*Note: I originally wrote this article a few years back, but thought it was worth revisiting and sharing (Social Media Pun Intended). I have made a few updates along the way as well.
There is a feature on most smartphones that lets you know how much time you are spending viewing a particular app, or category of apps (i.e.: social media). On the iPhone it’s called “Screentime”. I would like to direct your attention to Social Media. Social Networking is a big part of our lives. There are many different platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and others. Most people can’t get through our day without checking social media at least once, although I’m betting it’s a lot more for most. We are hungry to learn about what our “Friends” are doing and eager to share our notable accomplishments or get lost in the rabbit hole of endless videos or reels.
Social media can be a great tool for networking. When you share something on social media, tag people you know or get them to “like it”, there is a ripple effect that takes place. It reminds me of the 1981 Faberge Organics Shampoo TV commercial where the lady proudly announces that she told two friends about it, and they told two friends and so on and so on….
Well, that is the same with social media. Your network has the ability to spread information beyond just your group of friends. Because when you get your friends to share something or like it, it opens the message up to a whole new group of people as well.
So why all this talk of social media you may ask? The answer is simple – non-profit groups like JAG need to utilize social media to promote our message and to broaden our outreach. Here are the top five reasons to use social media:
Engage and Connect: Having a good social media presence is essential. It allows us to control the content and get the word out on specific events or causes. JAG currently is doing this with our conference, the Eastern Video Expo. It is a way for people to keep updated on the event and to attract you to the latest announcements.
Drive Traffic: Most conference supporters will only seldom check the conference website for updates, meaning they likely only think about our event periodically. Having them like our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter provides an opportunity to appear on their feeds and give them daily reminders of our event and mission of the organization.
Sharable Content = Greater Exposure: The JAG organization and the Conference Committee is always putting out great “sharable” content on our social media accounts. The more people see what is going on with the Conference or JAG the more likely they are to get behind the organization.
Marketing: In times of tight budgets and limited time to create a marketing plan and execute it, social media can help deliver that message in record time. Social media is how we get dynamic and relevant content out about the conference in a frequent but not overloading way.
PR Reach: Each and every one of you who are using social media to help further the cause of JAG and the Eastern Video Expo, becomes our own PR manager. You help boost our digital presence in the public eye.
A tool that you can use to help out the conference, and which should be part of your PR strategy to help our organization, should include having your friends and partner organizations link back to our site. Backlinking is incredibly important to boost our search engine optimization and demonstrates that we have the wide-ranging support of other organizations as well.
So bottom line, next time you are liking that picture of someone’s food plate from lunch, spend a little time liking Eastern Video Expo posts, sharing them on your public feed and sharing them on the timelines of people you know as well. Do this on a consistent basis and you will help to expand the presence of JAG as an organization and to help support the conference as well. Here is a list of all our Social Media Accounts for the Conference:
Throughout last year RUSHWORKS has focused on significant enhancements in features and functions for its VDESK Integrated PTZ/PTZ Production System. The VDESK Version 7 software development was driven by the need for a ‘powerfully simple’ interface designed for use by a single operator.
Using the PRODUCER interface, you can cover all the proceedings in any environment with just two cameras and unlimited presets. Select a dais background and drag pictures of the participants into their respective places, and just touch any picture to automatically frame and TAKE the shot – with an automated lower-third if you wish.
Comprehensive integration of NDI includes the ability to select any NDI source on the network as a video input and/or two NDI DSK inputs (downstream keyers).
The text creation and editing functions were consolidated into a CG creation tool within the application. A Video Preview window displays in real-time the text and graphics elements you add, with simple arrow keys from positioning text over lower-third graphics. You can even save the composite as a PNG file for selection and display in the File Browser and in Playlists.
We’ve added sequential, automated playback capability for any Playlist, as well as our AUTO-LOOP folder playback ported into VDESK from our A-LIST BROADCAST and A-LIST Streamster automation systems. This provides a fast and easy way to play unattended content for as long as the function is active.
Just drag files or folders into the AUTO-LOOP folder from anywhere with a network connection. Subfolders can be assigned for use by unique groups or departments such as fire, police and city council, and you can select either linear or random playback of the AUTO-LOOP folder content. This functionality lets you use your VDESK as a channel playback device when it’s not involved in a multi-camera production with simultaneous recording and streaming.
VDESK Version 7 has also added Layout Templates for single, dual and wide-screen monitors. With the ability to move, resize and place the application windows anywhere on the desktop and save as many Layouts as you wish, you can customize the way you work while others may create and save their own interface preferences.
Configuring VDESK for Zoom, Teams or other remote meeting solutions is easy, and we’ll be happy to provide you with any information you need to optimize your remote integration.
PTX Model 3 PRO pan/tilt head
RUSHWORKS also completed the final design and manufacturing of its third generation pan/tilt head, the PTX Model 3 PRO. With a payload of 14 pounds, it can handle most any combination of cameras and lenses, including all the models from Blackmagic as well as those from Sony, Canon, Red, Arri and more. At 35 pounds its a solid foundation for your camera investments, with whisper-quiet operation that’s necessary for houses of worship and performance venues. It can be controlled from any device or platform that uses VISCA over IP as the communications protocol.
A-LIST Streamster and Streamster PRO Automation Systems
Finally, we’ve crafted a simple and inexpensive solution that lets you store and schedule content for streaming, with an option to simultaneously output to a cable or TV channel. The A-LIST Streamster is a network appliance that’s about seven inches square, a hardware/software solution that’s the ‘slimmed down’ version of our A-LIST BROADCAST Automation System that’s used by networks, full and low-power TV stations and PEG channels, both domestic and global.
If you’re not streaming at all, or maybe have one camera and a laptop streaming to YouTube, the A-LIST Streamster – or its SDI output configuration, Streamster PRO – this powerful mini-server is your portal not only to your citizens but can also be a global channel visible to anyone, anywhere on computers and portable devices. Utilizing a one-to-many service such as www.restream.io you can output a single stream and have it distributed for view on virtually every device, anywhere in the world. That’s certainly a lot more effective than just a cable channel connection.
