by Mike Lynch, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Director, NATOA
Thank you, Jersey Access Group, for inviting me to participate in the 2023 Conference! On behalf of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), I’ve got to tell you….I had a blast! You’re a dynamic organization with great leadership from folks like Bob Duthaler, Stephanie Gibbons, Dave Garb, Don Smith and, of course, Rich Desimone. To Rich: Thanks for your years of collaboration and teamwork as both NATOA and JAG moved forward in the ever-changing world of cable & broadband.
During our annual JAG Conference last month, we held a special session that recapped the latest news from Capitol Hill and what it all means to New Jersey municipalities and PEG/Access stations.
Our panelists, myself, Mike Wassenaar, President of the ACM, Alliance for Community Media, and Mike Lynch, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Director for NATOA, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, mainly focused on one very important subject, the federal Protecting Community Television Acts.
From this forum, it became obvious that our audience was not up to speed on why this legislation needs to be acted upon and what could be the ramifications if they are not. We explained all the details about it during the session, but I would like to once again give the background on what has been going on and why support of these bills is crucial.
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
Last month I joined the ACM as we visited our esteemed Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill in an effort to garner co-sponsorship for the” Protecting Community Television Act”.
Here are some ideas on how you can grow, strengthen, and improve you station operations and overall appearance. They are in no order, so use these as a guide for your station. Do all or do some, but the key to change and growth is to do something.
Posted: June 20, 2023 by Doug Seidel
NATOA Contributes to the Success of JAG Conference
by Mike Lynch, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Director, NATOA
Thank you, Jersey Access Group, for inviting me to participate in the 2023 Conference! On behalf of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), I’ve got to tell you….I had a blast! You’re a dynamic organization with great leadership from folks like Bob Duthaler, Stephanie Gibbons, Dave Garb, Don Smith and, of course, Rich Desimone. To Rich: Thanks for your years of collaboration and teamwork as both NATOA and JAG moved forward in the ever-changing world of cable & broadband.
Posted: June 20, 2023 by Doug Seidel
2023 JAG Conference Legislative Session Recap & the Protecting Community Television Act
During our annual JAG Conference last month, we held a special session that recapped the latest news from Capitol Hill and what it all means to New Jersey municipalities and PEG/Access stations.
Our panelists, myself, Mike Wassenaar, President of the ACM, Alliance for Community Media, and Mike Lynch, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Director for NATOA, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, mainly focused on one very important subject, the federal Protecting Community Television Acts.
From this forum, it became obvious that our audience was not up to speed on why this legislation needs to be acted upon and what could be the ramifications if they are not. We explained all the details about it during the session, but I would like to once again give the background on what has been going on and why support of these bills is crucial.
Posted: May 9, 2023 by Doug Seidel
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.
Posted: May 9, 2023 by Doug Seidel
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
Posted: May 9, 2023 by Doug Seidel
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!
Posted: April 26, 2023 by Doug Seidel
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.
Posted: April 26, 2023 by Doug Seidel
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!
Posted: April 26, 2023 by Doug Seidel
A Visit to the Hill: Protecting Community Television Act
Last month I joined the ACM as we visited our esteemed Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill in an effort to garner co-sponsorship for the” Protecting Community Television Act”.