University News

Arun Gandhi on the set of "The Purple Chair"
[Download Print-Quality Image]


[Download Print-Quality Image]

"The Purple Chair" Episode 2 to Air April 18

April 10, 2013

Share |
Printer friendly version

MACOMB, IL – The second episode of "The Purple Chair," a Western Illinois University Television Services (University Television) original series, which made its debut last month, will air beginning Thursday, April 18 on local cable Channel 3 (Comcast subscribers; Channel 9, MTC subscribers), at 6 p.m. An encore presentation will be shown at 10 p.m. April 18.

April's show features Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, talking about how to achieve peace in today's society. "The Purple Chair" featuring Gandhi will air again at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Friday, April, 19; 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20; noon and 6 p.m. Sunday, April 21; and 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 22. Additional show times can be found at wiu.edu/vpaps/utv. The first guest for "The Purple Chair" was Joe Decker, a 1998 WIU kinesiology graduate and once labeled "The World's Fittest Man. Decker's interview will continue to air on Channels 3 and 9 throughout the year.

To promote "The Purple Chair" a contest was held last month. A photo was posted each weekday through March 29 at https://www.facebook.com/thepurplechair.wiu, and contest participants must guess each location of the purple chair (for example: #1 - Grote Hall, #2 - Alumni House, #3 - Ravine, and so on). All entries must be sent to thepurplechair@wiu.edu by noon Friday, April 12.

The winner -- the person who correctly guesses the greatest number of the 21 locations -- will be announced Thursday, April 18 with the launch of the second program in the series. The winner will receive a "purple prize package," including a framed purple chair photo of his/her choice and a photo of himself/herself in the chair at a location of his/her choice (within reason). In the event of a tie, a drawing will be held to determine the winner.

Each month, with the exception of July, a new episode of "The Purple Chair" will air. May's episode will feature motivational speaker Bruce Littlefield, who will talk about how to live a happier life, while June's show will focus on cyber-bullying and the research behind this common issue by Jill Jolene Myers of Western's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration. "The Purple Chair" will return in mid-August. The first four episodes will air through the summer months.

According to Amanda Shoemaker, associate director of WIU's Alumni Programs and host of "The Purple Chair," while the show does have some focus on the guest and his/her background, what makes this program unique is that it's designed for the viewer to learn more about a particular topic.

Phil Weiss and Todd Draeger of University Television produce "The Purple Chair."

For University Television programming, including "The Purple Chair," visit wiu.edu/vpaps/utv/broadcast_schedule.php, and click "here" in the TV guide section. To obtain the complete UTV listing, change cable provider/location to Comcast or MTC depending on your cable carrier.

To "follow" the chair around campus and to learn more about the show, visit https://www.facebook.com/thepurplechair.wiu. For more information or to suggest a topic for "The Purple Chair," email thepurplechair@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing