by Bob Duthaler
A Look Back At 2021 and Looking Forward To 2022
The best way to get a feel for what the future of an organization holds is to look at its past. With that thought in mind, I though it important to share with you the year end reports from some of our committees. I hope by reading these you will realize all the effort and hard work these committees have done all for the betterment of our members.
External Relations Committee Annual Report 2021
It was a very busy year for the External Relations Committee. Thanks to Doug Seidel, we really stepped up our marketing and image campaign on social media. In addition, we updated our website to improve both its graphics and functionality. We also added new videos of the presentations made during our monthly meetings; recordings of our webinars; and videos of the workshop we sponsored at the NJ League of Municipalities Conference. We also initiated an ongoing effort to add more documents to our library of reference material for our members.
For the first time in two years, there was an in-person League of Municipalities meeting and our booth was quite busy, perhaps because the pandemic has increased the need for townships to find new ways to engage their citizens. The Conference once again proved that it is the best chance we have each year to market JAG and the benefits of membership. The prospect for growth based on the interest exhibited at the conference is great.
The External Relations Committee, in conjunction with the Production Committee also added a YouTube Channel this year as another way to showcase the work done by our member stations. The channel was formally added to our list of member benefits.
We also have enhanced our monthly newsletter by soliciting monthly content from members and adding names to our distribution list. Doug and Rich have changed both the graphic look and the method of distribution that has increased readership and also resulted in increased traffic to our website. Rich has even developed a survey that will be distributed early in 2022 to give us some feedback on the re-invigorated newsletter.
Finally, while we are always in need of new members, this year the need is particularly acute. At the end of 2021, we bid farewell to Dustin Dumas, our vice-chairman, as she tends to her station and other responsibilities. Her input will be missed.
Leadership Development Committee (LDC)- Annual Report 2021
A Youtube Channel was created, with some “ video from AccessNJ. Those who
want to share their videos on this was invited to post their work, and it would be promoted.
An article about t his channel by Doug in the Newsletter and updates were done throughout
social media sites to get more people to subscribe to it. New Updated Website was
launched, thanks to Doug.
A new marketing plan is in the works and will hopefully be ready for 1st qtr. 2022.
LDC took on all of our P&P information (Mission Statement, Goals, Letters, etc.) and
recommended changes for the Executive Retreat in August.
Non Station Membership Category – Ramifications of Description Change:
This was for non station members to be allowed to become chairs./vice chairs. of
committees. After replies from our attorney Ken Fellman, it was decided that Non Station members will not be allowed to become chairs. or vice chairs. of committees at this time due to financial voting that effects
stations and not non station members.
External Relations Committee helped to develop the LDC Toolbox, Posted Toolbox to “Members Only” section of website, developed church letter written to encourage this market added technical documents to “Members Only” section of website.
Getting Links from Members stations up on our website. Membership helped create a new recognition award form was created and approved.
Legislative Committee Annual Report 2021
January: At the beginning of the year, PEG was waiting on the strong possibility that The Protecting Community Television Act will be re-introduced in the new Congress. The question was when/No-one knew!
March: The ramifications of the 621 Order have started to be felt. Charter, the cable provider in Rochester, NY, has invoked Order 621. It should not affect us here in New Jersey, but we kept an eye on it just in case. Altice had a BPU hearing about their State Refranchising. Bob presented JAG’s issues with them, as did many Mayors throughout the state. This gave finally to us, the contact person we have been so trying to find about our HD solutions.
April: Closed Captioning is being mentioned more and more. President Biden is a strong supporter for the ADA. Keeping an eye on it. it could become a sudden issue that everyone must comply. The Sixth District Court heard oral arguments on “621.” Portions of the Order were upheld, and a petition was filed to re-hear arguments in the 6th district court of appeals. (Still waiting on an answer)
July: From the 2021 Eastern Video Expo (Conference), “As the Lawyers” session: The committee had sent out questions to our members asking them “What did you during the pandemic that has made a difference?” All the answers will be notes and assimilated in to one document, which will be sent to legislators. The JAG Newsletter will begin to be sent to legislators.
September: 10 Responses had been received from the July question. A document to our elected officials was created using these answers.
