I have a ritual. Every Thursday morning it’s my responsibility to program our channel, WM77 here in West Milford, for the following Saturday. Why Thursday?—because our council meetings are held on Wednesday nights and I want to make sure that the latest meeting is available for viewing at 11:00 Saturday morning for those who can’t catch it during the week at its regular times—7:00am and 7:00pm.
JAG held its first conference in 2004 and this year we will celebrate our 18th conference. The JAG Conference Committee is pleased to announce that the JAG Conference for 2023 will be held at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza in Edison on Thursday May 18th., so mark your calendar now. The website where you can follow all the developments as the date approaches is simply www.jagconference.com .
We have all been waiting for a long time to see the Protecting Community Television Act be moved on by our federal lawmakers. During the 117th Congress, these bills had many co-sponsors, 2 of which included New Jersey’s own Representatives Donald Payne, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Unfortunately, it was never voted on and was left to be hopefully brought up in the new Congress.
By Dana Healy, VP Sales | Cablecast Community Media
At Cablecast, it is our mission to help our customers quickly and efficiently get their video content across platforms. We will be highlighting the benefits of Asset Management, and introducing Cablecast’s new Smart Asset Manager.
We’ll also talk about security best practices of a CDN, and introduce REFLECT+, Cablecast’s cloud-based content delivery network.
Ground Hog’s Day has past, and the ground hog saw his shadow. According to folklore, we have 6 more weeks of winter. If you look back on the last two months of winter, you would think that winter hasn’t even begun. The weather for the most part has been unseasonably warm with little to no snow. Long range forecast shows the same when it comes to snow. You will hear no complaints from me!
by Stan Olochwoszcz, Coordinator, South Amboy Television
Once upon a time, on the banks of Raritan Bay in Central New Jersey, South Amboy Televison (SATV) was created to keep the residents of the City informed about what was happening in town. The Government channel was a side-of-the-desk task assigned to Senior Services / Recreation. Initially a bulletin board comprising of white words on a blue background – pretty much the default screen configuration of a Videonics Titlemaker 3000 – and recordings of events such as the City’s well-known St. Patrick’s Day Parade and other events produced by volunteers using personal equipment started to appear sporadically. The ebb and flow of municipal funding allowed for the progression to more sophisticated equipment. Over twenty or so years ago, the station was automated using a Leightronics Mini-T-Net connected to VCRs and DVD players. That system required much manual manipulation, such as frequent visits to the station location to change tapes and disks.
President Joseph Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn to serve as 5th FCC Commissioner.
Sohn, who was first nominated in October of 2021, had been opposed by certain corporate Democrats targeted by telecom lobbyists who pushed them to oppose her from joining the regulatory panel. and thus, Sohn did not have enough support the first time around.
by Paul Distefano, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, I Light USA Corp – DeSisti & Coemar USA
A few years ago, while still with a lighting system integration company, my boss introduced a new term to me….. the “Alternative Media Space”. Basically, this was a place…. an office, a lobby, a conference room, a newsroom, a foyer…… anyplace that could be lit and used to record media. These were rarely permanent installations. Crews could come in, set up a couple of chairs, one or two cameras, shoot an interview or some other content, and leave…. closer to an ENG shoot than a studio production. Given the choice, the one thing that our customers wanted to be somewhat permanent was the lighting. This made sense. If there were no need for stands and cabling, the overhead lighting was clean, efficient, and would allow a crew to come in and shoot on battery power and leave without even unspooling a cable.
We are a couple of weeks into the new year of 2023 and it has already been a busy one for JAG, myself and, if I am guessing correctly, for you as well. You know what they say, “No rest for the weary”. But I think for all those involved in our industry, we thrive on this fast-paced environment and the lack of sleep as well!
This session discusses the different media and strategies that municipalities can use to communicate with their citizens. Our panel of experts will delve into social media, over-the-top (OTT) options and platforms beyond Facebook and YouTube. Our panelists include JAG’s Executive Board members who utilize various media and platforms every day to amplify and share municipal information every day.
