The JAG Conference Committee has finalizing eight sessions for the Production/Management Symposium on the second day of the conference. Four of these will be panel presentations by industry professional and four will be roundtables that include both JAG members and vendors.
Preview of the Sessions
New Jersey’s Film Industry: A Renaissance in the Garden State. Panelists
Charles Riccardi, Operations & Creative Director, NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission
(Waiting for additional panelists to confirm)
Storytelling. Guest Speaker: George Roy
George Roy is a sports documentary director, producer, and editor. He directed and edited many films for Showtime, Fox, CBS, NBC, A&E, ESPN and WWE. His 22 films for HBO include Mantle, When it was a Game, Curse of the Bambino, Broad Street Bullies, Babe Ruth, Fists of Freedom, Hitler’s Pawn, and City Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal. He won six Emmys and three Peabody Awards. He was a founding partner of Black Canyon Productions and Flagstaff Films. In 2019 Roy founded Jersey Line Films based in Glen Rock, New Jersey
Grants for PEG and Community Stations. Panelists:
George Ruotolo, Chairman/CEO, Ruotolo Associates
Amanda Hicks–Associate, DIBHicks, LLC
Dianna Pell GPC, Dianna Pell Associates
Reed Carlson, Associate, Ruotolo Associates
How to Conduct a Great Interview: Interviewing Skills and Tips. Panelists:
Laura Jones, Television Journalists, Award-winning television host
Barry Farber, American entrepreneur, sales consultant, author, and talk show host
Don Smith, Former On-air Traffic Anchor, Producer/Host, YouTube Channel The Tri State Traffic Show
Preview of the Roundtables
Using College Interns and How to Find Them. Participants:
Abigail Wilson, Production Manager, C-NET, PA
George Fairfield, Station Manager, Piscataway TV
A Legislative Discussion on What Is Currently Happening Nationally at the FCC, and in New Jersey. Participants:
Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO, Alliance for Community Media
Gerry Lederer, Partner, Best, Best & Krieger LLP
Beyond Cable: New Ways to Communicate w/Your Citizens. Participants:
Jesse Lerman President/CEO, TelVue Corporation
Joe Fernandes, Assistant Supervisor, Woodbridge TV
Brandon Uhlig, Station Manager, Metuchen Media
Bob Duthaler, Managing Partner, DNS Media Group
New Programming Ideas and Best Practices. Participants:
Ed Cologna, Station Manager, Newark TV
John Morley, Independent Producer
Aime Alonzo, Station Manager, Old Bridge Television
Exhibit Hall: The current list of participating vendors includes TelVue Corporation, Planet Network, LiveU, Varto Technologies, Vizrt-TriCaster, G&G Technologies, Cologna Productions, Swit Electronics, JVC Cameras, Tightrope, PTZ Optics, Datavideo, Best, Best & Krieger, NJ Motion Picture and TV Commission. For details and updates on these and all the other events visit: https://jagconference.com
Registration open
Discounts are available to all members and their staff.
There are options available from full-conference registration to build-your-own registration package by selecting specific days and meals.
Thanks to the generous support of our conference partners, we offer a FREE Technology Forum that includes all activities except for meals. Meal tickets purchases can be added when registering.
Last month became an active one for us, but now Congress is dealing with other issues and everything else has slowed down a-bit. So, instead of discussing actions being taken in either our federal or state governments, we are turning our attention to New Jersey for a more in-depth discussion and perspective on what is going on with all legislation and broadband deployment in the Garden State, along with technology backed by acts to aid in emergency situations.
Legislative Highlights at the 2025 JAG Conference
On May 14-15, 2025, JAG – The Jersey Access Group with be hosting its annual conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Edison. The conference is aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among community media staff and independent filmmakers, government officials, educators, and manufacturers to support the growth, opportunities, and challenges affecting our state, communities, and within our industry.
On Wednesday, May 14th, we are presenting Real-time Video Updates and Information During Critical Situations. This session can help you to respond faster and make informed tactical decisions. This is critical for police, fire, and OEM situations. A panel of experts will discuss mission-critical elements such as real-time video surveillance, bonded cellular technology, using drones in the field. The panel will discuss:
The National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the American Security Drone Act prohibiting the government from using federal funds to purchase drones made in China or certain other countries.
The effectiveness of the collaboration between Local Government Access TV and the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in disseminating messages to the community. Includes a live equipment demo.
Bob Duthaler, President of JAG moderates this panel that includes:
Alex Joice, VP of Solution Sales Engineering, LiveU
John Centanni, OEM Director of East Hanover
Louis Venezia, Bloomfield Fire Chief
Luis Figueiredo, Detective Elizabeth Police Department
On Thursday, May 15th, we will present a Legislative Roundtable Discussion on what is currently happening nationally at the FCC and here in New Jersey.Topics include:
The latest changes, proposals, and actions happening nationally and at the state level that may have an impact on our stations and municipalities. A panel of experts will discuss issues such as policy changes, regulatory adjustments, and newly introduced bills that might impact our world as we currently know it. Closed captioning and undertakings of the FCC regarding broadband, net neutrality, and spectrum allocation.
The moderator will be David Garb, JAG’s Legislative Committee, Chair. Panelists include:
Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO, Alliance for Community Media
Gerry Lederer, Partner, Best, Best & Krieger LLP
Also on Thursday, May 15th, don’t miss our Legislative Luncheon where Broadband Deployment in New Jersey and The Federal Incentives Funding Them will be discussed. Clearly broadband access is not just necessary but required for so many things: information, education, employment, and entertainment. Now that federal money is being distributed to municipalities to provide broadband service to everyone, JAG members need to understand how this money is used at the local level and what it means for our stations:
There are a variety of programs that are supposed to feed money to New Jersey municipalities—the BEAD Program, Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), Universal Service Fund, H.R.278 – BROADBAND Leadership Act, H.R. 339 – Broadband Resiliency and Flexible Investment Act. We will find out where things stand with them, how it could affect us directly, and how changes in our nation’s capital might affect NJ’s broadband efforts.