November: In an effort to get JAG’s name out there to our politicians, this committee will begin to develop a plan to grow these relationships with federal, state and local elected officials. This may be done by contacting their local offices and set-up meetings with them – either in person or virtually.(To be ready 1st quarter 2022). Maine: enacted – Ensure Nondiscriminatory Treatment of Public, Educational and Governmental Access Channels by Cable System Operators. https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_129th/chapters/PUBLIC245.asp Committee will look over this bill and learn from it.
December: The Protecting Community Television Act: has finally been reintroduced in both house of Congress. The committee quickly rewrote the letter we had previously sent to our federal legislatures. We reflected the changes to the Act as well as reminding them of who we are and what we do and what we had done during the pandemic. Do to our efforts, Reps. Payne and Watson-Coleman have signed on to co-sponsor the bill. There is some interest from Reps. Norcross and Sherrill. Sen. Booker will also “take a look at it.” Finally, there is a new FCC Commissioner, Jessica Rosenworcel. Time will tell how this will help us and the 621 Order.
Finance Committee Annual Report 2021
All required Federal and State filings were done in 2021 for the year 2020. The Finance Committee also worked closely with the Membership Committee regarding dues collection and other items, to considerable success.
Again, as in 2020, expenses were down due to COVID-related circumstances. These include travel, hotel and conference fees for those events that were virtual once again this year rather than in-person. Therefore, for 2021 the Operating expenses were under budget.
Operating Income was $18,340 vs. expenses of $21,647.
JAG Awards income was $2,158.27 with expenses of $1,852.43. It was decided that in 2022, JAG Awards will have their own separate budget.
Conference income for 2021 was $21,934 versus expenses of $6,347. The Conference was completely virtual in 2021. (It should be noted that the annual Conference was not held in 2020 due to COVID; that said, there are operating expenses for Conference, regardless.)
Membership Committee Annual Report 2021
*Mount Zion Baptist Church in Newark our first nonprofit member in January.
*Geoff Belinfante and George Fairfield joined the committee
*Changed text to the members only section on the website to: “A MEMBERS ONLY area on the website that is password protected provides members contact information and valuable information on franchise agreements, legislative matters, and white papers on technical and social media topics.”
*In February, worked on fixing issues about getting on the JAG website.
*March the response to the members questionnaire was at 50%
*The Membership committee has been requested to have a representative to NATOA. There were no volunteers, with overload the main reason, it was resolved in the fall with Geoff Belinfante volunteering
*Rutgers Cooperative Extension questioned the value of JAG for their organization, it was resolved by them becoming a nonprofit member
*By April There are 29 PEG facilities renewed for 2021, with six PO’s. Three independent producer members have renewed and seven organizational. There are two nonprofit members.
*The Committee went over the newly created form to track Newsletter usage, ListServ usage and membership status in May
*The committee did a push to reach out to former members,
*Kenilworth, Highland Park and South River returned and Also we welcomed Fanwood Borough as a new member. New Independent Producer Patricia Dunn joined after attending the virtual conference in June
*The results of the member questionnaire resulted in members asking for these other benefits:
• More benefits for Independent Producers
• Resource database of JAG members who can help others with technology
• Place for reviews of products for vendor equipment and organizations
• Help with finding grants
• List of freelance production people throughout the state
• Help with the recruitment/retention of volunteers
• Successful engagement with local HS volunteers
*This list was brought to the Executive Board for discussion at this year’s Retreat.
*There was a need to develop a new letter to welcome back JAG members who had let their memberships lapse and then came back to join the organization in October, the letter was approved in Dec.
*George Fairfield was asked and accepted the nomination for committee vice chair, temporarily
*Outreach (Former Members): Rich Desimone met casually with a couple of elected officials in Metuchen, talked about JAG and had positive reaction. George Fairfield was asked to met with the Metuchen Cable Advisory Committee, where it was mentioned that a group of cable stations should be formed. George told them there is one, and it’s JAG!
*The chair will reach out to contacts made at the League. She and Geoff & Dave G will coordinate with people they spoke to.
*Develop a League follow-up letter, which will be based on the previous one and once approved will be added to the toolbox
*Independent Member Engagement: Stephanie has a possible new member in January. She will also reach out to George McCollough to see whether independent producers in Princeton could join.
