WOUB Radio & TV Stations Inaugurate 24 Hour Service

Contact: Olivia Oldham, Public Information Coordinator, (740) 593-4944, Olivea_Oldham@woub.pbs.org

News directors, editors: Please call 740-593-1771 to arrange a personal or telephone interview with Tim Myers, Director, Radio & On-Line Services, or Mark Brewer, PTV Program Director.

ATHENS, Ohio (September 15, 2000) -- On Sunday, September 17, a new fall season will premiere on Ohio University Public Television. But something else will also take place.

That night, no one will switch off the transmitters for WOUB-TV 20, WOUC-TV 44, or any of the five Ohio University Public Radio FM transmitters. For the first time, our TV and radio stations will offer round-the-clock broadcasts to southeastern Ohio and neighboring portions of West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

"All of us at Ohio University Public Radio and Television are pleased to provide these additional services to our listeners and viewers," said Carolyn Lewis, director of the Ohio University Telecommunications Center and general manager of the stations. "The 24-hour broadcast enables us to expand our offerings and to be more of a resource to citizens throughout our coverage areas."

Part of the motivation for the expanded service is technology. This summer, the station's engineering staff installed a new dual analog/digital transmitter in Athens, which will help usher in a new era of digital television in 2001. At the same time, refinements have been made in transmitter control that allow technicians to more easily monitor and control all transmission facilities for the Telecommunications Center.

For Ohio University Public Television, expanded hours will mean the ability to reach an entirely new audience.

"Shift workers and others who don't hold to a 'traditional' schedule will now have the opportunity to enjoy public broadcasting, WOUB/WOUC," said program director Mark Brewer. "In addition, viewers will have the opportunity to utilize their VCR's in order to tape and hold programs that they find interesting. Quite a bit of the overnight service will be a repeat of our primetime. Now, instead of viewers having to wait weeks or months until a program they are interested in is replayed; they can check out the late night schedule, set their VCR -- and presto!"

Listeners to Ohio University Public Radio's FM network will hear some new programming, plus a chance to listen to some of their favorite shows at new times. The station will add World Cafe to its lineup at 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday. This music program, produced at WXPN/Philadelphia, offers a rich mix of adult acoustic alternative music, plus in-studio interviews. Hosted by David Dye, the show features a variety of artists, from Shawn Colvin and Sheryl Crow to B.B. King and Dr. John.

Also on the FM schedule will be an earlier start time for NPR's award-winning Morning Edition. Bob Edwards will be on the air each morning at 5:00 a.m. beginning Monday. In addition, programs like Audiosyncrasies, Below the Salt, Mountain Stage, Thistle and Shamrock and Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz will be replayed overnight to fill the new broadcast hours.

"This is an opportunity for us to make sure we're there when our listeners count on us," said Tim Myers, director of radio and online services. "We have had many requests for an earlier sign on over the years, and this will make that possible. We also hope that we can attract a new audience for our overnight offerings of music programming."

The FM network has been piloting its overnight service online at woub.org. Listeners to the station's Internet audio stream have already been able to listen to the station 24 hours since earlier in the summer.

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