Must-see TV Tune in to the Rutgers network Archived article from Oct 20, 2000 By Harvey Trabb   When it comes to the new RU-TV Network, the video component of RUNet 2000, there’s something for everyone. The 65-channel RU-TV Network lineup includes academic, informational and entertainment programming and seven Rutgers-originated channels for productions developed or selected specifically for students, faculty and staff. According to Christine M. Haska, vice president for institutional research and planning, the effectiveness of RU-TV as an academic resource is based on the comprehensive integration of data, video and voice technology across the campuses. “Research universities must increasingly rely on technology to bring together research and instruction in ways that will have new meaning to students,” she said. “The effective combining of technological resources will continue to add value to our educational environment as the network grows.” “It’s made a world of difference already,” said Livingston College sophomore Lauren Atkinson. She lives in the Livingston campus’s North Tower, one of the 41 residence halls to receive RU-TV as the new academic year began. “Before we had RU-TV, I felt like I was in a Rutgers bubble because we didn’t have cable TV,” Atkinson said. “I couldn’t watch the news, and so I felt cut off from the world beyond Rutgers, to a certain extent. A lot of my courses relate to politics, and having RU-TV this semester means that I could watch the presidential debates in my dorm room, for example.” Atkinson is looking forward to a career in television, so she’s also taking advantage of the opportunities RU-TV offers for students to work in the medium. She was “shadowing” at Rutgers’ TV studio one day earlier this month, trying to pick up some of the tricks of the trade by observing the work of Rutgers TV professionals during the taping of an episode of “By The Book,” which showcases the works of Rutgers faculty authors and airs on the Rutgers Channel. “This is the first time we’ve had a facility here to bring to the students a sense of what faculty do outside the classroom, a way for students to appreciate the research and scholarship their professors engage in when they aren’t teaching,” said Barry Qualls, associate dean for the humanities in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences–New Brunswick (FAS–NB), who was serving as host for that day’s “By The Book” episode. His on-camera guest was Cheryl Wall, chair of the FAS–NB English department, who was discussing a book she had written about black women and the Harlem Renaissance. “‘By The Book’ allows the faculty to become conversant with the kinds of books their colleagues are writing,” Wall said. “Things move so quickly here at Rutgers that you often don’t have many opportunities to learn what your colleagues in other departments are doing, and RU-TV will help bridge that gap.” In addition to “By The Book,” the Rutgers Channel is already carrying such programs as “At the Podium,” a lecture series featuring such events as the recent talk given at Douglass by noted anthropologist Jane Goodall; “In Our Own Words: African Women Speak,” a 10-part series of interviews with African women who are visiting scholars at Rutgers; and “The Knight Show,” a student-produced variety show. A series about Rutgers alumni is in the planning stages. Along with network TV and such cable standbys as CNN and MTV, RU-TV also carries several specialized channels not normally available through home-service cable TV providers. These include the Research Channel, a service by and for the nation’s research universities; foreign-language news programming; TechTV, a computer technology channel; and the College Television Network. RU-TV Online is a Web-based element of RU-TV that will make video services, including both live events and recorded productions, viewable on desktop computers. Operating on a pilot basis last month, RU-TV Online carried a live Web broad-cast of President Francis L. Lawrence’s State of the University address. RU-TV will expand to all campuses incrementally and be available in 9,000 residential, academic and administrative locations when RUNet 2000 wiring is completed. For more information, go to the RU-TV Web site at rutv.rutgers.edu. The Rutgers channels The Rutgers Info Channel: 24-hour university-wide text-based information service. The Rutgers Preview Guide: 24-hour program listings for all university and cable channels. The Rutgers Channel: An eclectic blend of student productions and other university-originated programming, as well as additional educational programming. RU Seminar Services: Satellite video conference and seminar programs scheduled by request. RU Libraries Mediavision (two channels): In development, scheduled academic programs from library media archives to support instruction. RU at the Movies: Feature films originating from independent, international and commercial sources.

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