Ashland University Launches New Television Station on Armstrong Cable

Ashland University’s Journalism and Digital Media Department has been transformed in the past two years and the department’s work will be showcased on a new 24-7 television station on the Armstrong Cable system.

The department has launched Ashland University TV-20, which is Channel 20 on the Armstrong Cable system. The new channel is located between C-Span and CNN.

“It is a win-win situation for this institution because we are reconnecting with the community through this channel and it will be an outlet to show the community what we do here in the Journalism and Digital Media department,” said Tim McCarty, interim director of the department. “Armstrong saw that Ashland was underserved in terms of local programming and that is why they are excited to partner with us on this project.”

McCarty said the new station will focus on academics, the arts and athletics in the community, including campus events and area high school and college athletic events.

“The majority of the programming will come out of the University but we will cover some appropriate community events also,” he said. “We want to be a source of Ashland University information and news as well as community information and news.”

When the produced programming is not airing, McCarty said the station will feature a “Community Message Board” listing community events and other news items. “This will allow those in the community an opportunity to publicize their events, which is not available to local people at this time,” he said.

Those in the community wanting to list events on the “Community Message Board” can send event information to au-tv20@ashland.edu.

Dr. Dawn Weber, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said she is excited about the new partnership with Armstrong.

“In 2010 we created the Department of Journalism & Digital Media with a goal of creating a converged media department to prepare students to succeed in today's media industry. Partnering with Armstrong Cable to create and launch Channel 20 is a critical part of achieving our goal,” she said. “I'm very excited to see our students, faculty and staff creating a variety of programming that focuses on community and campus events. As our enrollment increases, Channel 20 will increasingly become a key source in delivering news and entertainment to the Ashland community."

For years the University has operated local programming on Channel 2 on the Armstrong Cable system, however the programming has been limited because the department did not have the ability to automate the playback.

“With the new technology and the equipment we have now, we have the ability to produce programming and automate the playback, which will allow for a regular broadcast schedule and programming 24 hours a day. That is the evolution of the old TV-2,” McCarty said. “And both the JDM department and the College understand that Armstrong’s commitment to give us real estate in the form of a new channel is the most important thing of all.”

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.