You can schedule events by time of day, or just fill blocks of time using the AUTO-LOOP folder, the same function we’ve now introduced into our VDESK Version 7 software. You can also create MultiZone layouts with background music, using both scheduled and filler content as desired.
And if you just have a single camera covering your meetings, connect the output to the Streamster and TAKE it as an AV source manually, or schedule it to pass through as your streaming and cable channel source. If you’re using multiple cameras, just connect the output of your switcher to the Streamster and pass that ‘live’ signal the same way. The Streamster PRO also has an SDI/HDMI output so you can simultaneously stream and send your output to the cable station through a traditional modulator.
When it comes to content distribution, technology is making things easier, less expensive, and far more impactful at every level. There is no reason not to adopt a simple platform and increase your viewership exponentially.
Significantly, the A-LIST Streamster can be a valuable marketing tool for nonprofit groups that are producing monthly content. Here is a screenshot provided by Doug Seidel at PCTV in Piscataway who is exploring how the Streamster could be an asset to JAG’s marketing strategies. You can see how simple and clean the interface is to work with. Just drag content, including clips, graphics and lower-thirds from the File Browser into the playlist … or click the AUTO-LOOP button to play continually looping content from folders and sub-folders.
Please join us via remote connection at the JAG meeting on April 27 where we’ll provide an overview of our new features and functions. For an up-close, hands-on experience with our products be sure to attend the Eastern Video Expo Trade Show on May 25th at the Crowne Plaza in Edison, NJ. Register now at www.easternvideoexpo.com
Legal action has begun to take hold all across the country and even here in New Jersey. Communities are beginning to fight back against over-the-top service providers and their franchise fee obligations believed owed to them as required by franchising laws and the New Jersey Cable Television Act, N.J. Rev. Stat. § 48:5A-1.
The information that follows is from Nancy L. Werner, General Counsel for NATOA and explains what is happening and why these actions are taking place.
Justice scales and Gavel
*Litigation is pending in at least a dozen states, brought by local governments arguing that over-the-top (OTT) video service providers like Netflix and Hulu are subject to state video franchising laws. The focus of the litigation is the alleged obligation of these companies to pay to local governments the franchise/video service fee. As discussed below, the obligation generally depends on the definitions of “video service” and “video service provider” in state law. These cases are not arguing that OTT providers are “cable operators” as that term is defined in the Cable Act.
While the cases have been brought by different attorneys in different states, there is significant overlap in the issues raised. The main issues are:
• Whether OTT providers provide “video service” such that they are “video service providers” under state law. There are at least two related sub-issues:
Is their OTT programing generally considered comparable to video programming delivered to viewers by a television broadcast station?
Do OTT services fall within a statutory exception for service provided via the public internet?
• Whether OTT providers “use” the rights of way as contemplated in state videofranchising laws given that they do not own the facilities over which their services are delivered.
• Whether local governments have the authority to sue OTT providers who have not registered as video service providers, or whether that authority is vested with the appropriate state agency, with local authority limited to enforcing payment of fees by registered providers.
In addition to these common legal issues, several cases filed in state courts have faced procedural issues where OTT providers have used a federal law to remove the cases from state court to federal court. Many of the local government plaintiffs have asked the federal courts to remand the case back to state court based on several theories, including the Tax Injunction Act (which says that state, not federal, courts should hear cases impacting state taxes in certain circumstances) and the doctrine of comity, which similarly is aimed at restraining federal courts from entertaining claims for relief that risk disrupting state tax administration. Several local governments have prevailed on this issue.
It does not appear that local governments are raising the issue of compliance with PEG and other state franchising requirements. In several cases, the provision of PEG channels has been raised by defendants in an effort to show state law does not apply to them because they do not own networks and thus cannot provide “capacity” for PEG programming. Other issues OTT providers have raised include whether the local governments’ claims are preempted by the Cable Act or the Internet Tax Freedom Act, and whether they implicate the First Amendment speech rights of the OTT providers by imposing fees and other “prior restraints” on their speech (i.e., their programming).*
We have all speculated for some time that this was something that should be occurring, but it has now become reality as a Class Action Complaint here in New Jersey.
*New Jersey: Borough of Longport along with the Township of Irvington, et al. v. Netflix and Hulu, et al.: Complaint filed in federal court on August 13, 2021. Defendants’ motion to dismiss is pending as of March 2022. Note that New Jersey law tracks more closely with the Cable Act than other state franchising laws, but it defines “cable television service” to include “video programming, without regard to the technology used to deliver such video programming, including Internet protocol technology,” which is not included in the federal definition of “cable service.”*
What is happening right now represents an important issue for all municipalities. Should these townships prevail, it could potentially mean more income via franchise fees and therefore more support for our municipal members. Whether they win the case or not, it certainly is worth watching the developments and strategies put forth by both the plaintiffs and the OTT providers here in New Jersey and around the country.
Part of JAG’s ongoing effort is to educate stations on strategies which can help them operate a better station. We have been focusing on those efforts through our online Managers Roundtable Discussions and during our monthly meetings with our discussion topics. These are specifically designed for members to learn from other members, take away some of their success stories and incorporate them into their own station operations. This collaborative effort is the driving force behind JAG and one of the main reasons why this organization was founded.
Are You Scheduled For A Change?
In our last Manager’s Roundtable discussion, we explored programming your station. How to incorporate regularly scheduled programs, one-offs, meetings, outside content and more. I will recap some of the discussion here. I urge you to visit the Members Only section of the JAG Website (https://jagonline.org/recorded-webinars/) where you can go back and re-watch these sessions or see them for the first time. A great member benefit!
Meeting coverage seems to be at the heart of stations that participated in the conversation. One of the things that most of them noticed was the change in the way we covered these during the pandemic and how we are covering them now. You have heard me say this numerous time… these last couple of years have been “The Year of Live”. What exactly do I mean by that? Simply stated, we found ways to go live with our meeting coverage. Perhaps it was live coverage of a meeting in a council chamber with members spread out over six feet apart with no public in attendance. Others went live with Zoom meeting directly to air. Some even shared how they incorporated a hybrid method. However it was done, it was done live. So herein lies our first challenge, scheduling live meetings. I know from my experience, we recorded meetings in the past and then aired them at a later day and time. All that had to change, interrupting our tried-and-true schedule for over 15 years!