Conference Committee Annual Report 2021
After much discussion, the executive board of JAG decided to move forward with a conference in 2021 after the conference in 2020 was cancelled outright because of the Covid 19 Pandemic. However, since the worldwide heath crisis was still ongoing, it was decided that the 2021 conference was to be held virtually, something none of us in JAG had ever done.
A conference committee was formed and under Bob Duthaler’s leadership, we began to plan an ambitious program that included a limited virtual trade show, workshops and even a virtual live presentation of our annual JAG awards. Needless to say, there were some technical issues to be solved and with the help of a Zoom sales person and Doug Seidel, a framework for the conference was established, a website launched and a marketing campaign developed to tell people about the conference.
Bob hosted the entire conference from the studio in Bloomfield and he help attendees understand the flow of the conference by promoting upcoming events. The virtual nature of the conference allowed the committee to put together workshops that included people from all over the world, something that would not have been possible with a live conference. Production panels featured accomplished journalists, editors, writers, composers and producers from as far away as Great Britain. Conference and trade show support came from sponsors like Telvue Corporation, Varto Technologies, and Cablecast, with informative presentations and user group meeting from those companies and others during the conference. All workshops and presentations were recorded a posted in the members-only section of our Website.
Perhaps the highlight of the entire three-day event was the live presentation of our JAG awards thanks to George Fairfield and the staff at Piscataway TV. Congratulations to the award winners.
The entire event was both a creative and financial success thanks to the committee and the extraordinary efforts of Doug, George and Bob to coordinate the various events and produce them flawlessly.
As you can tell by all the information that each of these committees presented to our membership, they were active all year long. This year, these committees are committed to providing even more for the benefit of our members. It is important to point out, that these committees cannot do what they do without the support of our members. I urge all members to find a committee that they have some interest in, and spend a few hours each year participating.
News & Events
Posted: March 17, 2022 by bduthaler
NJ Advocates for Aging Well
Susan Brooks, Communications Manager, NJAAW
“People tend to think that aging is something that happens later in life. In reality, we’re aging every day,” says Cathy Rowe, DrPH, Executive Director of JAG associate member NJ Advocates for Aging Well (NJAAW).
“Right now, more than 23% of New Jersey’s total population is over 60,” she adds. “The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, America will have more 65-and-older residents than children, and all Baby Boomers – and one-fifth of the total population – will have reached the traditional retirement age of 65.”
NJ Advocates for Aging Well – formerly NJ Foundation for Aging – is marking its 24th year as the only statewide nonprofit focused solely on providing leadership in public policy and education to enable older adults to live with independence and dignity in their communities.
The Trenton-based organization promotes and advances public policy that impacts the lives of older adults and presents educational forums for the public – such as its recent four-part/15-speakers housing series for older adults – as well as for aging services professionals. NJAAW also holds networking events and hosts an Annual Conference (June 13) offering development opportunities and best practices for professionals entrusted with caring for aging adults. Its website at njaaw.org provides a wealth of information, services and resources for older adults, their families and caregivers, and aging services professionals.
Additionally, in partnership with the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) NJAAW will be co-leading a multi-year policy advocacy effort focused on strengthening the state’s direct care workforce.
Aging Insights
JAG members would know NJAAW best for its monthly half-hour talk show, Aging Insights. Produced in partnership with Piscataway Community TV (PCTV), the show is made possible by the generous support of the Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement, other funders and viewers.
“Aging Insights, provides information on a wide range of issues facing older adults and their families,” says Dr. Rowe.
Dr. Rowe, of Maplewood, has hosted the program since she joined NJAAW in the middle of 2021, and is following in the footsteps of her predecessors, Melissa Chalker and Grace Egan. NJAAW’s Communications Manager, Sue Brooks of Ewing, is the Executive Producer. Bringing the show to life are PCTV’s Station Manager George Fairfield (Director), Program Supervisor Doug Seidel (Audio/Edit) Program Supervisor Stephanie Gibbons (Camera) and volunteers Valerie Stephens (Camera) and Elio Selvaggio (Teleprompter).
“We thoroughly enjoy working with our PCTV colleagues and would like to recognize their patience, flexibility, creativity and professionalism,” Dr. Rowe says. PCTV is also assisting NJAAW with the launch a podcast featuring Aging Insight programming and the nonprofit’s many webinars.
