Spotlight Woodbridge: Building and Managing a Municipal Access Cable Station

By Lee Beckerman, Station Manager, Woodbridge Channels

In the mid-1980s, Woodbridge Township was contemplating starting a cable TV channel of its own.  They had secured a channel on Suburban, set up a governing board and had purchased a random assortment of equipment.  And then…nothing happened.  At some point they decided it was time to bring on a person to manage the station and move the project forward.  I was fresh out of college with a degree in video production.  Doing freelance and having a hard time finding fulltime work in my field, I jumped at the opportunity.  It was not my dream job, but I thought it might be an adequate place holder to build my resume, and, lacking other options, I took it.  I was eventually shown to a packed projection room/closet, told it was my new office and to have at it.  No further instructions were forthcoming.  No one had apparently thought past the idea of having a TV station and considered what to do with it.  I rightly deduced that the first part of starting a community television station involved getting all the crap out of your new office and finding a desk.

The Conference is Waiting for You

By Don Smith, Vice Chair, Conference Committee

We are only 2 weeks away from the JAG Conference! The conference committee has been working hard to bring an informative, networking, and fun conference to the members and supporters of JAG. Tell all your members to mark down May 18th and we will see you there. For details and to register visit our website www.jagconference.com

Increasing Broadband Service in Your Community

Warning, it is all around you! There is nowhere to hide from it!  And it is on its way to the 2023 JAG Conference.

It’s the B-word!              BROADBAND!!!  

Yes, It Is Everywhere, Be Prepared! or Be Left Out!

President’s Message: May 2023 – JAG To Honor Some of Its Own

by Bob Duthaler

By now you already know that Thursday, May 18th is the date you should put all things aside and make plans to be at the JAG’s annual conference and vendor day.  If you haven’t done so already, register now at www.jagconference.com .  This is a must attend event if you are a member of JAG, support the organization or utilize any of its benefits.

Spotlight Bloomfield:Rebuilding For Now and The Future But Recognizing The Past

By Bob Duthaler, Station Manager, Bloomfield

And So It Began… WBMA-TV (Channel 35) in Bloomfield, NJ has been in operation for over 45 years, making it one of the oldest municipal channels on Comcast.  Its purpose was and still is to inform the Bloomfield Community of events happening throughout the township, while supporting open government through the playback of meetings on the cable channel.  It started out like many stations across the state have, in a small space, a bunch of VHS players and a graphics system.  Over the years the space in which the station operated grew larger, but much of the equipment stayed the same.  VHS players, mixed with SVHS with shows being recorded on mini-dv, were the flavor through the early 2000s.  Unfortunately, due to the death of the station manager, and a couple of short-term interim managers, the station was starting to fall by the wayside.  Thankfully, a new board member who was experienced professionally in the industry, kept the station on life support, convincing the Township of Bloomfield and the Cable Advisory Board that the station needed to change both the way it operated and the technology at hand.

More Components Added to The Conference

By Don Smith, Vice Chair, Conference Committee

From the first conference to our 19th edition, the JAG Conference is the best place to get the latest hardware updates the freshest gear, and collaborate with your fellow colleagues from other stations around New Jersey.  This year’s conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Edison on May 18th from 9am-11pm.

We are only a month away from the JAG Conference!

• Have you made your checklist for new equipment you would like to get more information on?
• Have you purchased your tickets?
• Have you reserved your hotel room?