After years of declining viewership, Channel 12, which broadcasts free movies and student-produced programming to MSU's campus and surrounding cities, will go off the air at the end of the school year.
Sharri Margraves, marketing communications director for Housing and Food Services, said the decision stemmed solely from the channel's shrinking profitability.
In a November 2004 study conducted by the university, 38 percent of MSU students said they never watch the channel.
"Philosophically, you don't want to see something come to an end, but you want to make the best decisions," Margraves said. "It's very expensive to run a TV channel."
It costs the Residence Halls Association more than $15,000 each semester for the movies played on the channel. Margraves said money spent on the channel's other programming fluctuates.
It will cost RHA $3,000 to cancel its contract to distribute movies on the channel.
Margraves said the university has tried alternative kinds of programming since the station was launched in 1992, including airing entries from the Student Film Festival and live broadcasts of campus events.
But none of those changes have boosted viewership, and the channel has had increasing competition from the Internet and video games, Margraves said.
She added that University Activities Board events and Campus Center Cinemas in Wells Hall - which shows free new releases to residence hall students - have provided potential viewers with even more options for recreation.
The money currently going toward the operation of the channel will be diverted to media that are more interactive, such as the Internet, Margraves said.
The cancellation is a major blow to various groups on campus, including the numerous student-produced shows that air on the network. The station airs The ShoW, a sketch comedy program, and Focal Point, a television news magazine, among others.
Students in the School of Journalism are primarily responsible for Focal Point, which is produced by one of the school's broadcast journalism classes.
"At this point, the School of Journalism will work to find another outlet that can air the Focal Point shows, but I don't have any details about that yet," said Kim Piper-Aiken, executive producer and faculty adviser for the show.
Some students said they will miss the platform the channel gave to students.
"It's a good venue for student shows," said Keith Latinen, an English senior. "What's the point of making these shows if no one's going to see them?"
Margraves said the university is looking into other outlets for the programs, including WKAR and other local cable access channels.
The decision to cut the channel also could present problems for the Residence Halls Association, which is responsible for the movies that are shown on the network, as well as those that are shown at Campus Center Cinemas each weekend.
RHA contracts the movies for Channel 12 and Campus Center Cinemas from the same distributor. James Henderson, Campus Center director, said this arrangement gave the association some leverage in negotiating prices. As a result of the dual contracts, RHA is saving $300 to $400 for every movie it shows at Wells Hall this year.
Although the number of new movies shown on campus will decrease, some students said they won't miss the channel.
Political science senior Clark Llamzon said he won't be disappointed when the channel goes off the air because of the multitude of other television options.
"I'm fine with them cutting it - there's always ESPN," Llamzon said.
Tom Keller can be reached at kellert1@msu.edu.
