane this year. From the UW campus, the UWTV signal is digitized, compressed and then split into four powerful phone lines. Upon reaching Spokane, the four lines are restored into one, then decompressed and sent to individual homes via Cox Cable. While most television signals are carried by coaxial cable, satellite or broadcast technologies, UWTV’s signal makes use of an experimental and innovative mix of technoloiges to achieve a higher quality picture for viewers.
The first weekend of UWTV programming in Spokane served as a test to see how well the signal transferred from the UW campus in Seattle to Cox Cable in Spokane using these state-of-the-art technologies and engineering. The test was successful as those viewers who had the chance to see the first weekend of UWTV called and emailed the station inquiring about the programs. At one point during the test, the engineers took the signal off the air and the calls poured in from viewers who wondered why the signal had gone down. “We can take this as a good sign that the viewers in Spokane want to see more,” said UWTV General Manager Amy Philipson, “We are excited to be bringing these new resources to the Spokane area.”
UWTV is on Channel 16, Cox Cable every weekend from Friday 10pm to Monday 5am. Call Cox Cable for information at 509- 484-4900.
UWTV television listings can be found in the Sunday TV Times section of The Seattle Times and more detailed program listings can be found by contacting UWTV or visiting the UWTV web site.
###
UWTV Contact information: Phone: 1-888-616-UWTV (toll-free) or 206-616-UWTV Email: uwtv@u.washington.edu WWW: http://www.washington.edu/uwtv/ <!—at end of each paragraph insert
—>
