Traveling bus offers window into C-SPAN

C-SPAN, the informational cable television network, will be visiting the IU campus today. The C-SPAN School Bus, a mobile television production studio and demonstration center will be visiting the Radio/TV building from 1 to 7 p.m. \nRepresentatives from C-SPAN will be visiting Suzann Mitten Owen's Public Telecommunications class from 5:45 to 6:45, and the public is invited for the discussion. The representatives will be discussing nontraditional programming, the war in Iraq and C-SPAN's approach to news broadcasting.\n"Public Telecommunications studies all noncommercial broadcast," Owen said. "(C-SPAN) is a unique service, and throughout the semester we focus on the fact that noncommercial broadcasts are mission-driven as opposed to profit-driven. I had it for the same class three years ago, and it was extremely successful."\nC-SPAN is a national noncommercial cable network that can be accessed on the IU campus on channels 18 and 19. \nScott Peterson, a C-SPAN representative, said the network is able to distinguish itself from other news networks because it is not-for-profit. \n"We're very lucky we don't have to make a dime," he said. "We don't have to get viewers. We just give you information straight, and 100 percent objective."\nHe said Owen's Public Telecommunications class is unlike any in the country, and C-SPAN representatives enjoy visiting IU for that reason.\nOwen said she doesn't think many college students are aware of C-SPAN's existence.\n"Television viewing habits among college-age students aren't representative of the general population," Owen said. "The amount of time they spend watching TV is purely entertainment or sports. They'll turn to CNN if someone tells them there's been a big news event. Before they came to college, C-SPAN wasn't something they would spend a lot of time with -- it's not entertainment, it's educational." \nThe 45-foot school bus can accommodate 12 people at a time, and tours will be running for the duration of the bus's visit. The visit is sponsored by Insight Communications, a local cable company. \n"It actually has a small studio in it, and the front end has a control room, and they can use it as a remote truck," Owen said. "They were trying to arrange to do some interviews with faculty members about matters related to Iraq." \nThe network's Web site describes its mission as, "To provide C-SPAN's audience access to the live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided -- all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view."\nFor more information about C-SPAN and the C-SPAN school bus, visit www.c-span.org.\nAdam VanOsdol contributed to this report.