Scheduling live programs (meetings, sports, or events) comes with its own challenges. Everything from getting a signal back to the station broadcast server, equipment involved, and the time dedicated to kicking off a live program, keeping an eye on it during and then helping program off-air. I am not going to address the technical operation of covering a live event in this article, as this was not part of our programming discussion. We can save that for a future event. I would like to focus on scheduling a live event, time constraints and pre-empting programs. When scheduling a live program, how much time do you allot? What if it goes over and interferes with other shows already scheduled? Do I not schedule anything beyond the live event? These are the challenges of live programming, but there are solutions. First, you can use history as a guide for setting up a live programming time block. This will allow you to estimate the programming time that needs to be allotted to cover this event. Sounds easy enough, but this is live TV. What do you do when you have programs scheduled beyond the time slot you scheduled for your live program, but there appears to be no end in sight? Good thing our broadcast server partners have already thought of this as well. There are features on most servers that allow you to lock in your live event and let it pre-empt regularly scheduled programs. There are ways to do squeeze backs with messages letting views know that the next scheduled program will be delayed. There are solutions for live programming and work arounds during programming interruptions.
It’s not all about live programs. The key to creating a “must tune in” schedule is to offer your audience programs they are interested in watching, providing them new content on a regular basis and as much original content as possible. I am going to work backwards on this. Obviously, creating original content is key. As many of your township’s events and original programming you can air the better. The key is to now find a time slot in your schedule in which people can tune in and know that they are going to watch a local program. If you can create a series from a local show (i.e.: Mayor’s Talk Show, Health Department Show, etc.) , then there is another regular time slot for shows. But there is a limit to how much you can do. This is where your JAG membership pays off. There are so many stations and independent producers who are part of JAG that have shared their programs on the JAG Connect Server. I urge you to go through the content, locate a series and make it part of your schedule…just like that you have filled in another time slot. Take advantage of exercise shows, cooking shows, children’s programming and so much more. You will find that these shows can fill in slots in your schedule in which you were just airing bulletin boards. By creating a regular programming schedule, you invite your audience to come back time and time again.
Not Your Dad’s Bulletin Boards
During our last General Membership Meeting we discussed stepping up your bulletin boards. This discussion was not recorded, as we never did that in the past, but it does bring about the thought of doing this in the future. Let me know if this is something you would like to see happen. But I digress. I am sure many of you remember the early days of bulletin boards. Perhaps you were using a character generator, early version of Scala or even creating graphics with clip art and text inside of PowerPoint (dramatic pause) … wait, some of you are still doing this? Now is as good a time as any to re-examine your bulletin board operation. I am going to go through a few things to keep in mind and some resources as well.
There are a lot of template designs available out there, take advantage of them. Most can be adjusted to allow for color changes, logo insertion and more. Try locating these templates and utilize them for a different look and feel. Most bulletin board vendors have these available with their system. Font selection and sizing is another important thing to keep in mind. You need to realize that these graphics you create are being seen on various sized screens, from cell phones to large flat screen televisions. Too much text and too small of a font will make it difficult for viewers to read your message. You need to also keep in mind font color choices. Since a lot of our stations still broadcast in SD from an analog feed, certain colors like red and bright white can cause bleeding or unwanted “noise” during your broadcast. Some of this may be trial and error.
There is nothing worse than a bulletin board system without audio. Nothing will make someone change the channel faster than when there is no audio. There are several ways to add music to your bulletin board system, from royalty free music sources, cable company music feeds or music streams. Find a source that works for you, that you feel comfortable about using, and that residents in your service area will find appealing. Look to your bulletin board vendor for the best ways to introduce music to your system for playout during bulletin board playout.
Why not work on creating zones in your bulletin board playout. This type of layout is now common and the preferred way to design your bulletin boards. Think of the different types of sources you can now put in those zones. Larger zones are ideal for your announcements. Perhaps you add some side-bar weather graphic next. Why not create a lower zone area in which you can have your logo, and a time and date stamp along with a news feed. If you search RSS feeds in your area, you may find some good sources to use. Why not speak to your local newspaper or online news source for their RSS feed was well? With a little research, a phone call, or an email, you may find sources to use as a news ticker feed.
Finally, I will leave you with a few other things we discussed. Think of adding full screen weather graphics with motion. How about some PSAs? There are so many, along with specific campaigns available through the Ad-Council. Create an account for your station and start downloading lots of free PSA videos to run. Add in your own station promos as well. All these items help to break up the bulletin board and enhance its look and feel. You can approach this with a complete overhaul of your bulletin board or slowly add in different updates. The choice is yours. For those who really want to take their bulletin boards to the next level, think of exploring paid services that can give you extra content for your bulletin boards. Items like trivia, top 10 lists, stock updates, additional news feeds and much more. Making changes to your bulletin boards or creating a consistent programming schedule are just a couple of the things you can do to enhance your station. If you start to incorporate these changes, and promote them across other media sources and social media, you will attract new viewers and help to keep the ones you have engaged and coming back. I urge you to visit the Members Only section of the JAG Website (https://jagonline.org/recorded-webinars/ ) where you can view any of the Managers Round Table discussions we have held that are designed to help you better operate your station.
by Geoffrey Belafonte, Conference Committee, Co-chair
OUR TRADE SHOW IS BACK!! YES, LIVE, IN-PERSON, TURN ON THAT LIGHT, HOLD THAT CAMERA, AND SPEAK TO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE. Also back by popular demand is our virtual conference. The workshops will be May 24 & 26 and the trade show will be on May 25 with a banquet that evening at the Crowne Plaza in Edison.
This event never happens without our fantastic sponsors. This year, our Diamond level sponsor is TelVue. Our cocktail party sponsor is Municipal Captioning. Our trade show breakfast sponsor is Cablecast. We also want to give a huge shout out to recognize Varto Technologies, Rushworks, and Planet Networks for their support.