Brian Wahler, Mayor of Piscataway moderates this panel that includes:
Robert Boyle, CEO, Planet Networks
Joe Rivera, Manager of Broadband Access, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
Gerry Lederer, Partner, Best, Best & Krieger LLP
Mike Wassenaar, President & CEO, Alliance for Community Media
To attend these sessions and other at this year’s conference please visitjagconference.com/ to register.
NJ Legislative Actions
For 25 years, JAG has always tried to keep a watchful eye on bills both nationally and state wide that might be an issue for our municipalities and PEG channels in New Jersey. But JAG really started to be legislatively aware in 2011 when JAG mobilizes its membership within 24 hours to combat state legislation that would eliminate the requirements for telecom providers to care or support community media.
While the bill was fast tracked through the NJ Assembly it still needed to be introduced into the NJ Senate. JAG membership met with their state senators to explain the damage the bill would have on local community television. JAG was able to get enough no votes in place so that the bill never was presented before the NJ Senate for a vote. This marked a major victory in what continues to be an ongoing effort by telecommunication providers to remove any support for community media in NJ. Other notable actions on JAG’S due diligence included:
2015 – The NJ Board of Public Utilities was readopting, with amendments, the rules for the “Regulations of Cable Television – N.J.A.C.-14:18”. JAG put in objections stating why certain changes would not work.
2015 – White Paper #6 request, U.S. Representatives Greg Walden and Fred Upton wanted information on the “Reasons for the Continued Existence of (PEG) – Public, Education & Government Television Stations”. JAG created a 10 point response and sent to both Representatives, along with Rep. Pallone and Lance.
2016 – At the request of the FCC, JAG responded with input on Multichannel Video Programming Distributers regarding channel line-up placement. The fight to get HD and not being allowed to place PEG content information on programming guides was paramount, since everyone else was able to acquire it.
Though not legislative, but notable, on our 20th anniversary during the pandemic of 2020, PEG became a spark for allowing communications to flow from leadership down to the residents who needed the information the most. Our member stations found new ways to reach their communities. PEG carried virtual town council meetings, the Governor’s entire daily press conferences, and health crisis related updates from their local officials, and other informational programming desperately needed through the ordeal. This gave our municipal members and PEG channels a chance to prove just how valuable they were to citizens.
In our 25th year, JAG continues to represent the interests of municipal and community television channels in both Trenton and Washington. Our efforts on behalf of our members have never been more important.JAG (Jersey Access Group) is an organization that advocates, promotes, and preserves the right to media production, distribution, civic engagement, and education in support of diverse community voices, through Public, Educational and Government access facilities and other forms of media.
In life, some events come along at just the right time. The annual JAG Conference is one of those events! As we gradually recovered from the challenges of COVID-19, we decided to bring back the JAG Conference, and what better way to do so than with a full-packed, one-day event?
The response was overwhelmingly positive, but we heard you loud and clear: you want more. After conducting a survey, we found nearly everyone wanted a multi-day conference with more vendors, more sessions, and a larger, all-around experience. We’re excited to announce that this year’s conference will be more!
Why you can’t miss the 2025 JAG Conference
More than a typical conference. The 2025 JAG Conference is an unparalleled opportunity for professional growth, networking, and making meaningful connections with industry experts and peers. Whether you’re a long-time JAG member or new to our community, this event is your opportunity to do a deep dive into the trends, technologies, and strategies that are shaping the future of local access television.
Save the date
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 14th and Thursday, May 15th at the Crowne Plaza in Edison, NJ. This two-day event will be packed with value, education, and networking opportunities hard to find anywhere else.
Day 1. Technology Forum: The Future of TV & Technology
The first day kicks off with the Technology Forum, including an exhibit hall where you can engage in user groups, vendor demonstrations, and cutting-edge technology sessions. Day 1 is about keeping ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving industry. Day 1 features:
A lunch session on the importance of live video during emergency situations and how local access stations can effectively disseminate critical information to their communities.
We’re bringing back theStudent Symposium. Students from around the state can participate in sessions designed specifically for them along with a guided tour of the Technology Forum. This is an excellent opportunity for future professionals to network and learn firsthand from industry leaders.
Our Day 1 Partner’s Dinner celebratesJAG’s 25th Anniversary. You’ll hear both longstanding and new partners talk about their experiences with JAG and how they continue to contribute to our community. With guest speakers, food, drinks, and door prizes, this evening will be an exciting and informative conference kickoff. Get ready to socialize, learn, and be inspired as we review our achievements and honor those who helped JAG thrive for 25 years.
Day 2: The Production/Management Symposium – The Heart of the Industry
The second day is all about Production and Management, and it will be jam-packed with valuable information. We’re offering:
Information sessions, panels, and roundtable discussions throughout the day. Topics include live streaming, alternate content platforms, legislative updates, and closed captioning. You’ll walk away with actionable insights that can immediately impact your work and organization. The variety of sessions is so extensive that it’s impossible to attend everything. We recommend bringing several colleagues with you so you can divide and conquer the sessions to maximize your learning experience. You’ll have access to specialized content that’s directly relevant to your role and your future success.
Don’t miss ourKeynote Lunch Session on Broadband and Its Importance for Access Television. This session explores how broadband access is transforming local access TV and its broader implications for the future of communication. The session includes a Q&A, allowing you to speak directly with the experts.
One-on-One Vendor Meetings. You said you wanted more time with vendors and we made it happen. On Day 2, our partners and organizational members will be available for one-on-one or small group meetings. This gives you the chance to have more hands-on, in-depth conversations about their products and services and assistance in updating your facility. Schedule a time that works best for you to ensure you get the most value from these interactions.
