Rogers State University Public Television is launching the station’s Winterfest membership drive at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 28 with a concert by the virtuoso string players of the Bowfire company.
The membership drive will run through Sunday, Dec. 9 and will feature entertaining and educational programming.
“Membership support is important for our station, with it we are hoping to not only get the word out about RSU Public TV, but also raise funds for increased programming and services for the region,” said Dan Schiedel, general manager of RSU Public TV.
The station, based on RSU’s Claremore campus, reaches about 1.2 million people within a 75-mile radius of the campus and is proud to be Oklahoma’s only full-powered television station operated by a public university.
The station’s first off-site, live production will begin at 6 p.m. Sat., Dec. 1, when the RSU Hillcats men’s and women’s basketball teams face the Oklahoma City University Stars. The game will be aired live from the Claremore Expo Center and include program breaks from the half court.
Tina Turner, Elvis, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Paul McCartney will be among the many performance programs to air during the 12-day drive. RSU Public TV also will present a special Woodturning Workshop studio demonstration at 7:00 p.m. Tues., Dec. 4, with host Tim Yoder.
Many special guests will appear on RSU Public TV during the membership drive including Senator Sean Burrage and Representative Tad Jones.
The benefits of the station’s growing membership support can be seen at the station with a robust range of programming, new studio sets and updated equipment to bring stronger signals to viewers.
“The best is yet to come, but we need viewer support to make it possible,” Schiedel said. “RSU Public Television is a growing station with strong community roots.”
One of the many examples of the station’s community programming is the award winning High Definition (HD) production, “The Coleman Theatre Beautiful, which will air at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. The documentary is about the history and restoration of the Coleman Theatre in Miami, Okla. The documentary explores the beauty of the theatre’s architecture and its history through stories, archival footage and photographs from past performances. Independent Native American producers Dan Bigbee and Lily Shangreaux of Stillwater-based BIG Productions worked in collaboration with RSU Public TV producer Tim Yoder to produce the documentary which aired for the first time this spring.
RSU Public TV broadcasts on UHF Channel 35, Tulsa and Claremore cable channel 19, DISH TV channel 35 and satellite systems across northeastern Oklahoma.
To make a donation or for more information, visit www.rsu.tv or call (800) 823-7210.