Flipping through the cable channels, you might see Lisa Kudrow of ‘Friends,’ Eric McCormick of ‘Will and Grace’ and … the girl from your French class?

University Union Television, Syracuse University’s student-run station, may be hitting campus airwaves sometime next fall.

In addition to the basic cable stations, the new media package gives SU students channels 2 and 99, which have been reserved for UUTV to use. These channels will help the station reach the student body more effectively, instead of just through the Internet.

Eric Fleming, general manager of UUTV and a public relations and marketing major, believes this deal will open the door to a world of opportunities – not only for the station, but for the students as well.

Fleming sees the expansion as a great boom for UUTV programming because it puts students in a more professional environment. The two channels will be available in all dorms and academic buildings in addition to the existing Internet feed.

Channel 2 will run a public-access show listing activities, events and special reminders, while channel 99 will run regular UUTV programming.

The new channels will offer UUTV the opportunity to give the Syracuse community a taste of what students are producing, Fleming said.

The cable channels may also work to give students commercial airtime – concerts, organizations and other events would be able to place ads for a small fee.

Unfortunately, as it stands, the station lacks the people, technology and content for 24-hour programming, said Michael Schoonmaker, chairman of the television, radio and film department.

‘We have the building blocks, but it can’t happen overnight,’ he said. ‘This is why we put a committee together to find someone to manage the station. We’re looking for someone with professional experience, who understands how to run a program of this kind – someone who can take the responsibility, because we want to do it right.’

Schoonmaker acknowledges the opportunity will require a lot of work.

‘This is not a light undertaking,’ he said.

Andrew Ardini, a freshman broadcast journalism major, is excited that he will finally be able to watch UUTV from the comfort of his dorm.

‘I was shocked they weren’t on TV in the first place. [But] this makes [UUTV] worth it,’ Ardini said. ‘Some shows look very professional, and I hope people will get to see them.’

Published on October 2, 2003 at 12:00 pm