We now have free trial access (for three months) to the Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
The link is here.
The collection of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive includes video copies of nightly news programs broadcast by the national television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) since August 5, 1968, and a daily news program from CNN since 1995. FoxNews was added in 2004. In addition, the collection includes over 9,000 hours of special news-related programming, as well as streaming video from CNN.
A W&L subscription would cost us $1,500/year.
We do NOT have a subscription at this time.
Please follow the link below:
Basically, the Archive provides three services:
* loans of copies of entire programs;
* on-demand compilations of taped news segments
* CNN streaming video, available only to subscribers.
Here is the fee structure for loans and compilations. Our $1,500 per year would qualify us as an "other higher educational institution," not as a supporting institution (the high-rollers who have given upwards of $100,000).
The entire database is searchable for free.
Our per-loan charge would be the same, whether we subscribe or not.
The only thing a subscription buys us is streaming video from CNN, most of which is already available without-charge in the free CNN Web site.
So, why should we subscribe?
To be honest, I cannot think of a good reason why we should subscribe. I find it hard to believe that the ability to view CNN video is worth $1,500/year. And, as pointed out above, the subscription would not buy us a lower loan rate.
Perhaps all we should do is develop a page in our Web site which links to the Vanderbilt Television News Archive and which outlines the available services.