I am sure most students are aware of UMTV, our campus’ cable station. I am also sure the majority of students have not spent more than 20 minutes actually watching UMTV unless a friend of theirs happened to be reporting, or doing whatever it is they do on UMTV.
From their website, it looks like the people at UMTV specialize in being pompous jerks who see themselves as being culturally amazing. According to www.umtv.umd.edu, they are “an important resource for viewers who want more from television than trash talk shows, sensationalized programs masquerading as news, mindless sitcoms and silly quiz shows.”
They even go so far as to call it “Smart Television.”
Well, how smart is it?
As I write this piece, I am watching it on Channel 72, expecting to see our school of journalism hard at work, producing their own unique programs that change the way we think about certain topics, entertain us, or at least show pretty pictures of trees around the campus with buildings slightly out of focus in the background.
At the very least, I am looking for anything that can beat the third re-run of Happy Gilmore or yet another episode of That ’70s Show. But instead, I see BBC News, the same thing on Channel 19 right now.
OK, so maybe I am being a little harsh, because we do in fact have our own news show. Tuesday through Friday every week at 7:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. you can watch Maryland Newsline, completely produced right here in College Park. And what makes Maryland Newsline different from, let’s say, the other three news shows on at that time, plus the numerous 24-hour news stations? According to their website, the award winning show, which has been named the nation’s best college-produced daily newscast two years in a row, avoids the local crime blotter.
Let me clarify all this. I am not saying UMTV is a useless station. It actually won the prestigious “Telly Award” for some of its programming. However, instead of filling in much of the channel’s schedule with outside programming, how about making the channel more of a way for students to connect to each other? UMTV says they are not profit-driven and does “not have to produce programming that maximizes viewership at all costs,” but they should at least try to raise some sort of viewership.
Without sacrificing its high-class literature and business programming, UMTV can add in such programs as maybe a fake news show similar to the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, or some live coverage of student events.
One of the biggest changes that should be made to UMTV is the addition of sports programming. I know, the people at UMTV have just dropped their wine and cheese and are looking for their monocles that seem to have fallen under a Van Gogh. But even so, we need some sports programming.
An article last week in The Diamondback stated most students were unable to name two players on the women’s basketball team – and they’re playing for the national championship tonight. How can we feel connected to the softball team, the swimming team, baseball team or any of the 25 sports teams on the campus if we cannot see them play? I did not make every football or basketball game this year, and I only caught one soccer game. Does this make me a bad fan? No. However, if I cannot make it to a game, there is usually no way for me to watch it. I would like UMTV to broadcast at least all the home games from as many sports as possible. Wouldn’t you like to be cheering on the Terps while sitting in your dorm doing homework? The stations increased coverage of subjects people care about could result in more people starting to watch UMTV for all its other programming it has to offer.
Philip McCauley is a freshman engineering major. He can be reached at philm613@comcast.net.
