ETV's capability to deliver cost-effective digital satellite services to users throughout the state increases with the completion of the ETV Telecommunications Center. The new facility, located adjacent to the ETV headquarters building in Columbia, has been designed for growth and expansion as demand for the network's services increases. The most recent addition to the Telecommunications Center is a versatile Videoconferencing Center.

Broadcast Engineering magazine describes the facility this way: "The building and the hardware have been integrated to maximize flexibility and to accommodate future challenges in broadcast technology, especially as the industry moves into the digital age."

From its humble beginning more than 35 years ago until recently, ETV's offices and production facilities were located in a refurbished grocery store and a number of adjoining buildings along Millwood Avenue in Columbia. In 1989, ETV purchased and renovated the former State-Record Building and moved part of its operations to this new site. Production facilities, however, remained on Millwood Avenue.

In June 1990, the Endowment negotiated with Sara Lee/PYA to purchase the land and building located adjacent to the ETV headquarters on George Rogers Boulevard. In the spirit of public/private cooperation, the Endowment raised $2.6 million to purchase the property, and the General Assembly appropriated $9.8 million for renovation. The Endowment receives $1 a year from leasing the facility to ETV. At the end of the lease, the Endowment will sell the property to ETV and the state of South Carolina for $1.

A cost-effective investment for the state, this new telecommunications center was purchased and renovated at a cost of $68.50/square foot. This is compared to the cost of new construction which under current rates is $170 to $190 per square foot. Broadcast Engineering magazine said "it's the cost not the savings" that makes this facility unique.

Excerpt from the March 1996 issue of Broadcast Engineering magazine:

Perhaps beyond the bells and whistles of new technology, the most remarkable thing about ETV has been its ability to accomplish all of this on a limited budget. For example, the cost of delivering 32 channels of satellite service to all South Carolina schools is less than one cent per hour per channel per school. The new complex, one of the largest broadcast facilities in the United States, was constructed for a mere $12 million. Overall ETV provides its remarkable range of services for less than one percent of the state's education budget.

The value of ETV's fiscal restraint is not simply in its talent with small budgets; its services actually result in measurable savings to the taxpayer. A single teleconference, produced and transmitted statewide for ETV and the SC Department of Corrections, trains more than 1000 law enforcement and corrections officers at a cost of approximately 39 centers per officer. In a single year, the total savings of ETV's teleconference service to the state exceeds the cost of the renovation and construction of the new complex.

Clearly, at a time when funding for public broadcasting is eyed with suspicion in many quarters, ETV has demonstrated that the benefits can significantly outweigh the costs - at least when it is done right.

(reprinted with permission)

• Directions to ETV
• ETV Production Studios and Edit Suites
• ETV Glossary
• ETV's Promise
• Tour the ETV Telecommunications Center

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For more information, contact:
Catherine Christman, Vice President, Communications
Voice: (803) 737-3259
Fax: (803) 737-3417
E-mail:christman@scetv.org