Page 95 - Universitas Terbuka Center of Excellence In Asia 2010 and The World 2020 (A Journey Towards a Leading Open and Distance Education Institution 1984-2008)

specially designed for distance education. This interesting offer was responded
positively by Department of Education and Culture. This cooperation was what it

should be, since there was direct relation between national education policy and
institution running TV programs. This cooperation was not meant to solve the

problem of using communication technology for education . Instead, it was still an
early struggle for both parties to support and share benefits to each other. The

continuity of this TV program depended on whether both parties carried on their
promises to make education a primary need.

TV program through direct broadcast satellite (TV-DBS) was an opportunity
for UT to deliver its learning materials. The only constraint was the recipient

quality. This was because TV-DBS was a closed broadcast that needed special
equipment to receive its broadcast so that it needed a lot of preparations before

it can be applied properly.
In its development, broadcasting TV-DBS through Cakra Warta satellite

could not be utilized as learning media as was planned . Finally Cakra Warta
satellite was employed as cable TV channel called Quick Channel or Q-Channel

managed by private sector. Q-Channel gradually became well known because the
broadcast could be easily received by the owners of satellite dish and decoder as

well as /ndovision cable TV subscribers. From the year 2000 until 2005 the time
allocated for UT was only one hour daily. Meanwhile, since 2004 , UT TV

programs have been also broadcasted through a new education TV station owned
by Department of National Education that is Education TV. Until 2005 the time

allocated for UT on the Education TV was only one hour a day.
The use of cable TV either Q Channel or Education TV for UT TV programs

was not convenient considering that it was limited to the students who had
satellite dish or subscribed to cable TV. However, this could be regarded as an
effort to remain utilizing this media while hopeful that in the future there would

be better condition. Considering that the cost of a satellite dish becomes

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