The trade show will feature exhibits from JAG’s Organizational Members including TelVue, Cablecast, Municipal Captioning, Rushworks, and Varto Technologies. Keep checking the website for more joining. This will be the first time you will actually be able to see in person new products from our Organizational Members who are servicing the PEG industry. In addition to the exhibits, there will be dynamic in-depth presentations from select vendors. This should be a great opportunity for station managers and program directors to network and review content that they may not be familiar with.
Once again, our workshops will be informative and entertaining with speakers from many parts of the country. They will take place on May 24 & 26, and will be accessible from EasternVideoExpo.com. The categories range from production techniques to legislative matters all featuring experts in their field. While some of the workshops are still in formation, we are happy to reveal the topics that we expect to cover this year.
Some of the most popular workshops in the past have focused on production techniques and this year is no exception. We are pleased to announce that Mike Kostel, the executive director of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will be joining us to discuss techniques to produce award winning programs. Michael is the winner of five Emmys himself, so he is able to offer some valuable insights into just what makes an entertaining and informative television show.
Covering Washington and the proceedings at the FCC, we will also offer the ever popular “Ask the Lawyers” roundtable to give us insight into everything from trends in franchise renewals to closed captioning requirements. Since the “Ask the Lawyers” workshop has been so successful, we have decided to add an “Ask the Engineers” segment that will cover developments in television technology that affect the way we produce television shows now and in the future. Naturally there will be ample time to ask questions about your particular technical problems.
We are also planning another workshop on social media featuring Cyd Katz (CEO of NewJerseyIsntBoring.com) who spoke at last year’s conference. This time Cyd and her fellow panelists will be discussing ways to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. There will also be a workshop on producing Hybrid meetings that will cover ways to seamlessly integrate Zoom feeds with a live meeting. Finally, there will also be workshops on all levels of production from lighting to editing.
After the trade show, there will be a cocktail party, sponsored by Municipal Captioning, followed by a banquet where we will present the JAG award winners of the Award of Excellence in each category. It’s sure to be a fun filled evening.
Your Conference committee has worked hard to make the Eastern Video Expo this year affordable. The full conference is ONLY $35 for members. That includes all the workshops, admission to the trade show and a box lunch, the cocktail party, and the banquet.
Banquet only – $35 for the rest of the conference.
Once again, we invite our Independent Producers to attend for free.
If you are planning on staying at the Crowne Plaza, make sure to book your room by May 1, 2022 to reserve your discounted price. Look for more information on the Eastern Video Expo website (easternvideoexpo.com ) and watch your email for more information on the panelists and topics for our workshops.
Hello fellow JAG members, my name is Joy Arena and I am a mother of three young men: Christopher, Matthew and Daniel, all in their 30’s now. I had to raise them pretty much on my own since I became a widow when they were very young. I just became a grandmother on October 2nd–a baby girl named Shalyi Eva Arena, Irish name picked by her Mother who is Irish. I grew up with five brothers, finally a girl in the family!
I am a member of Bordentown Yacht Club, and also a delegate to the Delaware River Yachtsmen’s League. My boat is a 2001 Sea Ray 260 SunDancer that I moor at Bordentown Yacht Club. Besides boating, I enjoy hiking in the mountains (not a beach person, prefer the mountains and water activities over laying on the beach), kayaking, Geocaching, snorkeling and discovering new sights to see and explore. My next trip is out to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where I plan to do some hiking, Geocaching, and ATV riding. I also plan to visit some of the breweries and thermal hot springs that the area has to offer.
I’m telling you all this because I am a much better mother, grandmother, and outdoors woman then I am a station manager. You see, I really work as an administrator for the Public Works department. I volunteered to take over the station several years ago because it paid a few extra dollars which came in handy at the time. I got some very rudimentary training from the employee who left the position. Back then all he did was maintain a primitive community bulletin board.
Station control room
Today the PEG channel here at The Township of Hopewell is carried on Comcast channel 95 and Verizon channel 30. I only work on the channel part time– about 110 hours a year. For the PEG channel I still produce the Community bulletin board, but now I use PowerPoint and upload PNG files to a TelVue Infoview system. I also record and broadcast live the Township Committee Meetings. In addition to the live telecast, we televise a recording of the meetings on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 5:30PM. On occasion I also record and broadcast Planning/Zoning Board meetings when there is a hot topic of interest to many residents. Once in a blue moon, when there is a topic of interest to a large number of residents, I will go in the field to record a meeting in a room that will accommodate a large crowd. In that case I record the meeting for broadcast at a later date. We can’t yet stream an event from a remote location. I have also recorded the Christmas tree lighting in town for playback on the channel.
Since I am not a trained TV technician, many of the technical matters that are discussed at JAG meetings are over my head. Unfortunately, I do not know much about how the different equipment we own really works. I am just the end user. I am glad that I have JAG members to answer my technical questions when they arise. I just know how to control the cameras and audio during a meeting and produce the bulletin board, and for our township, that’s enough.
PTZ cameras
We upgraded the system I use to televise the Council meetings back in 2020 with help from JAG’s own Bob Duthaler. We added four Sony PTZ cameras and a small switcher. As you can imagine, this addition really improved the quality of our telecasts.
council dais
During COVID, I did not record any meetings. The Town Committee meetings were held via Zoom and the Municipal Clerk would record them and upload a file to our server. I would then grab that file and transfer it to my TelVue HyperCaster via FileZilla. It was important to our town officials that the residents still be able to see their government at work despite the pandemic. With Covid seemingly on the wane, the town is planning to hold their meetings in person again with people still participating via Zoom. Myself and several other township employees have been working on ways to televise these meeting live. So far, we have been able to get a system to work with the help of a Yamaha audio interface. We have not yet had to televise a live Hybrid meeting, that is coming May 2. We will see how that goes. Wish us luck!