“On Aging Insights, we have lively and thought-provoking discussions with guests and experts from New Jersey and across the nation, representing a vast variety of fields and organizations,” says Dr. Rowe. Noting that the show has spotlighted “everything from personal finances for older adults to the pandemic,” Dr. Rowe has covered such topics as:
Upcoming programs will focus on advanced care planning and driving safety for older adults. “We are very mindful of what our audience wants and needs to know, and will continue to educate and enrich their lives,” Dr. Rowe says.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to JAG stations for bringing Aging Insights directly to New Jerseyans who will benefit from our programming, and we appreciate being an associate member,” says Sue Brooks. “Thank you for your support for NJAAW and New Jersey’s growing aging population!”Previous episodes of Aging Insights can be viewed on NJAAW’s website at njaaw.org/aging-insights and its YouTube channel at youtube.com/njadvocatesforagingwell. The YouTube channel also contains NJAAW’s webinar recordings. For more information, contact Sue Brooks at 609-421-0206 or email sbrooks@njaaw.org.
Posted: March 17, 2022 by bduthaler
Accomplishment of the External Relations Committee
Geoffery Belinfante, Chair
One of the things that keeps my hard-working colleagues on the committee very busy is the coordination of this very newsletter. We hope to publish articles that are of interest to our municipal and community channels as well as our independent producers and nonprofit members. Making the newsletter a valuable source of information is a very high priority for the External Relations Committee. This past year, thanks to our managing director Rich Desimone and committee member Doug Seidel, we redesigned the look of the newsletter and changed the way it is distributed. We currently enjoy a particularly high open rate which hopefully means we are creating something of real value to our members. Recently, we sent a survey to all those who receive the newsletter asking for their input so we can make it better. Please fill out the survey and let us know your thoughts! We are continually looking for ways to make it more valuable and informative. The survey is one way we can ensure that it is something you can look forward to receiving each month.
The External Relations Committee is also responsible for JAG’s internet and social media presence. This includes our Facebook page, our website, and our YouTube Channel which we manage jointly with the Production committee. The objective of all our social media activity is to raise our public profile and present JAG as an organization that can help townships across New Jersey communicate with their citizens. Weekly Facebook posts, again created by Doug Seidel, help keep JAG’s name visible to the outside world. Facebook is just one component of the overall marketing plan for the organization that is developed by the Leadership Committee and executed, in part, by our committee. A large portion of those marketing efforts center around our website. This is often the first place people go for information about JAG, so the committee has spent a lot of time this past year updating the graphic look of the site and making it more user friendly. We have also made a concerted effort to enhance the value of the “members only” section by adding important documents to our library and videos of JAG sponsored presentations to our gallery.
Our committee is also responsible for our relationships with the Organizational Members. We try to cultivate associations with companies that make relevant products and who are sympathetic to the budgetary challenges faced by our members. These are the companies that present to us at our monthly general meeting. Organizational members come and go, so we are constantly looking for new suppliers with products who support PEG and community television, and who might become Organizational Members. In the last year, we added Municipal Captioning to our list of organizational supporters.
One of the most important functions of the External Relations Committee is to supervise JAG’s participation at the annual New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention. We ensure that the organization contracts for a booth on the floor of the convention, and we organize the workshops we present at the Conference. This is the best opportunity we have all year to interact with the mayors, council people and information officers who are responsible for communicating with their citizens. We help man the booth and arrange for the handouts about JAG. Perhaps because of the Pandemic, we had a particularly fruitful convention, meeting lots of new municipal representatives who showed real interest in taking advantage of the benefits we provide. We are currently in the process of redesigning our booth to give it a new look and to ensure that JAG’s mission is clear to those who pass by.
It may seem as if we have a lot of “balls in the air,” and indeed we do, but not every member is involved in every initiative. I have often written in this newsletter about our need for members, however, at one of our recent meetings we developed a way for people to help out with some of the tasks of our committee without committing the time necessary to be a full member. We have formed two subcommittees that will allow you to focus your attention on those functions that most interest you. For example, if you’re really into social media or web design, why not join our Social Media Subcommittee? If you enjoy writing, why not work on our newsletter by joining our Newsletter subcommittee. These will allow you to work only in those areas that are of particular interest to you. Your input would be welcome in any form.
