UCSB TV to Debut on Cox Cable Channel 72

Beginning next week, television viewers in the Santa Barbara area will have a new means of experiencing the scholarly research, scientific breakthroughs, and media and fine arts that distinguish the University of California and, more specifically, UC Santa Barbara. On Tuesday, January 10, University of California Television (UCTV) will make its Santa Barbara debut on Cox Cable channel 72.

The new channel will be announced at Tuesday's Santa Barbara City Council meeting.

With the launch of UCSB TV, the campus's UCTV channel, audiences in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria will enjoy round-the-clock programming across a range of areas, including arts and music, business, health and medicine, agriculture, the humanities and social sciences, and science and technology.

"UCSB TV provides another exciting opportunity for our campus to serve our local community," said UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "From the humanities and fine arts to science and technology, our campus –– and the UC system as a whole –– offers a wealth of educational, informational, and cultural events. This new higher education channel will allow the entire Santa Barbara area to be part of our dynamic learning environment."

UCSB already provides roughly 30 percent of UCTV's programming, with series and documentaries such as "Debating Darwin"; "Voices," in which UCSB faculty members and guests discuss issues and topics ranging from poetry to scientific research, to historical figures and their impact on society"; and the Technology Management Program. Recent programming from the campus's Carsey-Wolf Center includes the conference "Law & Order: Changing Television," a daylong event that explored the significance of the Law & Order brand and its extraordinary success during its more than 20-year run.

"UCTV creates a place where viewers can participate in the life of the University of California and the communities that surround its 10 campuses," said Constance Penley, professor of film and media studies at UCSB and co-director of the Carsey-Wolf Center. Penley also serves as faculty member at-large on the UCTV systemwide advisory board. "As part of the nation's largest and preeminent public university system, the channel and Web site are at the center of new thinking, scientific breakthroughs, and fresh ideas."

Showcasing the excellence and diversity of the nation's premiere research university, UCTV embraces the core missions of the University of California –– teaching, research, and public service –– through quality, in-depth television that informs, educates, and enriches the lives of people around the globe. Other current programming includes UC San Francisco's "Winning the War on Cancer in the 21st Century"; UC Berkeley's "Exploring and Protecting the Deep Frontier with Sylvia Earle," and its "Great Minds Gather Here" series, which features lectures by the Dalai Lama, Bill Moyers, Ingrid Betancourt, Michael Pollan, and Elizabeth Warren; and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's "Science on Saturdays."

"Each campus is a treasure trove of knowledge, culture and informed discussion, and UCTV provides a platform to share that treasure with the public," said Lynn Burnstan, managing director of UCTV. "Clearly, the desire to serve the public discourse is great, because I regularly hear from new campus departments, organizations and faculty interested in expanding the reach of their work through UCTV's television and Web outlets."

Since its inception in 2000 as an academic initiative of the UC Office of the President, UCTV has grown into a robust satellite, cable, and online network that transports knowledge far beyond the individual campuses. UCTV has broadcast over 5,000 programs on a variety of topics that have expanded the public's knowledge and appreciation of research, including its impact on everyday life. Currently, UCTV is available on over 60 cable systems around the country, reaching 23 million households, and millions more with its Web site and popular YouTube and iTunesU channels.

"Eventually, UCSB will be able to create even more of our own programming that will include a variety of series and specials to air on UCSB TV in primetime," said Penley. An advisory board comprised of UCSB faculty and staff members, students, and others will help the campus create television and related Web programs, she noted.

"The excellent programming that UCSB increasingly contributes will advance UCTV as the global digital brand of the University of California," Penley said.

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