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Spotlight: West Milford – A Thank You Note
By Geoff Belinfante, West Milford TV
I have a ritual. Every Thursday morning it’s my responsibility to program our channel, WM77 here in West Milford, for the following Saturday. Why Thursday?—because our council meetings are held on Wednesday nights and I want to make sure that the latest meeting is available for viewing at 11:00 Saturday morning for those who can’t catch it during the week at its regular times—7:00am and 7:00pm.
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Announcing The 2023 JAG Conference
By Geoff Belinfante, Conference Committee
JAG held its first conference in 2004 and this year we will celebrate our 18th conference. The JAG Conference Committee is pleased to announce that the JAG Conference for 2023 will be held at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza in Edison on Thursday May 18th., so mark your calendar now. The website where you can follow all the developments as the date approaches is simply www.jagconference.com .
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Protecting Community Television Act To Be Reintroduced
We have all been waiting for a long time to see the Protecting Community Television Act be moved on by our federal lawmakers. During the 117th Congress, these bills had many co-sponsors, 2 of which included New Jersey’s own Representatives Donald Payne, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Unfortunately, it was never voted on and was left to be hopefully brought up in the new Congress.
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
What are the Benefits of an Asset Manager?
By Dana Healy, VP Sales | Cablecast Community Media
At Cablecast, it is our mission to help our customers quickly and efficiently get their video content across platforms. We will be highlighting the benefits of Asset Management, and introducing Cablecast’s new Smart Asset Manager.
We’ll also talk about security best practices of a CDN, and introduce REFLECT+, Cablecast’s cloud-based content delivery network.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
From a Need to a Necessity
by Stan Olochwoszcz, Coordinator, South Amboy Television
Once upon a time, on the banks of Raritan Bay in Central New Jersey, South Amboy Televison (SATV) was created to keep the residents of the City informed about what was happening in town. The Government channel was a side-of-the-desk task assigned to Senior Services / Recreation. Initially a bulletin board comprising of white words on a blue background – pretty much the default screen configuration of a Videonics Titlemaker 3000 – and recordings of events such as the City’s well-known St. Patrick’s Day Parade and other events produced by volunteers using personal equipment started to appear sporadically. The ebb and flow of municipal funding allowed for the progression to more sophisticated equipment. Over twenty or so years ago, the station was automated using a Leightronics Mini-T-Net connected to VCRs and DVD players. That system required much manual manipulation, such as frequent visits to the station location to change tapes and disks.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Federal Communications Commission Nominee – Take 2
President Joseph Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn to serve as 5th FCC Commissioner.
Sohn, who was first nominated in October of 2021, had been opposed by certain corporate Democrats targeted by telecom lobbyists who pushed them to oppose her from joining the regulatory panel. and thus, Sohn did not have enough support the first time around.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Lighting….. The Easiest Part of Creating an Alternative Media Space
by Paul Distefano, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, I Light USA Corp – DeSisti & Coemar USA
A few years ago, while still with a lighting system integration company, my boss introduced a new term to me….. the “Alternative Media Space”. Basically, this was a place…. an office, a lobby, a conference room, a newsroom, a foyer…… anyplace that could be lit and used to record media. These were rarely permanent installations. Crews could come in, set up a couple of chairs, one or two cameras, shoot an interview or some other content, and leave…. closer to an ENG shoot than a studio production. Given the choice, the one thing that our customers wanted to be somewhat permanent was the lighting. This made sense. If there were no need for stands and cabling, the overhead lighting was clean, efficient, and would allow a crew to come in and shoot on battery power and leave without even unspooling a cable.
Posted: January 4, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Beyond Cable: New Ways to Communicate with your Citizens
This session discusses the different media and strategies that municipalities can use to communicate with their citizens. Our panel of experts will delve into social media, over-the-top (OTT) options and platforms beyond Facebook and YouTube. Our panelists include JAG’s Executive Board members who utilize various media and platforms every day to amplify and share municipal information every day.