If you have any questions about the External Relations Committee, please let me know. You can email me at geoffbel512@gmail.com
Posted: March 17, 2022 by bduthaler
New “All In One” OMNI Solutions with Closed Captions!
by Randy Visser, East Sales, Cablecast Community Media
Video play-out systems provide community media operations the tools they need to distribute their content to members of their communities, and beyond. Early systems involved the use of multiple video tape machines, and eventually DVD players that were programmed by external devices to play, and then switch, programming from one source to another. You never knew if this complex chain of events was going to work as planned, and the set-up time to cue tapes and calculate “pre-roll” times for every event made the process challenging and time consuming.
Fast forward to the 21st Century…and here we are, comfortably pecking away at our keypads and smartphones sharing video content like it was just another call to a friend. YouTube, the first successful video sharing platform and Facebook, have suddenly become the video viewing platforms of choice, and our local PEG channels are having to re-invent the way we support our communities through video distribution. After all, YouTube and Facebook are indeed commercial platforms. They make money by selling user data and “phishing” for customers engaged in niche content viewing. Not ideal.
Cablecast has the solution. Our company has been right beside you all the way providing the tools you need to manage this work in the 21st Century. Our new “VIO Omni” servers have the combined power to schedule video files, or live shows, while providing an easy interface to make that content available as a live stream, or as easy to use VOD (video on demand) files complete with the ability to chapter those videos (either while you’re recording…or after the fact). You can even attach .pdf files like meeting agendas that viewers can download. One box does this all using Cablecast’s easy to use interface and award winning bulletin board software (also available for small, or large, digital signage throughout your community).
Now….purchase our CDN (content delivery network) called “Reflect”, a fixed service that handles all of your content distribution in the cloud for just $2200 a year. Done…you’ve just created your own “YouTube” platform where citizens can find and watch your shows easily from a built-in web portal providing live feeds, searchable indexes for VOD content, an active schedule feed and links to all of your other web content. What more could you do?
That’s right…this is video technology in the 21st Century. Time waits for no one and suddenly we’re facing a whole new set of video distribution platforms called “Over The Top” (OTT). Companies like Apple, Roku, Amazon, Google and others are betting that the television viewing market will in fact be moving away from expensive cable packages to a more open broadband network solution that gives viewers the options to watch content on their preferred platform on any video viewing device available; HD televisions, lap-top computers, hand-held smart phones…who knows what’s next.
Again, Cablecast is ready to roll with new technical features and services that allow you to share all of your content throughout these varied platforms (web video or OTT).
We know that not everyone is ready to jump into the deep end and change the way you’ve been doing things in the past. Not a problem. We’ll let you try our OTT distribution FOR FREE using our “Cablecast Screenweave” application. Give it a try yourself on all of the popular OTT platforms. Search for “Cablecast”. Download the application and watch hundreds of stations from around the country as they provide both live streams as well as VOD content. All of this happens, literally, with one click of a button! Talk about easy workflow….and at no additional cost!
And finally, Cablecast has added to this powerful video tool kit with the ability to provide Closed Captioning of any content, live or existing files, again with just one push of a button. Purchase a bundle of hours and you decide what gets transcribed. Super easy to use and affordable with rates between .11 and .15 cents an hour. You’ll have a link to your own Cablecast Cloud Services web interface where you can track your usage.
Presentation at JAG General Members meeting, March 30 at 12:12pm
Posted: March 17, 2022 by bduthaler
Social Media Stats – March 2022
by Doug Seidel, Social Media Manager, External Relations Committee
The Newsletter Survey results are in! Keep your eyes open for changes coming soon. We are very excited about these changes and look forward to using the new and improved newsletter to help market JAG better.
A new Social Media Subcommittee has been formed and we have started to plan our new social media posts. Make sure you are following our accounts so you can keep up in the online conversations. If you are interested in helping out with our social media, reach out to join this new Subcommittee.
Our YouTube channel is also easier to share now. www.jagonline.org/YouTube will send anyone directly to our YouTube channel. Just another bonus to help us market JAG easier.
Jersey Access Group
facebook.com/pegtv linkedin.com/company/jersey-access-group instagram.com/jersey_access_group
EASTERN VIDEO EXPO
facebook.com/Easternvideoexpo instagram.com/easternvideox/
Do not forget to check out our YouTube channel. Have something you want on our YouTube channel? Send a link to dseidel@piscatawaynj.org for review.