JAG’s 25th Anniversary Banquet & Awards Ceremony – A Night of Celebration and Networking. On the evening of Day 2, we’ll host the JAG Banquet and Awards Ceremony. The JAG banquet and awards honor members, community leaders, and others who have made significant contributions to the world of local access television. The night kicks off with a networking cocktail hour, followed by dinner and an awards ceremony. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate JAG’s 25th Anniversary and the outstanding work happening in our industry while enjoying the company of like-minded professionals. This is a night to recognize the very best of our community and be inspired to do even more.
Registration is now open. Don’t wait!
The website and registration for this year’s two-day event is officially open! Visit the conference website now at www.jagconference.com to explore all the exciting sessions and events we have in store for you. Be sure to take advantage of the discounted rates for JAG members by using the code JAGmem25.
We also offer special hotel rates at the Crowne Plaza. These rooms will fill up fast, so be sure to act quickly to secure your spot.
We look forward to seeing you at this year’s two-day event! It’s going to be a game-changing conference, full of opportunities for learning, networking, and personal growth. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of something special. Remember, the more people you bring from your organization, the more value you’ll gain from this unparalleled educational and networking experience.
Don’t wait! Register today and be a part of the most important event of the year!
Most of you know that we in West Milford are a very small operation run by an all-volunteer staff. As you might expect, we also have a very small budget. As a result, we truly count every penny. When JAG announced a dues increase this year several of our TV Commission member questioned whether we should continue our membership. I’m happy to report that we have decided to re-up for 2025, and that’s what this article is really all about—the advantages of JAG membership and how we in West Milford have grown to depend on it.
I know that the membership committee and our President, Bob Duthaler have often touted the advantages of JAG membership in this newsletter, so you all my have hear this before, but I think it’s worth discussing again. When considering whether to rejoin JAG, the TV Commission Chairman, Bob Nicholson (a gentleman many of you know) asked me to make a presentation to the commissioners on the benefits of JAG membership. Coincidentally, the mayor had requested a chance to speak to our committee and she was schedule to speak at the same meeting.
This was the first time any West Milford Mayor had requested to speak at one our meetings so it was a big deal. The mayor is aware of JAG and always comes by our booth at the NJ League of Municipalities Conference, but I was surprised that she wanted me to do my presentation before she spoke to the commissioners.
I began by suggesting that our relationship with JAG had changed over the years. Twelve years ago when the township decided to create a municipal channel, JAG was instrumental in helping the committee put together policies and procedures, and an equipment list. Then they gave us the support we needed to get the channel on the air. Now that we have been broadcasting for over 10 years, our relationship with JAG has changed, but it is none-the-less important to the day-to-day operation of the station.
First, I mentioned the cloud-based server that allows us to access programming from other PEG and community access channels across the nation. This allows us to supplement our locally-generated content with programming that appeals to a broad group of citizens from children to seniors. This allows us to take a hyperlocal channel with government programming and turn it into a general interest channel with wide appeal.
In addition, since many of us who work on the channel are retired, our day-to-day experience with television technology has changed. We need the insights that JAG and its organizational members provide to guide us through changes in production technology (that seem to come every month) and what we might consider for our next purchase to make our station look more professional and run more smoothy.
Next, I mentioned all the information we get from our Washington partners (NATOA and ACM) that keeps us aware of changes in legislation that might affect our operation. For example, we keep track of legislation that mandates that we add captions to our public meeting. Perhaps more importantly, JAG helps us monitor the legislative initiatives that might affect the funding we all get from our cable franchisee.
At this point, I was continuing on my laundry list of other benefits (which, incidentally are all available on our website), when the mayor stopped me and said, “Okay, okay, don’t over sell. I’m convinced! Do you want me to pay for the membership?”
Those words represent quite a turnaround from an elected official who normally is looking to cut anywhere she can. It reaffirmed the towns commitment to the station and made us all feel appreciated in a way that had never really been expressed by a mayor before.
The reality was that the mayor didn’t really have to pay for the membership, we just had to allocate an additional $50 from our budget which, I am happy to report, was unanimously approved by the commissioners. I guess the point of this article/parable is that we all need to remember how important JAG is to all of us.
We also need to keep in mind that the organization can only be as good as its members. Get involved, volunteer for committees, make you needs known. The JAG Community is here to help. With hard work and some help from your friends, you too can impress your mayor by giving them programming they can’t live without. Thanks for indulging me in this little soap opera, but if it weren’t for JAG, WM77 would look a lot different and not for the better.
If you don’t know me, I’m John C. Morley, a serial entrepreneur, engineer, video producer, and certified journalist. I’m excited to introduce my new monthly feature: Tech Trends Unplugged
In today’s digital age, connectivity and communication are essential for the vitality of municipalities. Oakland, NJ, is taking significant strides to establish a robust standard for future growth while reducing costs. In this article, I’ll explore how, why, and specific locations where Oakland has unleashed this innovative flexibility. Additionally, I’ll explore the unique advantages that give Oakland the edge to accomplish this ambitious undertaking.
No great ballpark—now referred to as a stadium—has ever come to fruition without countless hours of planning, engineering, and fundraising initiated well in advance. Crucially, these projects also require a dedicated team of individuals who not only grasp the intricacies of the endeavor, but are also committed to delivering the best possible outcome at the lowest achievable cost without compromising on quality.
Like many successful projects, Oakland, NJ’s project journey started early in the late teens to give it a head start that would ultimately benefit the borough. The town’s foresight was spearheaded by Councilman Eric Kulmala, who brought a unique combination of insight and technical expertise. After over a decade of experience in telecommunications and broadcast engineering at Verizon, Kulmala developed a deep understanding of the significance of owning and deploying infrastructure to achieve cost savings.