We are a few months into 2022 and we will continue to provide the best for our membership. I, along with your board, feel that communication (the business we are all in) with our membership is key to the success of the organization. With that thought in mind, we are continually updating and developing new ways to communicate effectively with all of our members. This newsletter continues to be a good example of one of those ways. In fact, we are currently working on reformatting this document starting next month. I urge you to print it out monthly (it could become a collector’s item), read through it and mark your calendar with the important dates detailed in the newsletter. In addition, I urge you to share the electronic version with members of your staff, volunteers, and board members, along with members of your government. I believe information found in this newsletter is worth reading and sharing with others as well. There are so many facets of our organization and issues that are touched upon, you would be surprised how many people you know would be interested in reading about them.
JAG’s website is another useful tool. We continually update information monthly, if not more. There you will find videos, meeting information, news, along with a member’s only section in which you will find shared documents and other important information. We understand the importance of a good website and we continue to update the site, making it easy to read and locate information, and to be a source for information for potential members and a tool for current members. Please continue to use our website as a power resource of information…our website is located at www.jagonline.org .
JAG’s monthly membership meetings (the last Wednesday of the month) continue to be a great way to keep up with the organization and its members. Our goal is to not only give our members an update on the organization and committees (which is usually enough for most organizations) but to also provide presentations from vendors, training sessions and vibrant discussions each month. Plus, you can watch all our vendor presentations in the members only section of our website.
JAG’s Annual Conference – the Eastern Video Expo – is a favorite tool for learning, networking and acquiring hands-on technology experience with our tradeshow. Attendees participate in conference sessions geared towards our membership and industry, government sessions for municipal government employees and our extensive trade show for all. Read more about the conference in this and upcoming newsletters, and on the special conference website at www.easternvideoexpo.com. Registration will be opening shortly for this year’s event. Visit the conference website at the end of March for updated information, registration and more! I guarantee that you cannot find a better three day event with an in person trade show, banquet and awards show, two days of virtual training sessions and more! Being a member of JAG also makes you a member of the New Jersey Chapter of NATOA. Since JAG is a chapter of NATOA this provides our members an additional level of support and information. NATOA keeps our membership informed on a national level on things shaping the communications industry, FCC rules and national laws. Plus NATOA provides a great resource of information to members with monthly eNATOA Webinars and a National Conference as well. Look for articles in our newsletters from NATOA Members. You can find out more information about NATOA by visiting their website at www.natoa.org.
“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.
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
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 products
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?
Cablecast Screenweave
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
News & Events
Posted: April 12, 2022 by bduthaler
RUSHWORKS: Three major Product Updates
by Rush Beesley, President, RUSHWORKS
Throughout last year RUSHWORKS has focused on significant enhancements in features and functions for its VDESK Integrated PTZ/PTZ Production System. The VDESK Version 7 software development was driven by the need for a ‘powerfully simple’ interface designed for use by a single operator.
Using the PRODUCER interface, you can cover all the proceedings in any environment with just two cameras and unlimited presets. Select a dais background and drag pictures of the participants into their respective places, and just touch any picture to automatically frame and TAKE the shot – with an automated lower-third if you wish.
Comprehensive integration of NDI includes the ability to select any NDI source on the network as a video input and/or two NDI DSK inputs (downstream keyers).
The text creation and editing functions were consolidated into a CG creation tool within the application. A Video Preview window displays in real-time the text and graphics elements you add, with simple arrow keys from positioning text over lower-third graphics. You can even save the composite as a PNG file for selection and display in the File Browser and in Playlists.
We’ve added sequential, automated playback capability for any Playlist, as well as our AUTO-LOOP folder playback ported into VDESK from our A-LIST BROADCAST and A-LIST Streamster automation systems. This provides a fast and easy way to play unattended content for as long as the function is active.
Just drag files or folders into the AUTO-LOOP folder from anywhere with a network connection. Subfolders can be assigned for use by unique groups or departments such as fire, police and city council, and you can select either linear or random playback of the AUTO-LOOP folder content. This functionality lets you use your VDESK as a channel playback device when it’s not involved in a multi-camera production with simultaneous recording and streaming.
VDESK Version 7 has also added Layout Templates for single, dual and wide-screen monitors. With the ability to move, resize and place the application windows anywhere on the desktop and save as many Layouts as you wish, you can customize the way you work while others may create and save their own interface preferences.
Configuring VDESK for Zoom, Teams or other remote meeting solutions is easy, and we’ll be happy to provide you with any information you need to optimize your remote integration.
PTX Model 3 PRO pan/tilt head
RUSHWORKS also completed the final design and manufacturing of its third generation pan/tilt head, the PTX Model 3 PRO. With a payload of 14 pounds, it can handle most any combination of cameras and lenses, including all the models from Blackmagic as well as those from Sony, Canon, Red, Arri and more. At 35 pounds its a solid foundation for your camera investments, with whisper-quiet operation that’s necessary for houses of worship and performance venues. It can be controlled from any device or platform that uses VISCA over IP as the communications protocol.
A-LIST Streamster and Streamster PRO Automation Systems
Finally, we’ve crafted a simple and inexpensive solution that lets you store and schedule content for streaming, with an option to simultaneously output to a cable or TV channel. The A-LIST Streamster is a network appliance that’s about seven inches square, a hardware/software solution that’s the ‘slimmed down’ version of our A-LIST BROADCAST Automation System that’s used by networks, full and low-power TV stations and PEG channels, both domestic and global.
If you’re not streaming at all, or maybe have one camera and a laptop streaming to YouTube, the A-LIST Streamster – or its SDI output configuration, Streamster PRO – this powerful mini-server is your portal not only to your citizens but can also be a global channel visible to anyone, anywhere on computers and portable devices. Utilizing a one-to-many service such as www.restream.io you can output a single stream and have it distributed for view on virtually every device, anywhere in the world. That’s certainly a lot more effective than just a cable channel connection.
You can schedule events by time of day, or just fill blocks of time using the AUTO-LOOP folder, the same function we’ve now introduced into our VDESK Version 7 software. You can also create MultiZone layouts with background music, using both scheduled and filler content as desired.