New Content on YouTube:
The “Where,” “What,” and “Who “ of Healthy Aging – C-NET
Dustin’s Kaleidoscope: NJ 2021 Librarian of the Year – SOMA Television
Barron Arts Center: Viewing Sculpture – Woodbridge TV
Catchings Owens Community Center Ribbon Cutting – Montclair TV 34
Danny V’s 52nd Street Band – Manalapan Township Television Network
NEW CONTENT ON WEBSITE- We have now posted 24 programs from the Eastern Video Expo events to the members only section of our website. To view the video content links below, you need a members only password.
Email lbesink@gmail.com for the password.
Broadband Deployment in the National Infrastructure Bill. A JAG Joint Session with the NJ League.
And
Post Pandemic Tools That Can Help You Reach Your Citizens
Share the value of Jag’s newsletter with your elected officials, cable committee, station volunteers, associates, and friends. Send this invitation: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/B7EMU1R/JAGnewsletter
Posted: February 15, 2022 by bduthaler
Social Media Stats – February 2022
by Doug Seidel, Social Media Manager, External Relations Committee
Let me officially announce the start of the Social Media subcommittee. This is great news as I take a larger role in JAG, now I will have assistance in running our social media accounts. This will only make our social media campaign stronger and extend our reach. This will also give us a chance to post more information on our accounts and maybe add more places where you can find information about JAG and the Eastern Video Expo.
If you have an interest in joining the Social Media subcommittee but do not believe you have the time for the commitment, just know that a) you don’t have to join a formal committee to be a part of the subcommittee and b) subcommittees are very informal and won’t require a lot of time. You can contact me at dseidel@piscatawaynj.org if you are interested in joining the subcommittee.
Jersey Access Group
facebook.com/pegtv linkedin.com/company/jersey-access-group instagram.com/jersey_access_group
EASTERN VIDEO EXPO
facebook.com/Easternvideoexpo instagram.com/easternvideox/
Do not forget to check out our YouTube channel. Have something you want on our YouTube channel? Send a link to dseidel@piscatawaynj.org for review.
New Content on YouTube: Broadband Panel at NJLOM – JAG Holiday Extravaganza – Woodbridge
Over the Top Panel at NJLOM – JAG
NEW CONTENT ON WEBSITE- We have now posted 24 programs from the Eastern Video Expo events to the members only section of our website. To view the video content links below, you need a members only password.
Emaillbesink@gmail.com for the password.
JAG has recorded our two sessions at the NJ League of Municipalities and added them to the Members Only session of our website.
Broadband Deployment in the National Infrastructure Bill. A JAG Joint Session with the NJ League.
And
Post Pandemic Tools That Can Help You Reach Your Citizens
Share the value of Jag’s newsletter with your elected officials, cable committee, station volunteers, associates, and friends. Send this invitation: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/B7EMU1R/JAGnewsletter
Posted: February 15, 2022 by bduthaler
Montclair TV34 had to adapt to the COVID-19 Pandemic
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.
In the very beginning of the pandemic, TV34 immediately partnered with our local senior center to broadcast all of their virtual events. Most of these events were exercise programs or educational lectures that were held in person prior to the pandemic. The older population was not used to virtual meeting programs such as Zoom at the time, so this was a way that seniors could still view programs that they were interested in. Now two years later, the demand for this has decreased, as some in-person events have resumed, and the senior population is more comfortable with virtual platforms.
TV34 has a traditional PEG access TV programming model – a mix of local events/programming, official meetings, and a bulletin board which advertises important announcements & events in town. The TV34 Bulletin Board uses Infovue software and is a mix of still images and short videos. Any non-profit in Montclair is welcome to submit a slide to be featured on the TV34 Bulletin Board. For the past 2 years, the bulletin board has been used for COVID-19 information.
TV34 does not have permanent interview facilities that many other stations have. Interviews are produced in the council chambers, with a green screen as the background. Almost all of the content that is produced by TV34 is done at the event location. I have two JVC cameras that I use to cover events. TV34 covers all township-sponsored events, such as parades, holiday ceremonies, dedications to residents who have volunteered in the community, civic forums, and ribbon cuttings. TV34 also maintains relationships many local non-profits in town. Sometimes I cover their events, and other times they produce their own programming which gets sent to TV34 to air. In 2020, in an effort to keep programming fresh on TV34, almost all of the yearly events, were replaced by video presentations, which involved me taking past photographs and putting them together in a sequence that mimicked a live video. In 2021 a lot of the in person events resumed and I hope to do more live streaming of township events going forward, for those that cannot make it out.
