When TVW went on the air 10 years ago, its first broadcast was a death-penalty case argued before the Washington State Supreme Court. Since then, TVW has covered more than 1,200 Supreme Court arguments, plus dozens of interviews with legal-opinion leaders and special events including complete, unedited coverage of the 2005 governor’s election challenge case.

Beginning in January, TVW expanded its commitment to covering Washington legal affairs with the premiere of “The Docket.” Hosted by University of Washington Law School Dean Joe Knight, each episode of “The Docket” will feature a person or project that is making a difference in our legal system; a review of the key court rulings and hearings from the previous month; and a “plain language” explanation of a legal concept or resource that every citizen should know.

Produced with support from the Washington State Bar Association, “The Docket” will help inform citizens of the important developments in the law today, plus the critical role that an independent judiciary plays in our democracy. New episodes of “The Docket” will air the first Sunday of each month, with frequent repeat showings. Streaming video of “The Docket” also will be available on TVW’s web site (tvw.org).

One of the nation’s oldest state public affairs networks, TVW produces award-winning coverage of civic proceedings in Washington and serves as a model for countless other state public affairs stations nationwide. Ninety-eight percent of Washington’s cabled households (more than 3.5 million people) rely on TVW to provide unbiased, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the legislative, judicial and executive branches of state government, as well as a wide variety of civics affairs topics. Programs are cable-cast 24 hours a day, seven days a week and a wealth of archived programming is available on-demand via the organization’s web site.

Expansion Plans
After 10 years of broadcasting out of its present 5,900-square-foot studio, TVW is poised to begin work on its expansion. Later this winter, the station will begin construction of a new media center that will nearly triple TVW’s present space. The new media center will expand the station’s capacity to produce and broadcast high-quality programming and help guarantee a permanent home that will meet the station’s needs for the future.

As part of this project, TVW will modernize its equipment, following the nationally mandated trend toward digital technology. Making the switch to digital will improve signal quality, ensure that TVW technicians can edit more efficiently and provide easier and higher quality web casting and archiving.

“It’s the equivalent of moving from a printing press to desktop publishing,” said Mike Bay, TVW vice president of programming.

Funding for the project comes from a public-private partnership, including a $3 million state appropriation for the digital equipment upgrade. The TVW board is raising an additional $3 million in private funds to complete the renovation. To date, it has raised more than one-third of its goal from such generous supporters as The Boeing Company, Microsoft and Ferguson Construction, the general contractors, who have agreed to waive their fee for the project.

TVW is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization independent of government. Its nonprofit status insulates the station from political and commercial influence, ensuring impartial and even-handed coverage enabling citizens to learn about their legislature, courts and state agencies. TVW’s diverse board of directors provides broadcasting savvy, public policy expertise and fiduciary oversight. Its 20 full-time staff, led by President Cindy Zehnder, include skilled professional technicians and a small cadre of administrative personnel.

TVW’s mission is to make state government as transparent as possible, helping create an informed citizenry and increase access to unbiased, unfiltered information. As the mainstream press continues to reduce coverage of legal affairs and statehouse news, TVW’s creative and compelling programming becomes an ever-more essential link between citizens and their government.