February 1, 1996-Vol27n16: New TV magazine will help alums stay in touch with UB

New TV magazine will help alums stay in touch with UB

By CHRISTINE VIDAL
Reporter Editor

UB ALUMNI throughout Western New York will have a new means of staying connected with their university starting this month.
UB Today, a 30-minute UB alumni "TV magazine" that will air on Adelphia Cable's community access channel, is scheduled to make its debut.
According to William J. Evitts, executive director of Alumni Relations at UB, the show is "kind of an alumni magazine on cable," designed to provide viewers with highlights and samples of interesting people, places and things on campus.
With the Center for the Arts as a backdrop, Evitts taped UB Today's premiere on Jan. 26. The show is scheduled to make its premiere on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m., and will be repeated each Sunday at 6:30 p.m. throughout February.
Future shows, which will be taped once a month and follow the same Sundays-at-6:30 p.m. schedule, will be of broad interest, focusing on aspects of UB's mission in research, teaching or service, as well as providing information about coming events, Alumni Association news, the Sesquicentennial celebration and other programs at UB.
Most of the shows will be shot on campus or at events such as the UB at Sunrise breakfast lecture series, Evitts said.
The first show will feature various aspects of the Center for the Arts, including interviews with Robert Chumbley, director of the Center for the Arts, and Al Harris-F., director of the UB Art Gallery. Other segments of the show will focus on coming events; information on how to get tickets and how to sign up to use Alumni Arena; contact points and telephone numbers; and a "Sesquicentennial minute."
One out of three college degree holders in Western New York-50,000 in all-has a UB degree. Those alumni, as well as the thousands who attended but did not graduate, their families and friends all combine for a broad base of support for the show, said Evitts.
"UB and the community are kind of synonymous. We kind of grew up together," Evitts said, referring to the university's 150-year history. "UB Today is a user's guide to the university for alumni and the community," he said. "We want to show you the things that are here for you and how you can access them."