KSL-TV, Channel 5, has donated its old news background set, worth more than $100,000, to Weber State University.
WSU is using the former KSL News set at its own broadcast studio, located in the lower level of the Stewart Library.
"They've never had a real news set," said Brink Chipman, director of news services for KSL-TV. "All they used to have was a table."
KSL-TV had its new set in place last summer and needed to decide what to do with its obsolete one.
"We thought it would be great for their program, and they needed it," Chipman said. The university had to do some cutting and improvising to get it to fit, he said.
Chipman said KSL was approached by several schools about the old news set but in the end chose Weber State.
KSL's old news set was about 8 years old, but the station had refurbished it within the past two years, making it essentially just 1 1/2 years old. Chipman said value of the news set is between $100,000 and $200,000.
Weber State recently started its own TV broadcasting program and does some newscasts on local cable channel 9.
Chipman said KSL is eventually expecting some familiar-looking audition tapes from Weber State broadcasting students but said that's OK.