President’s Message: October 2022 – You + 1 Committee = JAG Member

by Bob Duthaler




math problem? It’s not a math problem, but rather an organizational
problem. But just like a math problem, it has a solution. So, let’s break
down the problem and together we will reach the solution.

An insight to what the problem is for JAG is not unlike any other organization’s
problems. JAG does many great things. This organization provides many avenues of
information for its membership. Everything from monthly meetings, managers round
table discussions, webinars, conferences, and awards shows. These are the things
that we do well and which separate us from other organizations.

Spotlight: Cranford – Darkest day gave way to its brightest future


by Christine Hoffman, Staff, Cranford Television

PEG TV35 in Cranford was born in 1986 with the help of then Township Committeeman Dan Aschenbach, who understood the benefits of public access to his community.  It started at the high school but was moved to the township to give greater community access. That is where it remains today.  Cranford resident H. Edward Davenport was asked to help lead the effort to start it up.  He had little funds, so he gathered old and used tech equipment and duct taped it into a station that instantly brought local news and interesting stories to Cranford.  Ed worked full time at pharmaceutical giant Hoffman LaRoche.  He headed its media department which was tasked with making commercials and worldwide product announcements.  But for years he volunteered every night at the station and slowly molded the beginnings. 

Adapting Your Station – Broadcast, Cord Cutters and Hybrid Productions


by Bob Duthaler, President, JAG

If you have been in this business for over 10 years, you recall that there was only one way to do it.  The formula was simple, cover the event in full, get it to post and air it on cable – repeat.  That applied to both meetings and township events.  Somewhere along the way in recent years, the viewing habits of the consumer has changed, and so must the formula.  Stations need to adapt to move forward and survive.  We will cover three areas to focus on to move forward with: Broadcast Trend, Cord Cutters and Hybrid Productions.

A Retrospect of the Importance of PEG and News from the FCC


Over the decades, PEG Television Channels have demonstrated their value to the communities they serve.  We  have been challenged over and over again to get our vital information out to our local viewing audiences, especially in times of crisis.   But there has never been anything more challenging than during the past pandemic.  It was the access stations that found ways to get their individual messages directly out to their communities.  

President’s Message: September 2022 – Finish or Start The Year Strong. It’s All In The Way You Look At It

by Bob Duthaler




September is upon us, and it invokes many different emotions.  There have been several songs about September as well: “Wake Me Up When September Ends” – Greenday,  “September” – Earth, Wind and Fire, just to to name a couple.  For parents and teachers, it starts the beginning of a new school year.  For some businesses it’s the end of the first quarter and for those using a calendar year, you are in the final third of the year.

PTZ cameras: NDI, HDBaseT, SDI and HDMI

I have about 50 years experience in this industry. Engineering, sales and designing systems.

I graduated from Voorhees Technical Institute which is now a part of Hunter College and continued my education at New York Institute of Technology.

G&G Technologies has been in business for over 34 years. If you go to G&G Technologies website www.ggvideo.com  you will find that we are an authorized dealer for over 100 manufacturers.

Glad to be Back

by Jesse Lerman, President/CEO, TelVue



The Eastern Video Expo 2022 brought a welcome end to a two+ year drought of local, in-person trade shows and other industry events, giving participating vendors the opportunity for face-to-face engagement with valued customers once again.  It was great to say goodbye to endless Hollywood Squares-like Zoom meetings and welcome back the kind of meaningful conversations and collaborative-based discussions that generate important feedback, crucial for product development.

Old Bridge Television

by Aime Alonzo Station Manager

My name is Aime Alonzo. I am the newly appointed Station Manager of Old Bridge Television or as we call it, OBTV.  I was pleased to learn about JAG and to meet many of its supportive members on the phone and at this year’s Eastern Video Expo.  Let me tell you a little about myself and the station.

I am an actor and a member of SAG/AFTRA.  In college I majored in Theater and Film Production, but life’s twists and turns took me to Law School.  After earning my Juris Doctorate Degree, I worked traditional jobs, but the yearning to be creative kept nagging at me.  I went back to acting.  I acted in award winning independent projects, produced some independent films and directed an independent series.  I also worked as a background actor on TV shows like “Law & Order”, “The Equalizer”, “FBI” and movies like “Players”, and “Your Place or Mine” which will be out soon on Netflix.   I am very happy to have joined OBTV.  My duties also include overseeing the township website and serving as the Business Administrator’s executive assistant.

Cablecast OTT Spotlight: MCTV Network

by Dana Healy, VP Cablecast Community Media



As the community media hub serving the City of Midland, Michigan, Midland Community Television (MCTV  Network) enables residents to create original content to inform, entertain, and educate. Operating four cable access TV channels on Charter Spectrum and AT&T U-verse, MCTV expanded its reach last year to include Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and mobile devices as well as enhancing its streaming offerings.

The Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act

by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair


A couple weeks ago, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that millions of American households have signed up for broadband internet credits through a provision in the bipartisan infrastructure bill called the Affordable Connectivity Program.  This bill passed in November of 2021 and White House officials are calling it an example of the administration’s efforts to lower costs for Americans amid the high inflation that has swept our nation.