And if you just have a single camera covering your meetings, connect the output to the Streamster and TAKE it as an AV source manually, or schedule it to pass through as your streaming and cable channel source. If you’re using multiple cameras, just connect the output of your switcher to the Streamster and pass that ‘live’ signal the same way. The Streamster PRO also has an SDI/HDMI output so you can simultaneously stream and send your output to the cable station through a traditional modulator.
When it comes to content distribution, technology is making things easier, less expensive, and far more impactful at every level. There is no reason not to adopt a simple platform and increase your viewership exponentially.
Significantly, the A-LIST Streamster can be a valuable marketing tool for nonprofit groups that are producing monthly content. Here is a screenshot provided by Doug Seidel at PCTV in Piscataway who is exploring how the Streamster could be an asset to JAG’s marketing strategies. You can see how simple and clean the interface is to work with. Just drag content, including clips, graphics and lower-thirds from the File Browser into the playlist … or click the AUTO-LOOP button to play continually looping content from folders and sub-folders.
Please join us via remote connection at the JAG meeting on April 27 where we’ll provide an overview of our new features and functions. For an up-close, hands-on experience with our products be sure to attend the Eastern Video Expo Trade Show on May 25th at the Crowne Plaza in Edison, NJ. Register now at www.easternvideoexpo.com
Posted: April 12, 2022 by bduthaler
State Video Franchising Laws and the Legal Actions Taking Place in New Jersey
by Nancy Werner, General Counsel for NATOA
Legal action has begun to take hold all across the country and even here in New Jersey. Communities are beginning to fight back against over-the-top service providers and their franchise fee obligations believed owed to them as required by franchising laws and the New Jersey Cable Television Act, N.J. Rev. Stat. § 48:5A-1.
The information that follows is from Nancy L. Werner, General Counsel for NATOA and explains what is happening and why these actions are taking place.
*Litigation is pending in at least a dozen states, brought by local governments arguing that over-the-top (OTT) video service providers like Netflix and Hulu are subject to state video franchising laws. The focus of the litigation is the alleged obligation of these companies to pay to local governments the franchise/video service fee. As discussed below, the obligation generally depends on the definitions of “video service” and “video service provider” in state law. These cases are not arguing that OTT providers are “cable operators” as that term is defined in the Cable Act.
While the cases have been brought by different attorneys in different states, there is significant overlap in the issues raised. The main issues are:
• Whether OTT providers provide “video service” such that they are “video service providers” under state law. There are at least two related sub-issues:
• Whether OTT providers “use” the rights of way as contemplated in state video franchising laws given that they do not own the facilities over which their services are delivered.
• Whether local governments have the authority to sue OTT providers who have not registered as video service providers, or whether that authority is vested with the appropriate state agency, with local authority limited to enforcing payment of fees by registered providers.
In addition to these common legal issues, several cases filed in state courts have faced procedural issues where OTT providers have used a federal law to remove the cases from state court to federal court. Many of the local government plaintiffs have asked the federal courts to remand the case back to state court based on several theories, including the Tax Injunction Act (which says that state, not federal, courts should hear cases impacting state taxes in certain circumstances) and the doctrine of comity, which similarly is aimed at restraining federal courts from entertaining claims for relief that risk disrupting state tax administration. Several local governments have prevailed on this issue.
It does not appear that local governments are raising the issue of compliance with PEG and other state franchising requirements. In several cases, the provision of PEG channels has been raised by defendants in an effort to show state law does not apply to them because they do not own networks and thus cannot provide “capacity” for PEG programming. Other issues OTT providers have raised include whether the local governments’ claims are preempted by the Cable Act or the Internet Tax Freedom Act, and whether they implicate the First Amendment speech rights of the OTT providers by imposing fees and other “prior restraints” on their speech (i.e., their programming).*
We have all speculated for some time that this was something that should be occurring, but it has now become reality as a Class Action Complaint here in New Jersey.
*New Jersey: Borough of Longport along with the Township of Irvington, et al. v. Netflix and Hulu, et al.: Complaint filed in federal court on August 13, 2021. Defendants’ motion to dismiss is pending as of March 2022. Note that New Jersey law tracks more closely with the Cable Act than other state franchising laws, but it defines “cable television service” to include “video programming, without regard to the technology used to deliver such video programming, including Internet protocol technology,” which is not included in the federal definition of “cable service.”*
What is happening right now represents an important issue for all municipalities. Should these townships prevail, it could potentially mean more income via franchise fees and therefore more support for our municipal members. Whether they win the case or not, it certainly is worth watching the developments and strategies put forth by both the plaintiffs and the OTT providers here in New Jersey and around the country.
Posted: April 12, 2022 by bduthaler
Stepping Up Your Station Operations
by Bob Duthaler, Executive Board, Chair
Part of JAG’s ongoing effort is to educate stations on strategies which can help them operate a better station. We have been focusing on those efforts through our online Managers Roundtable Discussions and during our monthly meetings with our discussion topics. These are specifically designed for members to learn from other members, take away some of their success stories and incorporate them into their own station operations. This collaborative effort is the driving force behind JAG and one of the main reasons why this organization was founded.
Are You Scheduled For A Change?
In our last Manager’s Roundtable discussion, we explored programming your station. How to incorporate regularly scheduled programs, one-offs, meetings, outside content and more. I will recap some of the discussion here. I urge you to visit the Members Only section of the JAG Website (https://jagonline.org/recorded-webinars/) where you can go back and re-watch these sessions or see them for the first time. A great member benefit!
Meeting coverage seems to be at the heart of stations that participated in the conversation. One of the things that most of them noticed was the change in the way we covered these during the pandemic and how we are covering them now. You have heard me say this numerous time… these last couple of years have been “The Year of Live”. What exactly do I mean by that? Simply stated, we found ways to go live with our meeting coverage. Perhaps it was live coverage of a meeting in a council chamber with members spread out over six feet apart with no public in attendance. Others went live with Zoom meeting directly to air. Some even shared how they incorporated a hybrid method. However it was done, it was done live. So herein lies our first challenge, scheduling live meetings. I know from my experience, we recorded meetings in the past and then aired them at a later day and time. All that had to change, interrupting our tried-and-true schedule for over 15 years!
