ATHENS, Ohio -- There has been much discussion on how the Information Superhighway may affect Appalachian Ohio, with many people asking if it is even possible to bring broadband into all corners of the region. One Ohio county, Monroe, is testing the waters to establish high-speed access. Guernsey Monroe Noble (GMN) Tri-County Community Action Committee (CAC) Inc., along with Monroe County's Commissioners, Office of Economic Development and Community Improvement Corporation won a $383,285 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Office to establish high-speed wireless broadband access to all of Monroe County's citizens and businesses.

The next "This Time Around: Reinventing Community," airing Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 8:30 a.m. on the WOUB Radio Network, focuses on the Information Superhighway and its role in Appalachian Ohio. Producer John Ray visited Monroe County and spoke with Gary Ricer, executive director of the GMN Tri-County CAC Inc.; Jim Archer, grants writer for GMN Tri-County CAC Inc.; Lou Stein, Monroe County economic developer; and Deam Gramlich, president of the Monroe County Community Improvement Corporation to explain how the grant came about and how it will be a key to the future economic development of Monroe County. Richard Libby, president of Industrial Paint and Strip, Inc., and Kelly Merideth, owner of Good Stuff Sportswear in Woodsfield, feel it will help their companies be more competitive and provide more possibilities for growth.

"This Time Around: Reinventing Community" is a yearlong series that explores the fabric of community, how and why communities change, and what the future may hold for Appalachian Ohio. Features focus on communities within the WOUB Radio Network coverage area and include four quarterly call-in discussion programs. A companion Web site is available, allowing community members to interact online. "This Time Around: Reinventing Community" repeats on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. during "Afternoon Edition" on the WOUB Radio Network.

The Ohio University Telecommunications Center, a unit of the College of Communication, operates two television stations, WOUB-TV/Channel 20 in Athens and WOUC-TV/Channel 44 in Cambridge; one cable channel, WOUB II; and six radio stations, WOUB-1340 AM, WOUB-91.3 FM, WOUC-89.1 FM, WOUH-91.9 FM, WOUL-89.1 FM and WOUZ-90.1 FM.

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Media Contact: Sandra Sleight-Brennan, producer, (740) 593-4857, or Olivea Oldham, public information coordinator, (740) 593-4944