His early planning and strategic decisions positioned the borough for future growth and economic benefits. Since transitioning to the role of Mayor, Kulmala has worked diligently to ensure that the town’s initial investments continue to yield positive results, fostering an environment conducive to sustainable development and community prosperity. Mayor Kulmala’s leadership has maintained the momentum of those early efforts and introduced innovative initiatives to enhance the success of the Borough of Oakland, NJ.
Mayor Kulmala’s background helped him understand the benefits of installing a fiber infrastructure and how to reduce costs. If your town or borough lacks knowledgeable individuals in this field, don’t let that be a showstopper. Seek experts who can assist you—the cost savings will show a significant ROI within a few years.
About ten years ago, Councilman Kulmala foresaw the potential for future infrastructure improvements when he noticed that the Oakland Recreation Field was digging trenches for new lighting. Recognizing that a significant portion of the investment outlay is in trenching and conduit, they decided to also lay conduit for a future fiber installation, which was later approved by the governing body.
Oakland Borough completed the fiber installation project around the fall of 2024. This initiative stemmed from a recommendation made by Mayor Kulmala in 2022, who urged the council to secure funding to start installing their fiber infrastructure. Recently, they began using the conduits laid years earlier, with plans to connect various municipal buildings, including the Municipal Hall, Library, Department of Public Works (DPW), Police Department, Senior Center, and First Aid Squad.
Even though I have shared why, when, and where Oakland is deploying this cost-effective infrastructure, you may wonder why your town should consider doing the same. First, having fiber connectivity allows for direct network linking of any municipal buildings or resources. This results in significant savings by eliminating the need for separate payments for each building or venue’s internet, phone, and cable utilities.
Additionally, this connectivity facilitates the integration of essential systems directly to many buildings (including within the police station), such as phone services, IP cameras, security systems, and monitoring systems (for pumps, etc). It also enables the installation of broadcast cameras for local access TV stations, which enhances community engagement and improves communications.
Bergen County and many other locations offer programs that allow towns to purchase internet services, helping them cut costs on connectivity. With a simple purchase order (PO), municipalities can secure internet access for essential services, including fire departments, police stations, and other critical operations.
Lastly, I’d like to address how to get started. It’s crucial to stay informed about upcoming construction projects on your town or borough’s property, such as new lighting installations or other initiatives. You can issue a change order to install conduits for fiber, even if you don’t immediately install or activate the fiber. The key is to future-proof your town, enabling growth and potential cost savings when you’re ready.
If you have any further questions about this technology, please don’t hesitate to contact me. As an engineer with expertise in LANs, WANs, and data center implementations, I am currently working on lighting up a business complex to enable fiber access for one of our clients. Fiber is a reliable alternative to cable, which many residents find unsatisfactory, and the potential savings are significant. I encourage you to remain open to this idea. It could be precisely what your town needs to save money.
by Jesse Lerman, President/CEO, TelVue & Denise Rolfe, Director, Community Broadcasting Sales
It’s a new year. TelVue continues to be excited about our long-time partnership with JAG as we integrate the latest technologies to help you save time, expand your audience, increase accessibility, and generate new sources of revenue. Two letters have revolutionized the way we think now about technology: AI (artificial intelligence).
TelVue previously integrated AI into its broadcast products for automatic captioning and translation. Now we’re leveraging AI for meeting summaries and agenda generation to save time on transcript reviews and manual metadata entry. This allows faster meeting prep and streamlined communication. Agendas are displayed as chapters in your video library and are fully searchable along with the captioning—so your viewers can quickly find and watch specific topics of interest across your government meetings.
TelVue’s accurate and affordable SmartCaption automatic captioning service makes live and on-demand programming accessible to hearing impaired and multi-language audiences. Captions improve viewing in noisy environments or with muted audio. SmartCaption and CloudCast help you achieve Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance for your website and apps which is crucial for government compliance. AI is quickly progressing to be able to generate audio description tracks for further accessibility compliance.
Automatic Government Meeting Agenda Generation & Summarization
Social media is vital for community channels, fostering real-time audience engagement and expanded reach (especially among younger audiences) while providing powerful promotional tools beyond traditional TV. Engaging directly with viewers also offers insights to tailor content and increase viral potential. The HyperCaster already automates live programming distribution to platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live, and now we’re adding automatic video files exporting to YouTube playlists. Our InfoVue Community Bulletin Board simplifies integrating social media feeds into your custom screens. For ready-made screens, the Screenfeed Social Apps package supports Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn with moderation options to approve posts before they air.
TelVue Social Media Integration
HyperCaster V8.6 supports motion logos and backgrounds to enhance on-air graphics and branding. Upload motion graphics as bugs (motion logos) or backgrounds for tickers, snipes, clocks, and program guides to draw more attention to your channels through creative, dynamic branding.
NDI is a high-quality, low-latency protocol designed for live production. HyperCaster AIO models now offer NDI output as a new license option to expand output formats along with SDI, Transport Stream, RTMP, and HLS. While the HyperCaster AIO has long supported NDI input for live and recordings, NDI output adds utility for channel monitoring and NDI-centric workflows.
TelVue also launched an affordable, enterprise-grade cloud storage service for secure video archiving. This expands HyperCaster’s integration beyond NAS and Archive.org. Workflow rules allow automatic archive and retrieval of content to the cloud. It includes a browser-based interface for managing users, files, and folders. TelVue Cloud Storage eliminates the complexities of servers, hard drives, RAID, and backups, which results in a reliable, long-term archiving solution for municipalities and organizations preserving historical programming.
New TelVue Cloud Storage Service for Secure Archiving
The TelVue CloudCast Paywall option empowers JAG stations to generate new revenue with flexible subscription and pay-per-view models (ideal for sports programming). Initially launched for websites, we are now extending Paywall to OTT and mobile apps for a seamless, TV-everywhere experience—purchase once, watch anywhere. CloudCast Paywall supports 24×7 live channels, live event-only, and VOD programming. It has nDVR for rewinding within live events, cloud recording, and live-to-VOD.
