(September 2000) . . . . Southwestern Connecticut educators have a valuable new learning resource available to support their classroom curricula and professional development during the 2000-2001 school year. Thanks to a satellite dish donated by the Area 9 Cable Council and Institutional Network service provided by Cablevision, Area schools can now receive the wealth of educational programming available free of charge on the Annenberg/CPB Channel.

The Annenberg/CPB Channel is a commercial-free programming source that features educational series for students, professional development programs for teachers, and national workshops through which teachers can earn graduate credit. The Annenberg/CPB companion website at www.learner.org features programming schedules, support materials for professional workshops, online activities and other valuable information designed to complement the channel. The channel is produced by Annenberg/CPB Projects in alliance with Harvard University and the Smithsonian Institute.

The Annenberg/CPB programming will be delivered from Middlebrook Middle School in Wilton through the Institutional Network, which is built and operated by Cablevision free of charge for schools and municipalities in its local franchise region. Access to the Annenberg/CPB channel is made possible by funds donated by the Area 9 Cable Council, which serves ten cities and towns served by Cablevision in southwestern Connecticut.

Although the channel operates 24 hours a day, the Annenberg programming will be preempted from 7 a.m. to noon each day to allow for local distance learning projects which are also made possible by Cablevision’s Institutional Network.

"The Area 9 Cable Council is pleased to partner with Cablevision in providing the Annenberg/CPB channel -- a free, digital educational service -- to area teachers and students," states Hal Levy, Area 9 Cable Council Chairman. "The channel will enhance the classroom experience for students while providing teachers with a new source of continuing professional education."

"As the provider of the Institutional Network that is helping deliver the Annenberg/CPB Channel to schools, Cablevision commends the Area 9 Cable Council for investing in this valuable community resource," adds Tad Diesel, Area Vice President of Government and Community Affairs for Cablevision. "We strongly encourage teachers to take advantage of this tool for learning."

For more information on the Annenberg/CPB channel and its use among schools, contact John Repicky, secretary of the ANCC, at (203) 762-0381, extension 6240. Information on Cablevision’s service to education can be obtained by contacting Cablevision at (203) 750-5614.

The Area 9 Cable Council is a state-mandated governmental body made up of appointed volunteer representatives in Darien, Easton, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Redding, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton. The Council serves as an advisory group representing its communities’ interests to the area’s cable television providers and the State of Connecticut’s Department of Public Utility Control. Its mission is to advocate the best possible service for cable television customers and to promote the utilization of program services through Public, Educational, and Government Access (PEG).

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