History
The foundations of the Ege University Media Application and Research Center were laid with the decision adopted by the Ege University Senate on 5 July 1984. The Senate unanimously approved the establishment of the Closed-Circuit Television Broadcasting, Documentation, Application and Research Center with the aim of enhancing the knowledge and practical experience of medical interns studying at the Ege University Faculty of Medicine. Following this decision, the Council of Higher Education approved the establishment of the Audiovisual Application and Research Center, affiliated with the Rectorate of Ege University, through its official letter dated 13 August 1984 (No. E.Ö/07.04.004/2743-010050), with effect from 25 July 1984. Prof. Dr. İsmet Köktürk, a faculty member of the Ege University Faculty of Medicine, was appointed as the Center's founding Director.
Established to support medical education through audiovisual instructional materials, the Audiovisual Application and Research Center produced more than one hundred educational films by 2001. In addition, a closed-circuit television network was installed within the Faculty of Medicine, enabling these productions to be broadcast simultaneously in lecture halls and conference rooms. Furthermore, audio and video transmission links established between operating theatres and the Center's studio were integrated into the closed-circuit television system, making it possible to broadcast surgical procedures live for educational purposes.
During the directorship of Prof. Dr. Fazıl Apaydın (1997–2001), the Center initiated the transition from analogue to digital technologies. Ege University's first non-linear video editing system was introduced during this period, marking a significant technological milestone. Alongside educational films, the Center also began producing institutional promotional films for Ege University.
Following a decision of the Ege University Senate on 8 May 2001, the Audiovisual Application and Research Center was restructured. With the publication of its new regulations in the Official Gazette (No. 24459) on 11 July 2001, the Center was renamed the Information and Communication Technologies Application and Research Center (BİTAM).
BİTAM was established through the merger of the Computer Application and Research Center and the Audiovisual Application and Research Center. Prof. Dr. Fikret İkiz, then Vice Rector of Ege University, was appointed as the Center's first Director, and was subsequently succeeded by Prof. Dr. Fazıl Apaydın. Operating through two principal divisions—the Audiovisual Center and the Network Management Group—BİTAM played a pivotal role in developing the University's communication and broadcasting infrastructure.
Among the Center's major achievements during this period were the establishment of Radio Ege Campus FM 100.8, which commenced broadcasting on 26 November 2001; the development of the technical infrastructure for Ege University's graduate distance education programmes (2011); and the establishment of Ege University Television (2013). BİTAM also provided technical support for telemedicine initiatives carried out by the Faculty of Medicine and Ege University Hospital. On 4 November 2013, two robotic surgical operations performed at the Faculty of Medicine were broadcast live to New York and Washington, D.C., demonstrating the University's advanced telemedicine capabilities.
In response to rapid developments in communication technologies and the University's expanding needs, the Center underwent another major restructuring. With the proposal of the Rectorate of Ege University and the decision of the Executive Board of the Council of Higher Education dated 2 August 2017, the Center was reorganized to consolidate all university media units under a single institutional structure and to enhance its research and production capacity. Following the publication of its new regulations in the Official Gazette (No. 30211) on 15 October 2017, the Center officially began operating under its current name, the Media Application and Research Center.
Prof. Dr. Müge Elden served as the first Acting Director of the newly established Center. During this period, the television studio, newsroom and administrative offices, previously located on the ground floor of the Ege University Hospital main building, were relocated to the additional academic building of the Faculty of Communication. On 25 December 2017, Prof. Dr. Elden transferred her duties to Prof. Dr. Dilek Takımcı.
Prof. Dr. Dilek Takımcı served as Director from 2 January 2019 to 30 January 2022. On 31 January 2022, Prof. Dr. Bilgehan Gültekin was appointed Director and served until 6 February 2026, when the position was assumed by Prof. Dr. Ayşe Çatalcalı Ceylan. During the directorship of Prof. Dr. Ayşe Çatalcalı Ceylan, Radio Ege Campus FM 100.8, after operating for seventeen years (2009–2026) from the Ege University Student Village, was relocated to the radio studios in the Faculty of Communication Additional Academic Building. The station's technical infrastructure and broadcasting equipment were comprehensively modernized during the relocation process.
Since its establishment, the Ege University Media Application and Research Center has continued its activities under different institutional structures and names while consistently contributing to the University's educational, research, broadcasting and digital media activities. Today, the Center continues to strengthen Ege University's institutional communication capacity by embracing emerging technologies and advancing its services in line with contemporary developments in media and communication.