OBS can be found here : https://obsproject.com/ All original TV34 programming can be found here : http://www.youtube.com/MontclairTV34 .
Posted: February 15, 2022 by bduthaler
JAG AWARDS: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD; ENTER THE JAG AWARDS
by George Fairfield, Chair
JAG AWARDS IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!
JAG AWARDS CLOSE FEBRUARY 28
Winning an award is exciting news. It feels good to be acknowledged for the hard work you and your team has done. Even more important is the fact that winning an award can be used as a great marketing tool. You can announce it to your administration; send a press release to your local media outlets; include it on your website and social media; include it in a newsletter. It can also lead to greater involvement from your viewers.
Over a year ago the JAG Awards Committee set a goal to find more ways to honor the exceptional work produced by the JAG Members in local & regional Public Education Government (PEG) cablecast programming which ultimately would lead to more stations and more creators recognized for their great work. In accomplishing this task, the committee created a restructuring plan which would be rolled out over two award’s seasons.
Phase one, which was implemented last year, saw the creation of awarding 3 trophy winners for each category: Award of Recognition, Award of Distinction, and Award of Excellence. These were all announced during the awards ceremony held during last year’s virtual Eastern Video Expo.
This year will see phase two of the JAG Awards restructuring which adds the awarding of an Award of Excellence for the top Independent Producer member’s entry and Non-profit member’s entry. Additionally, each entry submitted will receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Certificate based on the judges scores.
This restructuring allows JAG the ability to award over 40 trophies. Every entry will receive a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Certificate thus accomplishing the committee’s goal to recognized more stations and more creators for their hard work and dedication.
As stated above, winning an award is a great feeling — you and your team are recognized.
More importantly, any award can serve as a great marketing tool which ultimately proves your value. And in these uncertain and turbulent times, don’t we all need as much help as we possibly can get?
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD; ENTER THE JAG AWARDS
Posted: February 15, 2022 by bduthaler
JAG Joins the Alliance for Community Media
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
Members of JAG, I am pleased to announce officially that we have become an Organizational Member of the ACM – the Alliance for Community Media. The ACM’s mission is closely related to that of our own organization. They advocate, promote and preserve the rights of communities to have access to media training, production, distribution, civic engagement and education in support of diverse community voices. This is achieved through Public, Educational and Government Access channels and other forms of media.
One of their mottos, that can be found on their website — www.allcommunitymedia.org — explains quite clearly where their passion lies in the PEG world “In order for democracy to flourish, people must be active participants in their government, educated to think critically and free to express themselves.”
“I want to welcome the Jersey Access Group as a member of the Alliance for Community Media. If you don’t know ACM, we are a member association that’s devoted to the health and success of community television operations across the US – including all forms of Public Educational and Government Access channels.
What does this connection mean for JAG? It certainly strengthens the networking connections and information resources available to the group – ACM member organizations include non-profits, local governments of all sizes, and schools and colleges in 44 states. And we are seeking to expand that network as we reach out to more and more of the 1700 or so organizations that run PEG channels in all 50 states.
And it means stronger representation of your operations as we do work in Congress and the courts. For example, ACM holds monthly briefings about public policy developments that affect community channels that will inform your work. And we are currently doing Congressional outreach work in partnership with JAG to help pass the Protecting Community Television Act (HR 6219/ S 3361).
If you want more information about the educational and training we do, or want to know more about ACM, go to www.allcommunitymedia.org
I look forward to working with JAG more closely in the coming year!
Mike Wassenaar,
Alliance for Community Media
mwassenaar@allcommunitymedia.org
The ACM represents over 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access organizations and community media center throughout the country. The ACM works to protect the interests of these access centers and those who use PEG facilities and equipment to advance their causes through cable television and the Internet. The Alliance for Community Media has been around for a long time – they were founded in 1976. I would like to welcome them as well into the JAG Family. We will be working closely together for the benefit of the PEG stations throughout New Jersey.