Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 24, 1993 TAG: 9311240210
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Jefferson Center site was chosen Tuesday over Ruffner Middle School, where city school officials had hoped to forge a partnership between the cable station and the city's magnet school program.
The Roanoke Valley Regional Cable Television Committee said there are advantages to having the studio at the Jefferson Center:
It is centrally located to the three localities which are served by the Cox Cable Roanoke system - Roanoke, Vinton and Roanoke County.
The government and educational station, on Cox Cable's channel 3, won't have to pay for renovating space for the studio. The Jefferson Center Foundation will finance the renovations. If the Ruffner site had been chosen, the cable station would have been required to pay $180,000 for renovations.
The cable operation has a start-up capital budget of $410,000 for equipment and other items.
Channel 3 will pay the Jefferson Center a monthly rent of $7 per square foot - $26,600 a year. The rent would have been free at Ruffner, but the station would have been required to share the use of the studio and equipment with students in an audio and video technology program.
Under the proposal, the cable channel would have been integrated with the magnet school.
Angela McPeak, Channel 3 manager, said she had reviewed both proposals closely and felt strongly that the JeffersonCenter was the best location.
The Jefferson Center provided a higher profile for the operation and an atmosphere for growth and change, McPeak said.
The governmental and educational is getting started with a $480,000 grant Cox Cable was required to provide to the three localities as part of a new franchise agreement.
Part of the grant has been used to buy equipment, and more equipment will be acquired after the studio is finished.
Operating expenses for the channel will be financed in part by the franchise fee paid by Cox Cable to operate in Roanoke, Vinton and Roanoke County.
The cable company was required to provide the governmental and educational access channel free to the localities.
McPeak already is helping the localities to prepare videos which can be broadcast.
The access channel is being used now only for governmental messages and notices. But that will change in the coming months as the studio is built and more equipment is acquired.
The station will be able to broadcast taped and live presentations, including meetings of the local governing bodies and school boards.
by CNB