THE PURDUE CHANNEL

Before the Purdue Channel was so much as an idea, there was the Midwest Program for Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI). Starting in 1961, MPATI deployed planes that flew over Montpellier, IN, broadcasting recorded lectures for upper-level education. The program lasted until 1968.

In 1986 Dick Forsythe, the director of the Purdue Center for Instructional Services, approached the university about creating a channel that would bring Purdue-curated content to residence halls. And when he got the green light, he purchased the proper equipment.

Thus the Purdue Channel was born.

For the first year, the channel broadcast nothing but informational content from the university, like on-campus job postings and announcements. This content was distributed through the Classroom Closed-Circuit Television system, which was a cable system that allowed Purdue to broadcast curated content to residence halls and other areas on campus through a cable network that the university laid itself.

Then in 1987, a $500,000 grant was passed that allowed 70 technological universities to broadcast recordings of upper-level course lectures for continued learning. This grant changed the direction of the channel from exclusively informational content, like job postings and news, to lecture recordings and educational videos.

In the early 1990s, under the guide of Yvonne Eddy, the channel occasionally broadcast programs produced by the University News Service, the SCOLA, and NASA. The channel also broadcast Purdue commencement ceremonies.

In the early 2000s, Purdue started Sharing the channel with Lafayette Jeff High School. And from that point the channel essentially just coasted. No new initiatives were started, no new programs, and eventually the channel slipped under the radar.

Then in 2017, the channel was reorganized and subsequently taken over by the Brian Lamb School of Communication. Until then the channel has been practically dormant, with little to nothing on the air.

That’s what our team intends to change. We aim to revitalize the channel by producing original content directed specifically at anyone who loves Purdue University.

Welcome to the Purdue Channel!