Michelle Stadel

A plasma television near the west entrance of the HPER Center greets visitors with information about upcoming events.

“It had nothing to do with us moving to Division I. It was nothing we solicited; it kind of fell into our laps so to speak,” said Intramural Director Brad Erickson.

The University Network, who owns the television, visited campus this summer with the hopes of establishing their network here.

The plasma screens are typically displayed in high traffic areas such as student unions and arenas. Currently the display at the HPER Center is the only one on campus and the only one in the state to be connected to the network.

The board is completely paid for by The University Network. In fact, SDSU actually receives revenue from having the board displayed.

“They find the sponsors and we receive a percentage of the profit, which pays the only fee: a monthly charge for Internet and electricity,” Erickson said.

Advertisers, according to how many ads they buy and how much they pay, will ultimately determine the amount of money the school will receive, but the amount is estimated to be anywhere between $2,000 and $20,000 a year, Erickson said. The money, besides paying the monthly bills, will also be used by the Intramural Sports program.

All ads are approved by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) and can be previewed by campus personnel before they are shown. Besides finding advertisers, the company also prepares the clips that contain information about Intramural Sports, the Wellness Center and Athletics at SDSU.

The information is e-mailed to the company where it is further developed with pictures and sound before the final product is sent to the board. A non-stop repetitive loop of footage conists of three 20-second spots SDSU-informational spots, 30-second advertisements and a two-second logo shot.

The event information can be changed hourly, daily or weekly. The 20-second spots can even be spilt in half to cover more events depending upon the week.

“Regardless of how much or how little we put up, it’s free of charge to us,” Erickson said.