MCTV used for improved campus communication


Missie Mills

Assistant Editor


Milligan’s internal cable channel, MCTV, is up and running.


Video Productions Coordinator Carrie Steffey said the “scrolling billboard” on cable channel 96 “is meant to be another information resource for the campus.”


Together with work-study student Brandon Jacobs, Steffey checks potential messages for validity. MCTV displays “valid student announcements of interest to campus,” Steffey said.


“I liken this channel to headline news,” Steffey said. “A student could sit down, watch a complete rotation of slides and become involved.”


MCTV was made financially possible by the installation of the phone system in the summer of 2002. Director of Information Technology Michael Smith said it was “cost efficient” to install the cable system at the same time as the new phone system.


According to Smith, the feed with Charter Cable was not turned on until fall 2003 because of the expense that the cable incurred.


“We needed to adjust dorm room rates,” said Smith. “The cable bill is over $30,000 a year.”


Channel 97 is Milligan’s other internal channel, but instead of a scrolling message board, can be used for programming. Steffey said channel 97 is “the perfect outlet” for broadcasting and film students to display their work. She said it could also replay basketball games, events in Seeger Chapel and special announcements from Milligan administration.


Steffey said that MCTV, while still “in its infancy,” has been “a smooth implementation all the way around.”


Current slides include information about pool hours, Service Seekers, Vespers, a spring break trip to Panama and volunteer opportunities through the LINC office.


Individuals or organizations wishing to post a message should email MCTV@milligan.edu.