CloudCast Video Ads enable JAG stations to monetize live and VOD streams with pre-/mid-/post-roll ads, creating new platform revenue opportunities through local business advertising partnerships.
Generate Revenue with Paywall & Video Ads
OTT and streaming have driven the rise of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. TelVue now offers cloud channels for FAST, with advanced automation features that can benefit community media stations too. Tools like program segmentation, bumpers, and trailers help fill schedules to standard durations (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour) with promos and sponsorship spots to create a more consistent viewer experience.
We look forward to seeing you, presenting these latest developments, and getting your valuable feedback for our roadmap at the next JAG meeting, Feb. 26, 2025 at Bloomfield TV!
As we thought, February has become an active month for us and the news from the nation’s Capital is going full speed ahead. And something we were worrying about is being brought up once again in the House of Representatives.
From the ACM:
H.R. 278, “The Broadband Leadership Act” was introduced. This bill specifically puts forward a shot clock for all wireless and telecommunications siting in the United States. It puts forward deemed granted procedures if local governments or state governments don’t respond to requests for wireless or telecommunications siting. It formalizes what is essentially no oversight, or extremely light oversight for local governments to use for telecommunications.
One thing that’s curious about the bill is that it basically wants to eliminate the review process for telecommunications siting on structures. This may be part of a package of other bills that could come forward to committee in the House, similar to what we saw in the last legislative sessions. So we might see something like H.R. 3557 coming forward soon.
From Best, Best & Krieger:
Tillman L. Lay, a partner in the law offices of Best, Best & Krieger, did a quick read of this bill and said the following about it. “It is a son-of-HR 3557, but unlike HR 3557, it is directed only at a rewrite of Section 253. And it’s a killer.”. Here are some parts of the bill that he pulled out:
A new affirmative, anti-discrimination prohibition (as opposed to non-discrimination being a safe harbor under the current 253(c))
Discrimination definition is expanded beyond discrimination among telecom providers or services to reach discrimination against telecom facilities vis-à-vis other facilities
Adds a statutory shot clock and a statutory deemed-granted remedy
Locality’s written decision must be issued on the same day the decision is made
44 (and only the incremental costs attributable to the specific telecom facilities at issue, meaning telecom makes no contribution to the joint & common costs of the ROW)
Defines “eligible support infrastructure” to include any “infrastructure .. that is … capable of supporting or housing [a telecommunications service] facility”
Defines “telecommunications service facility” to include “a facility [designed or used to provide or facilitate the provision of any … telecommunications service] used to provide other [i.e., non-telecom] services.”
Furthermore from Gerry Lederer, Partner, Best, Best & Krieger:
Please click on the link above to read more about this issue.
From NATOA:
On January 28th: the Federal Communications Bar Association’s (FCBA-The Tech Bar) Diversity Committee hosted a panel on “Diversity in the Telecom Sector: Where Do We Go from Here?” Advocates for racial diversity and equity in the telecommunications industry expressed shock and confusion about how to reconcile recent orders with longstanding practice and law.
Clint Odom, Vice President of Strategic Alliances and External Affairs at T-Mobile, emphasized that DEI principles aren’t just modern buzzwords, but were deeply rooted in Constitutional Amendments—including the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments—and reinforced by law. “It’s enshrined in the statute,” Odom emphasized, referring to the Communications Act, “We can’t read it out of existence—it is there. “The Communications Act requires that telecommunications services be made available “so far as possible, to all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.”
Panelists said that The Telecommunications Act of 1996 reaffirmed principles of equity by emphasizing universal access to telecommunications services. And the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 explicitly prohibited digital discrimination—based on income, race, ethnicity, or geography—in the rollout of broadband infrastructure.
“The source of local franchising authority arises from a number of sources including, but not limited to, state law, state constitutions, municipal charters, and state common law, including state statutory and common law recognition of local authority to manage the public rights-of-way. Local franchising is a sovereign power that resides in the states and is not derived from federal law, including the Communications Act.”
This article is in the current edition of Municipal Lawyer, the JOURNAL of LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA).
Mike also reminded us about the following:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES: A Small Entity Compliance Guide:
On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register1 published the Department of Justice’s (Department) final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule has specific requirements about how to make sure that web content and mobile applications (apps) are accessible to people with disabilities.
JAG (Jersey Access Group) is an organization that advocates, promotes, and preserves the right to media production, distribution, civic engagement, and education in support of diverse community voices, through Public, Educational and Government access facilities and other forms of media.
The Jersey Access Group (JAG) is celebrating a significant milestone in 2025 – its 25th anniversary. For two and a half decades, JAG has served as a vital organization dedicated to advancing community media, local access television, and the vital work of cable access stations across New Jersey. As technology and media consumption continue to evolve, JAG remains a pillar in ensuring that communities stay connected, informed, and empowered through local access television. This year’s anniversary marks not only a time of reflection but also an opportunity to look forward to the future of local media.
To commemorate this remarkable achievement, JAG is hosting its Annual Conference: A Technology Forum and Production/Management Symposium on May 14th and 15th, 2025, at the Crowne Plaza in Edison, NJ. This event is particularly important, as it provides members with an opportunity to gather, learn, and exchange ideas while focusing on the latest developments in media technology. The conference will feature a diverse range of topics, from cutting-edge broadcasting tools to innovative solutions that support the growth of local media.
The Technology Forum on the first day is an invaluable opportunity for attendees to explore the newest tools and equipment available to improve their operations. Whether it’s new broadcasting software, production equipment, or emerging technologies that promise to revolutionize the local media landscape, the showcase offers a firsthand look at the future of technology in the industry. For those who want to stay competitive and keep their stations up to date with industry advancements, this event is essential.
