The University of South Carolina Upstate recently helped the state’s public educational broadcasting network kick off its 50th anniversary celebration.
South Carolina ETV and Public Radio (SCETV) announced the beginning of a year-long celebration of hitting the half-century mark, which it has dubbed its “Golden Jubilee,” with a tree planting ceremony near USC Upstate’s Susan Jacobs Arboretum.
“My earliest memories of public radio were in rural Mississippi,” said USC Upstate Chancellor, Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. “We couldn’t get many stations out in the country where we lived. But we could get public radio. I enjoyed listening to the soothing voices of the radio announcers… I listened to interesting stories about people’s lives and those who were impacting the lives of others worldwide. Public radio introduced me to a world beyond my own reality. I’m not surprised that with more than 300,000 listeners each week South Carolina Public Radio has become a vital voice in communicating the latest local, state, and national news to the citizens of South Carolina.”
“The SCETV system has become an important part of our work at USC Upstate to help educate our student-broadcasters and instill in them the meaning and production of excellence,” Harris added. “Through this relationship, we help prepare new generations to carry forward our broadcasting legacy.”
The tree planted on USC Upstate’s campus just below its Health Education Complex is an Amber Glow Dawn Redwood, developed and propagated in South Carolina. It honors all who helped impact SC Public Radio throughout the past five decades and symbolizes the network’s future growth.
“SCETV is proud to celebrate the impact that SC Public Radio has made over the past 50 years,” said Anthony Padgett, president and CEO of SCETV, in a statement. “We hope this Golden Jubilee will show South Carolinians the importance of providing news and music through the power of public radio and look to the future as we embark on the next 50 years.”
During the next 12 months, the network will feature programming that highlights important moments in SC Public Radio history and host several community events.
Since 1985, USC Upstate has housed a production studio for SCETV’s regional station ETV Upstate, which provides local programming and services to schools and institutions that need professional video support.
For more information on the Golden Jubilee and SC Public Radio, please visit: www.southcarolinapublicradio.org.
Prepared by USC Upstate.