UPTV (University of Pittsburgh Television)
Encyclopedia
UPTV is a student television station
at the University of Pittsburgh
. Its purpose is to provide television and film production training to Pitt students. It provides cameras and other filming equipment, as well as computers to edit and create finished projects. Students may either create their own project or help in the production of a number of shows and films.
The station has an office in the William Pitt Union
, next to WPTS-FM
. It is unique in that it has no broadcasting facilities; instead it utilizes an MPEG encoding system to send programming as digital files to a remote location, where they are played back for the air. As of June 2006, only students living in campus dormitories can receive the broadcast, on channel 21.
, an outside institution, but entry was severely limited, and the training was technically focused, rather than creative.
The University of Pittsburgh Honors College
and Communications Departments provided much of the support for the set-up of the station, with addition funding from the Pitt Student Government Board. It took two years of fundraising, planning, lobbying, and installation before it went on the air. In the mean time, it functioned off-air as a student activities group, producing original films and offering training programs to students. It finally began broadcasting on 15 March, 2002 (on channel 46). It was three years before the University granted it a room, until then it was housed in a small closet offered by the Communications department.
Student television station
A student television station is a television station run by university, high or middle school students that primarily airs school/university news and in many cases, student-produced soap operas, entertainment shows, and other programming....
at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Its purpose is to provide television and film production training to Pitt students. It provides cameras and other filming equipment, as well as computers to edit and create finished projects. Students may either create their own project or help in the production of a number of shows and films.
The station has an office in the William Pitt Union
William Pitt Union
The William Pitt Union is the student union building of the University of Pittsburgh main campus and is a Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark...
, next to WPTS-FM
WPTS-FM
WPTS-FM is a non-commercial radio station owned by the University of Pittsburgh, and offers a mix of student-run programming, ranging from music programming to news and sports coverage. The station operates at 92.1 MHz with an ERP of 17 watts, and is licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. It is unique in that it has no broadcasting facilities; instead it utilizes an MPEG encoding system to send programming as digital files to a remote location, where they are played back for the air. As of June 2006, only students living in campus dormitories can receive the broadcast, on channel 21.
History
UPTV was started in the Spring of 2000 under the name The Creation Station. It was founded in response to the fact that Pitt's film department offered no production experience. Pitt offered a good theory-only program, but did not provide students the hands-on experience they needed to pursue a career in film or television. There were courses available through Pittsburgh FilmmakersPittsburgh Filmmakers
Pittsburgh Filmmakers is one of the oldest and largest media arts centers in the United States.This non-profit institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began as a filmmaking-equipment access cooperative in 1971...
, an outside institution, but entry was severely limited, and the training was technically focused, rather than creative.
The University of Pittsburgh Honors College
University of Pittsburgh Honors College
The University of Pittsburgh Honors College is an undergraduate college providing a program of advanced study at the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
and Communications Departments provided much of the support for the set-up of the station, with addition funding from the Pitt Student Government Board. It took two years of fundraising, planning, lobbying, and installation before it went on the air. In the mean time, it functioned off-air as a student activities group, producing original films and offering training programs to students. It finally began broadcasting on 15 March, 2002 (on channel 46). It was three years before the University granted it a room, until then it was housed in a small closet offered by the Communications department.