Meanwhile on the second day, the Production/Management Symposium will provide an in-depth focus on the operation of local access TV stations. The symposium’s sessions are tailored to professionals who are responsible for the managing of local access channels, offering practical solutions, case studies, and workshops that cover everything from budgeting to staffing requirements. It’s a perfect opportunity for managers to refine their skills and learn new techniques to better run their stations and improve their service to the community.
Attending this event is also an excellent chance for JAG members to network with industry peers, exchange best practices, and foster partnerships that will drive innovation in local access television. The symposium’s networking opportunities are invaluable, offering a platform to build relationships with vendors, professionals, and thought leaders who share a passion for the future of local media. Collaboration and knowledge-sharing are at the heart of this event, making it a must-attend for anyone involved in community media.
In addition to the professional development opportunities, JAG’s Annual Conference will also provide members with the chance to celebrate the organization’s 25-year legacy. It’s a time to honor the contributions of past and present members and to recognize the hard work that has gone into making JAG a cornerstone of New Jersey’s local media landscape. The anniversary celebrations will include reflections on past achievements, as well as a look toward the future, highlighting the continued importance of JAG in empowering communities through access to media.
For JAG members, attending this conference is a unique opportunity to gain insights that will directly benefit their stations and communities. The conference covers a wide range of topics that are crucial for staying current with the technological advancements impacting the local media space. Whether you are looking to streamline station operations, explore new technologies, or connect with like-minded professionals, this event has something for everyone. To ensure you don’t miss out on this exciting event, visit the official JAG Conference website at www.jagconference.com to learn more and register. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the industry or new to local media, this conference is an essential part of continuing the work of building strong, connected communities through local access television. Don’t miss the chance to be part of JAG’s 25th anniversary celebration and contribute to the future of local media!
by Julie Gallanty, Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance
Supporting young people today, creates a stronger, more vibrant tomorrow At the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance, our mission is simple yet powerful: to strengthen our communities by bringing people together to improve lives and inspire positive change. We lead a coalition of 30 independent YMCAs associations to advocate for the funding, programs, and resources that allow local Ys across the state to thrive. Through our collective efforts, we can amplify our impact, ensuring that communities throughout New Jersey have access to services that foster youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
One of the Alliance’s key priorities is nurturing the potential of young people by providing them with opportunities to grow as engaged citizens and future leaders. Our Youth and Government (YAG) program is a prime example of how we bring this commitment to life through hands-on experiential learning. YAG is a civic engagement initiative designed to inspire and equip high school and middle school students with the tools they need to understand and participate in the democratic process. Each year, students take on the roles of elected officials, judges, lobbyists, journalists, and more as they come together to debate and pass mock legislation.
The experience cultivates essential skills such as public speaking, critical thinking, and collaboration. Beyond that, it empowers young people to find their voice and recognize their capacity to effect change in their communities. This program is transformative, but access has not always been equitable. That is why I am especially proud to share that the Alliance secured funding in the state budget to expand YAG. Thanks to this support, we can ensure that more students from underserved communities have the opportunity to participate in this enriching experience.
In addition to funding for YAG, we successfully advocated for continued support of our Safety Around Water program, which teaches critical water safety and swimming skills to children and people of all ages. This program addresses a serious public health issue—drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for children. By equipping young people with lifesaving skills, we help protect them and foster confidence both in and out of the water.
Students from across the New Jersey are preparing for this year’s YAG pre-legislation conference: March 23, 2025 at Rider University and the main conference April 25–27, 2025 at the East Brunswick Hilton. We expect up to 425 student participants—each bringing unique perspectives and a shared dedication to public service. The main conference is a culminating event where students put months of preparation into action, presenting their ideas, debating policy, and building lifelong connections.
We are also excited to welcome our new Youth Engagement Director, Jessica Mulkey, who will oversee and strengthen this statewide initiative. Her leadership will be instrumental in expanding the reach of YAG and other civic programs that encourage young people to take an active role in shaping the future of their communities.
At the Y, we believe that when we support young people today, we create a stronger, more vibrant tomorrow. But we cannot do this work alone. We invite members of the Jersey Access Group to join us in raising awareness of the invaluable role local YMCAs play in strengthening communities. Your ability to connect with your audiences through local programming and outreach is a vital tool in amplifying our message and extending our reach.
There are many ways you can support our efforts. By advocating for your local YMCA and our statewide programs, you help secure the partnerships and funding needed to sustain our work. We also encourage you to explore volunteer opportunities at your local Y. Whether serving as a mentor, assisting with programs, or sharing your expertise, your involvement can have a profound impact on the lives of others. Together, we can empower young people to lead with integrity, inspire healthy lifestyles, and foster strong, resilient communities. Thank you for your partnership in this important mission.
For more information about the YMCA or to learn how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.njymca.org, or reach out to your local YMCA. Our new Youth Engagement Director Jessica is also happy to answer any questions about the upcoming YAG pre-legislation conference and main conference (registration for both begins Jan. 20.) She can be reached at jmulkey@njymca.org.
Let’s work together to ensure every young person in New Jersey has the chance to thrive and realize their full potential.
To be honest, this is written with help from Chat GPT 4.0
Friends and colleagues, two years ago a famous producer and director, Luis Santos from Argentina, told me that artificial intelligence (AI) in video production is not going to make video people obsolete, but those that don’t embrace AI, will become obsolete. At first, I fought hard against using AI. I still avoid being lazy and letting AI make all the creative decisions for me. But, similar to how a word processor with dictionary and grammar check made the typewriter a tool of the past, AI is like a smart assistant that doesn’t know all the answers, but can help in many ways.
