Abstract
Universities are requested to contribute for local communities by providing them the expertise in addition to promoting researches and training human resources. Many universities are already doing this quite proactively, trying to become entities to drive regional developments. It has almost never been taken into account, however, that results of such partnerships between universities and communities should be advertised through local media. And there have been very few discussions on leveraging local media for universities to contribute for communities. Local media are equipped with the social function to circulate community-based information within the community. So it is necessary for universities to rediscover the existence of local media, from the viewpoint of contribution to communities, although they have been looked over so far. This article deals with cable TVs among other local media and depicts practices of universities' contribution to communities by producing TV programmes. Eight case studies will be shown where TV programmes, produced by universities, are broadcast on cable TVs, with the aim to consider the strategy for universities to build new relationships with local communities by leveraging local media.
