For the fourth time in half a decade, ISUtv’s channel number is being changed by central Iowa cable provider Mediacom. However, a one-time $2,500 grant from the cable company will help defray the costs. The station will take up its new residence at channel 18 on Feb. 1.

Steve Coon, ISUtv faculty adviser, says Mediacom told the station the reason for the move is to create uniformity in their programming between regions. Channel 20, ISUtv’s present home, will become a local 24-hour weather radar channel.

This will be ISUtv’s fourth move in five years. Since Mediacom has been responsible for the cable programming in Ames, the station’s name and number have changed from ISU9, ISU4, Cy46, currently ISUtv 20 and in a few weeks, ISUtv 18.

Dan Mundt, ISUtv faculty adviser, says one of the biggest problems created by the frequent moves is that the public never knows where the station is located in the channel lineup.

“It makes new programming difficult when nobody knows where we are,” Mundt says.

Representatives from Mediacom could not be reached for comment.

Coon says another difficulty happens if Mediacom moves the station to a number that was previously empty. When that happens, pre-programmed remotes won’t pick up the channel.

“People who could have come across us on accident just go right past,” Coon says.

ISUtv, the station’s name, will stay the same. Kim Claussen, ISUtv general manager and graduate student in journalism and mass communication, says the station decided on a more permanent name after the last move.

“After the last time, we got a little smarter,” Claussen says. “We’ve been switched so many times, we decided on ISUtv so we wouldn’t have to totally change the name if we were moved again.”

The most taxing part of the move for ISUtv is changing brochures, T-shirts, the Web site and all other promotional materials.

“It takes a lot of time and money and causes a lot of frustration to make all of these changes,” Claussen says.

Coon says this is why the station asked Mediacom for some financial assistance to help with the move.

“They were very kind; the representative we talked to took our proposal back to the corporate headquarters,” Coon says. “I was notified by phone today our grant had been approved.”

Mediacom will also provide ISUtv with cross-channel promotional advertising. Ads will run on channel 20, telling viewers where to find ISUtv on the dial.

Besides these ads, Claussen says ISUtv will put up fliers around campus and is considering newspaper advertising.

There won’t be any technical changes on ISUtv’s part in order to effect the change, Mundt says.

Programming for the spring will be very similar to last semester, Claussen says. However, planning for the station’s programming lineup is still not set in stone.