At Newark TV, our mission is to serve New Jersey’s largest city by providing the community with local news, public service announcements (PSAs), education, and government information. As a PEG station, we operate on a tight budget and every decision we make must count. So, when AI became a viable option for streamlining our operations, we didn’t hesitate to dive in. From creating PSAs to managing budgets and even coming up with new content ideas, AI has been a time-saver. As the station manager, I’ve seen firsthand how tools like ChatGPT and other AI-powered platforms have transformed the way we work. These tools are somewhat affordable, easy to use, and incredibly powerful—helping us produce content faster and more efficiently without sacrificing quality. But while they’re useful, I also know that AI is still evolving, so we always double-check the work to ensure it’s accurate. Here’s a look at how AI is helping Newark TV get things done.
AI for Writing PSAs: Speed, Simplicity, and Impact
One of the main functions of Newark TV is creating PSAs that keep our residents informed about local events, public health, safety, and citywide initiatives. Writing these announcements used to be a long process that involved multiple drafts, reviews, and reworking the message to get it just right. But since we started using AI, particularly ChatGPT, things have moved much faster.
Let’s say we need to write a PSA about a local vaccination clinic or a change in trash pickup schedules. Instead of starting from scratch, we can input some basic info into ChatGPT, and it generates a draft in minutes. Of course, we still review it, tweak the tone, and make sure the message is clear and concise, but the bulk of the work is done. And the best part is we can easily generate different versions of the same message to see which one resonates best with our audience.
We’ve even used AI to help us come up with fresh ideas for PSAs. Sometimes we hit a creative wall, but with ChatGPT, we can throw in a few keywords related to community events or public health and get a variety of angles we can work with. It’s like having a brainstorming partner who’s available 24/7.
Brainstorming Content Ideas: AI Sparks Creativity
One of the trickiest parts of working in local TV is coming up with new content ideas. What will grab the audience’s attention? What are people talking about? At Newark TV, we’re always looking for ways to make our programming fresh and relevant. That’s where AI has also been helpful.
For example, we often need to develop content around local issues like education, community outreach, or city government. Using ChatGPT, we can input general topics (like “Newark schools” or “local arts initiatives”) and get a list of show ideas and story angles in seconds. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking AI for a few ideas, then it gives us prompts that we would never have thought of on our own.
We also use AI for research. Let’s say we’re working on a segment about local housing issues. Instead of spending hours researching, we can ask AI to summarize articles, pull up statistics, and even suggest interview questions based on what’s trending. It doesn’t replace the hard work of real investigative journalism, but it helps speed up the research process and gives us a strong foundation to build on.
Streamlining Budgets: AI Keeps Us on Track
Running a PEG station means managing tight budgets, and every penny counts. AI is making it easier to track expenses and allocate resources efficiently. We’ve been using AI-powered tools for everything from calculating production costs to forecasting upcoming expenses. For instance, AI helps us figure out where we can cut costs without affecting the quality of our content. It looks at things like equipment use and staffing levels then it offers suggestions for improvement. This has been especially useful for ensuring we stay within budget without sacrificing production quality.
AI also helps with scheduling and resource management. We track how long it typically takes to produce different types of shows or PSAs. AI uses that data to recommend more efficient workflows. It’s like having an assistant who always knows the best way to prioritize projects to maximize our time and resources.
Improving Accessibility: AI-Driven Captioning
Another area where AI has been indispensable is accessibility. PEG Stations are committed to making our content accessible to all, including those with hearing impairments. AI-driven captioning tools have been a huge help in ensuring that edited programs are fully captioned. These tools have come a long way, and while they’re not perfect, they’re a significant improvement over manual captioning, which could take hours.
The heart of AI captioning is the software that transcribes and synchronizes the audio with the video. AI-driven captioning tools typically use speech recognition models to transcribe dialogue and sync it with the visual feed in real time or post-production.
Some popular AI captioning software solutions for PEG TV stations include:
• Rev: Rev is an AI-powered transcription service that offers automated captioning and human-edited captions for greater accuracy. The platform supports both live captions and captions for recorded content. It’s ideal for PEG TV stations looking to serve a variety of content types. Rev provides affordable options for smaller stations and allows for quick integration with video production software. • Descript: Descript is a powerful tool that not only offers transcription, but also lets you edit video by editing the transcript. It’s useful for creating captions for pre-recorded content. Descript’s AI-driven platform can also help with real-time captions when integrated with live streaming platforms. • Otter.ai: Otter.ai is known for its speech-to-text capabilities and can provide real-time captions for live broadcasts. This platform is popular for its accuracy and ease of use It allows users to quickly edit transcriptions and captions. It’s a good solution for stations with limited resources that want an affordable, reliable AI-powered captioning option. • Enco: Enco is a highly regarded AI-powered captioning solution designed specifically for broadcast and live TV environments. Enco’s EnCaption system uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to generate real-time captions for live broadcasts. It’s especially popular among PEG stations due to its reliable, real-time captioning capabilities and cost-effective solutions. Enco also integrates seamlessly with broadcast equipment and supports caption embedding for TV signals. Its EnCaption4 system offers cloud-based captioning that enables flexibility and scalability for stations with varying needs. Enco’s solutions are noted for high accuracy. It also offers features like multilingual captioning, which is essential in diverse communities. • StreamText: For live broadcasts, StreamText is a leading solutions that provides real-time captioning. It is widely used by broadcast stations to ensure accessibility for live streaming, including government meetings and public service events. The system integrates with live video feeds and provides accurate captions in real time. • AI-Media: AI-Media provides both real-time captioning for live content and post-production captioning services. It’s designed for broadcast, streaming, and on-demand content. This makes it a solid option for PEG stations with high-volume live programming. AI-Media is particularly useful in local government and educational settings where real-time communication is crucial.