Scheduling live programs (meetings, sports, or events) comes with its own challenges. Everything from getting a signal back to the station broadcast server, equipment involved, and the time dedicated to kicking off a live program, keeping an eye on it during and then helping program off-air. I am not going to address the technical operation of covering a live event in this article, as this was not part of our programming discussion. We can save that for a future event. I would like to focus on scheduling a live event, time constraints and pre-empting programs. When scheduling a live program, how much time do you allot? What if it goes over and interferes with other shows already scheduled? Do I not schedule anything beyond the live event? These are the challenges of live programming, but there are solutions. First, you can use history as a guide for setting up a live programming time block. This will allow you to estimate the programming time that needs to be allotted to cover this event. Sounds easy enough, but this is live TV. What do you do when you have programs scheduled beyond the time slot you scheduled for your live program, but there appears to be no end in sight? Good thing our broadcast server partners have already thought of this as well. There are features on most servers that allow you to lock in your live event and let it pre-empt regularly scheduled programs. There are ways to do squeeze backs with messages letting views know that the next scheduled program will be delayed. There are solutions for live programming and work arounds during programming interruptions.
It’s not all about live programs. The key to creating a “must tune in” schedule is to offer your audience programs they are interested in watching, providing them new content on a regular basis and as much original content as possible. I am going to work backwards on this. Obviously, creating original content is key. As many of your township’s events and original programming you can air the better. The key is to now find a time slot in your schedule in which people can tune in and know that they are going to watch a local program. If you can create a series from a local show (i.e.: Mayor’s Talk Show, Health Department Show, etc.) , then there is another regular time slot for shows. But there is a limit to how much you can do. This is where your JAG membership pays off. There are so many stations and independent producers who are part of JAG that have shared their programs on the JAG Connect Server. I urge you to go through the content, locate a series and make it part of your schedule…just like that you have filled in another time slot. Take advantage of exercise shows, cooking shows, children’s programming and so much more. You will find that these shows can fill in slots in your schedule in which you were just airing bulletin boards. By creating a regular programming schedule, you invite your audience to come back time and time again.
Not Your Dad’s Bulletin Boards
During our last General Membership Meeting we discussed stepping up your bulletin boards. This discussion was not recorded, as we never did that in the past, but it does bring about the thought of doing this in the future. Let me know if this is something you would like to see happen. But I digress. I am sure many of you remember the early days of bulletin boards. Perhaps you were using a character generator, early version of Scala or even creating graphics with clip art and text inside of PowerPoint (dramatic pause) … wait, some of you are still doing this? Now is as good a time as any to re-examine your bulletin board operation. I am going to go through a few things to keep in mind and some resources as well.
There are a lot of template designs available out there, take advantage of them. Most can be adjusted to allow for color changes, logo insertion and more. Try locating these templates and utilize them for a different look and feel. Most bulletin board vendors have these available with their system. Font selection and sizing is another important thing to keep in mind. You need to realize that these graphics you create are being seen on various sized screens, from cell phones to large flat screen televisions. Too much text and too small of a font will make it difficult for viewers to read your message. You need to also keep in mind font color choices. Since a lot of our stations still broadcast in SD from an analog feed, certain colors like red and bright white can cause bleeding or unwanted “noise” during your broadcast. Some of this may be trial and error.
There is nothing worse than a bulletin board system without audio. Nothing will make someone change the channel faster than when there is no audio. There are several ways to add music to your bulletin board system, from royalty free music sources, cable company music feeds or music streams. Find a source that works for you, that you feel comfortable about using, and that residents in your service area will find appealing. Look to your bulletin board vendor for the best ways to introduce music to your system for playout during bulletin board playout.
Why not work on creating zones in your bulletin board playout. This type of layout is now common and the preferred way to design your bulletin boards. Think of the different types of sources you can now put in those zones. Larger zones are ideal for your announcements. Perhaps you add some side-bar weather graphic next. Why not create a lower zone area in which you can have your logo, and a time and date stamp along with a news feed. If you search RSS feeds in your area, you may find some good sources to use. Why not speak to your local newspaper or online news source for their RSS feed was well? With a little research, a phone call, or an email, you may find sources to use as a news ticker feed.
Finally, I will leave you with a few other things we discussed. Think of adding full screen weather graphics with motion. How about some PSAs? There are so many, along with specific campaigns available through the Ad-Council. Create an account for your station and start downloading lots of free PSA videos to run. Add in your own station promos as well. All these items help to break up the bulletin board and enhance its look and feel. You can approach this with a complete overhaul of your bulletin board or slowly add in different updates. The choice is yours. For those who really want to take their bulletin boards to the next level, think of exploring paid services that can give you extra content for your bulletin boards. Items like trivia, top 10 lists, stock updates, additional news feeds and much more. Making changes to your bulletin boards or creating a consistent programming schedule are just a couple of the things you can do to enhance your station. If you start to incorporate these changes, and promote them across other media sources and social media, you will attract new viewers and help to keep the ones you have engaged and coming back. I urge you to visit the Members Only section of the JAG Website (https://jagonline.org/recorded-webinars/ ) where you can view any of the Managers Round Table discussions we have held that are designed to help you better operate your station.
Posted: April 12, 2022 by bduthaler
The 2022 Eastern Video Expo
by Geoffrey Belafonte, Conference Committee, Co-chair
OUR TRADE SHOW IS BACK!! YES, LIVE, IN-PERSON, TURN ON THAT LIGHT, HOLD THAT CAMERA, AND SPEAK TO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE. Also back by popular demand is our virtual conference. The workshops will be May 24 & 26 and the trade show will be on May 25 with a banquet that evening at the Crowne Plaza in Edison.
This event never happens without our fantastic sponsors. This year, our Diamond level sponsor is TelVue. Our cocktail party sponsor is Municipal Captioning. Our trade show breakfast sponsor is Cablecast. We also want to give a huge shout out to recognize Varto Technologies, Rushworks, and Planet Networks for their support.
