Apogee and UMW brings students a new online TV channel listing

By CELINE CHASSAGNEUX

Started in the spring of 2017, Apogee and the University of Mary Washington partnered together to bring students a new television channel listing. The new guide option was officially implemented on March 28.

This new listing allows students to identify programming options ahead of time and without the hassle of flipping through the channels individually.

It’s a smoother and trouble-free new digital component that was given to the students from UMW.

The reason the university decided to get this new feature and partner with Apogee is due to the fact that prior to the new online listing, Apogee had delivered a guide channel over the cable television system via an equipment vendor. When the equipment that enabled the guide channel broke earlier this year, Apogee reached out to the equipment vendor for fixing. They were informed that the vendor no longer manufactured or supported that particular service.

As a result, Apogee searched for a new equipment vendor and found a few options that could provide a new guide channel for no additional and substantial cost.

“Apogee [had] also found an online guide option, which would not increase costs,” said Sr. Client Services Manager of Apogee, Brenda Saunders.

Not having this particular option cost be increased, added for a smoother transition from the old programming options to the new online listing.

It was Apogee who presented the online option to the university as an alternative choice.

Apogee, sometimes referred to as ‘Crapogee,’ found the school a new alternative to a channel guide from the previous one that Mary Washington used to have.

With all the complaints Apogee receives from students due to slow internet and constant Wi-Fi disconnections, Apogee seems to be hoping to redeem themselves with this new online programming guide.

“Rather than not offering a listing as all, it was decided to offer the online (free) option,” Saunders said.

The purpose of the new online channel listing is to allow residents to access the channel listings on any browser, and to have the ability to view current and future television programming options.

“The channel guide provides students with a listing of the available cable TV programming and when it is aired,” said chief information officer, Hall Cheshire.

It is something that students will be able to use often and have on hand whenever they need it, as well as not have to worry about a payment.

“It’s actually a really great new digital component that the university and Apogee have come up with,” said junior psychology major, Kelsey Mooring. “And it’s even better that it’s free.”

Students have found the new TV channel listing to be both beneficial and convenient.

“It’s pretty cool and I use it a bunch,” said Michelle Curtain, a junior accounting major.