by Rick Gearhart, Montclair

Like many other entities, Montclair TV34 had to adapt to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  The last official meeting that was in person was on March 9, 2020 – A Planning Board Meeting.  Once the state of emergency took effect, the township immediately found a solution to host our meetings virtually.  The Township uses Webex, a virtual meeting platform.  To get these on TV, I use the program OBS – this allows me to capture the Webex window and stream it directly to my broadcast server (and Youtube for online viewers).  The online meeting program works well with not only the Council Meetings.  With the pandemic, I realized the importance of live video.  All official meetings are streamed live, and will be streamed live even after the pandemic is over.  We also implemented a call-in feature allowing the public to participate.  I hope to get back to in person meetings sometime this year, as the Township purchased a new TriCaster model and 3 PTZ cameras, which gives us the ability to stream live in HD to both our cable channel and Youtube.  With Youtube Live, the meetings are available right away after they finish – there is no wait time for anyone that missed the meeting.  The TriCaster was installed the same month that the pandemic hit.

My video production experience began in the mid 1980’s when cable television came to Jersey City.  At Seton Hall University in the early 1970’s I was taught filmmaking and television production on the then “portable” 1 inch machines. I also learned a lot about broadcasting and hosting a radio show for three years on the pre-Heavy Metal WSOU.  But the 1980’s arrival of Suburban Cable to the second largest city in New Jersey looked to me like uncharted territory for producing local commercials.

by Miriam Rosenberg, Independent Producer

My name is Miriam Rosenberg and I am an independent producer, and the writer and host of Sing-a-Long with Miss Miriam which I produce in cooperation with the staff at HTTV in Summit.  I have been producing and airing a children’s show with HTTV for about 5 years now.  I currently have 19 episodes on the JAG TelVue server, and 52 stations have picked up the shows.

The themes include: Caring for our Planet, Planets, Courage, Spring, Magic, Puppetry, Science, Positivity, Kindness, Sports, Living Your Dreams, Trying New Things, Teamwork, Learning Popular Songs with Acting a Part, Diversity, Therapy Horses, and a Mr. Rogers tribute.  Each show has a unique theme, a featured craft, an interesting guest, an original song and story time.  It’s aimed at children from three to eight years old.

by Eddy Cologna, Fanwood Television

I have been working with the Borough of Fanwood for several years.  Towards the end of 2019 when China was in lockdown and we in America weren’t even dreaming of such a thing, the Borough was upgrading their sound system in the Council Chambers and looking into a multiple camera remote system.  The purchase has been moving slowly due to the pandemic.

Fast forward a few months to February 2020, the Mayor of Fanwood, Colleen Mahr, and some health officials had a 4 camera shoot about the dangers of Covid, and what could happen.  All this was shot in person, with some social distancing but no masks because the information was confusing, even for health officials.  Not long after that, the lockdown occurs.  Masks were required, social distancing enforced and only essential personnel were allowed to physically come to work in borough hall.

Here at Manalapan Township Television Network

By Jan Zachary, Cable Television Coordinator, Manalapan

Our EG (Educational/Governmental) station formed in the fall of 2004 when the Township Committee created the Cable Television Advisory Committee (CTAC).  When I discovered the new committee in 2005, I joined at once.

by Dimitry Mikhaylov, Vice President, Fair Lawn Television

We in Fair Lawn were just dreaming to switch our old analog plant to digital. In fact, the digital upgrade didn’t begin until 2019 when our old Leightronix server was suddenly dead, and we got a chance to replace all our outdated equipment at once. As late as 2019 seems, there are some surprising advantages to coming late to a new technology. Digital workflow was a mature, robust system that was adopted by broadcasters at every level, and we had the advantage of learning from all those who were on the bleeding edge of adoption.

by Cindy Hahn, Executive Director, C-NET

Here’s my big confession: I do not like technology.  I don’t trust it, I don’t enjoy it, and I generally believe that things work better without it.  But I am running a PEG organization…..so I naturally deal with it.

Things were going just swimmingly at C-NET prior to March of 2020. Our tiny staff and crew of Penn State interns were traveling around the County with cameras, microphones and an array of other equipment to cover the meetings of sixteen different entities — Seven municipalities, two school districts, the County government, a regional Council of Governments, three regional Authorities, the local Library and Penn State.  We produced over 500 programs in 2019.