The trade show will feature exhibits from JAG’s Organizational Members including TelVue, Cablecast, Municipal Captioning, Rushworks, and Varto Technologies. Keep checking the website for more joining. This will be the first time you will actually be able to see in person new products from our Organizational Members who are servicing the PEG industry. In addition to the exhibits, there will be dynamic in-depth presentations from select vendors. This should be a great opportunity for station managers and program directors to network and review content that they may not be familiar with.
Once again, our workshops will be informative and entertaining with speakers from many parts of the country. They will take place on May 24 & 26, and will be accessible from EasternVideoExpo.com. The categories range from production techniques to legislative matters all featuring experts in their field. While some of the workshops are still in formation, we are happy to reveal the topics that we expect to cover this year.
Some of the most popular workshops in the past have focused on production techniques and this year is no exception. We are pleased to announce that Mike Kostel, the executive director of the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) will be joining us to discuss techniques to produce award winning programs. Michael is the winner of five Emmys himself, so he is able to offer some valuable insights into just what makes an entertaining and informative television show.
Covering Washington and the proceedings at the FCC, we will also offer the ever popular “Ask the Lawyers” roundtable to give us insight into everything from trends in franchise renewals to closed captioning requirements. Since the “Ask the Lawyers” workshop has been so successful, we have decided to add an “Ask the Engineers” segment that will cover developments in television technology that affect the way we produce television shows now and in the future. Naturally there will be ample time to ask questions about your particular technical problems.
We are also planning another workshop on social media featuring Cyd Katz (CEO of NewJerseyIsntBoring.com) who spoke at last year’s conference. This time Cyd and her fellow panelists will be discussing ways to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. There will also be a workshop on producing Hybrid meetings that will cover ways to seamlessly integrate Zoom feeds with a live meeting. Finally, there will also be workshops on all levels of production from lighting to editing.
After the trade show, there will be a cocktail party, sponsored by Municipal Captioning, followed by a banquet where we will present the JAG award winners of the Award of Excellence in each category. It’s sure to be a fun filled evening.
Your Conference committee has worked hard to make the Eastern Video Expo this year affordable. The full conference is ONLY $35 for members. That includes all the workshops, admission to the trade show and a box lunch, the cocktail party, and the banquet.
Other packages include:
The trade show and a box lunch – $15.00
The trade show and no box lunch – $0.00 (no restaurants near the hotel)
Banquet only – $35 for the rest of the conference.
Once again, we invite our Independent Producers to attend for free.
If you are planning on staying at the Crowne Plaza, make sure to book your room by May 1, 2022 to reserve your discounted price. Look for more information on the Eastern Video Expo website (easternvideoexpo.com ) and watch your email for more information on the panelists and topics for our workshops.
Posted: April 11, 2022 by bduthaler
Spotlight: Hopewell – Growing a Station Takes Time
by Joy Arena, Hopewell Township
Hello fellow JAG members, my name is Joy Arena and I am a mother of three young men: Christopher, Matthew and Daniel, all in their 30’s now. I had to raise them pretty much on my own since I became a widow when they were very young. I just became a grandmother on October 2nd–a baby girl named Shalyi Eva Arena, Irish name picked by her Mother who is Irish. I grew up with five brothers, finally a girl in the family!
I am a member of Bordentown Yacht Club, and also a delegate to the Delaware River Yachtsmen’s League. My boat is a 2001 Sea Ray 260 SunDancer that I moor at Bordentown Yacht Club. Besides boating, I enjoy hiking in the mountains (not a beach person, prefer the mountains and water activities over laying on the beach), kayaking, Geocaching, snorkeling and discovering new sights to see and explore. My next trip is out to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where I plan to do some hiking, Geocaching, and ATV riding. I also plan to visit some of the breweries and thermal hot springs that the area has to offer.
I’m telling you all this because I am a much better mother, grandmother, and outdoors woman then I am a station manager. You see, I really work as an administrator for the Public Works department. I volunteered to take over the station several years ago because it paid a few extra dollars which came in handy at the time. I got some very rudimentary training from the employee who left the position. Back then all he did was maintain a primitive community bulletin board.
Today the PEG channel here at The Township of Hopewell is carried on Comcast channel 95 and Verizon channel 30. I only work on the channel part time– about 110 hours a year. For the PEG channel I still produce the Community bulletin board, but now I use PowerPoint and upload PNG files to a TelVue Infoview system. I also record and broadcast live the Township Committee Meetings. In addition to the live telecast, we televise a recording of the meetings on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 5:30PM. On occasion I also record and broadcast Planning/Zoning Board meetings when there is a hot topic of interest to many residents. Once in a blue moon, when there is a topic of interest to a large number of residents, I will go in the field to record a meeting in a room that will accommodate a large crowd. In that case I record the meeting for broadcast at a later date. We can’t yet stream an event from a remote location. I have also recorded the Christmas tree lighting in town for playback on the channel.
Since I am not a trained TV technician, many of the technical matters that are discussed at JAG meetings are over my head. Unfortunately, I do not know much about how the different equipment we own really works. I am just the end user. I am glad that I have JAG members to answer my technical questions when they arise. I just know how to control the cameras and audio during a meeting and produce the bulletin board, and for our township, that’s enough.
We upgraded the system I use to televise the Council meetings back in 2020 with help from JAG’s own Bob Duthaler. We added four Sony PTZ cameras and a small switcher. As you can imagine, this addition really improved the quality of our telecasts.
During COVID, I did not record any meetings. The Town Committee meetings were held via Zoom and the Municipal Clerk would record them and upload a file to our server. I would then grab that file and transfer it to my TelVue HyperCaster via FileZilla. It was important to our town officials that the residents still be able to see their government at work despite the pandemic. With Covid seemingly on the wane, the town is planning to hold their meetings in person again with people still participating via Zoom. Myself and several other township employees have been working on ways to televise these meeting live. So far, we have been able to get a system to work with the help of a Yamaha audio interface. We have not yet had to televise a live Hybrid meeting, that is coming May 2. We will see how that goes. Wish us luck!
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