AI for Video Production: Enhancing the Creative Process
In addition to ChatGPT, we’ve also embraced other AI tools that have helped us streamline video production, automate tasks, and enhance our creativity. Here are a few examples:
Descript: Automatic Video Transcription and Editing. Descript is an interesting tool for simplifying video production. It uses AI to transcribe audio into text. This allows us to quickly edit video content by simply editing the transcript. Need to remove an awkward pause or an “um”? Just highlight the word in the transcript and delete it. Descript automatically cuts the corresponding section of video. It also features tools for overdubbing, which means if someone flubbed a line, we can type the corrected text and Descript will synthesize the voice to match the original speaker. This makes post-production much faster, saving us hours of editing time.
Pexels AI for Video Clips and Stock Footage. Sometimes, it’s hard to get the perfect footage for a story. AI tools like Pexels help solve that problem. Pexels’ AI-powered platform offers a vast library of free stock video footage, and the best part is that the AI engine can suggest clips based on the subject or mood we’re going for. If we’re working on a PSA about environmental awareness and need relevant B-roll, Pexels can help us find high-quality video clips that fit seamlessly into our story. Of course this is no substitute for your library of stock footage, but in a pinch, you got a fix.
Magisto: AI Video Editing Software. Magisto is another AI tool that simplifies the video editing process. With its smart editing features, it analyzes the footage we upload and automatically creates polished videos based on our preferred style. Whether we’re working on a community event highlight or a promotional video for an upcoming government meeting, Magisto saves time by trimming and arranging clips according to the style we select. It even adjusts the pacing and includes music to enhance the overall impact. While we still fine-tune the final product, Magisto does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Runway: AI-Powered Visual Effects. When we need to add visual effects to a project, Runway is an incredible tool that simplifies what used to be a labor-intensive process. Runway’s AI tools allow us to apply advanced visual effects, such as background removal or automatic color correction, with a few clicks. This has been particularly useful for interviews or on-location shoots where lighting conditions aren’t ideal. It saves us from having to use complex software like Adobe After Effects for every single edit and allows us to produce high-quality videos quickly.
The Importance of Human Oversight
While AI has been a huge asset, I want to stress that it’s not perfect. Like any technology, AI is still evolving, and sometimes it produces results that need to be tweaked or corrected. For example, while ChatGPT is great for drafting content, it’s not always spot-on with local references or the finer details. That’s why we always review and edit everything generated by AI before it goes live.
At Newark TV, we’ve learned to use AI as a tool to assist with efficiency, but we always apply a human touch when it comes to accuracy and relevance. Our team has decades of experience in local television, and we rely on our judgment to ensure the final product reflects our community’s needs and values.
With new AI tools being developed all the time, we’re always learning and adapting. We regularly test out new platforms to see what works best for us, but we never lose sight of the fact that technology is just a tool. The real value comes from how we use it to enhance the work we do for our community.
Conclusion
As the station manager, I’ve seen how AI has transformed the way we run Newark TV. From writing PSAs and brainstorming new content ideas to managing budgets and improving accessibility, AI is helping us operate more efficiently and serve our community better. But, we also understand that these tools aren’t foolproof.
While AI can help us work smarter, we always ensure that human oversight and local knowledge guide everything we produce. It’s the combination of cutting-edge technology and dedicated people that makes Newark TV thrive—and I’m excited to see how these tools will continue to evolve and enhance our programming in the years to come.
News & Events
Posted: March 24, 2025 by Doug Seidel
JAG’s Annual Conference 2025: Sessions & Roundtables
by Rich Desimone, Conference Coordinator
The JAG Conference Committee has finalizing eight sessions for the Production/Management Symposium on the second day of the conference. Four of these will be panel presentations by industry professional and four will be roundtables that include both JAG members and vendors.
Preview of the Sessions
New Jersey’s Film Industry: A Renaissance in the Garden State. Panelists
Storytelling. Guest Speaker: George Roy
Grants for PEG and Community Stations. Panelists:
How to Conduct a Great Interview: Interviewing Skills and Tips. Panelists:
Preview of the Roundtables
Using College Interns and How to Find Them. Participants:
A Legislative Discussion on What Is Currently Happening Nationally at the FCC, and in New Jersey. Participants:
Beyond Cable: New Ways to Communicate w/Your Citizens. Participants:
New Programming Ideas and Best Practices. Participants:
Exhibit Hall: The current list of participating vendors includes TelVue Corporation, Planet Network, LiveU, Varto Technologies, Vizrt-TriCaster, G&G Technologies, Cologna Productions, Swit Electronics, JVC Cameras, Tightrope, PTZ Optics, Datavideo, Best, Best & Krieger, NJ Motion Picture and TV Commission. For details and updates on these and all the other events visit: https://jagconference.com
Registration open
Conference schedule
Scholarships available for members
Call for vendors
Hotel Reservations
Live Link: https://tinyurl.com/4u7t3ams
Posted: March 24, 2025 by Doug Seidel
Legislative Update March 2025: News from Trenton & Washington, DC – Changes in the FCC
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
Last month became an active one for us, but now Congress is dealing with other issues and everything else has slowed down a-bit. So, instead of discussing actions being taken in either our federal or state governments, we are turning our attention to New Jersey for a more in-depth discussion and perspective on what is going on with all legislation and broadband deployment in the Garden State, along with technology backed by acts to aid in emergency situations.
Legislative Highlights at the 2025 JAG Conference
On May 14-15, 2025, JAG – The Jersey Access Group with be hosting its annual conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Edison. The conference is aimed at fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among community media staff and independent filmmakers, government officials, educators, and manufacturers to support the growth, opportunities, and challenges affecting our state, communities, and within our industry.
On Wednesday, May 14th, we are presenting Real-time Video Updates and Information During Critical Situations. This session can help you to respond faster and make informed tactical decisions. This is critical for police, fire, and OEM situations. A panel of experts will discuss mission-critical elements such as real-time video surveillance, bonded cellular technology, using drones in the field. The panel will discuss:
On Thursday, May 15th, we will present a Legislative Roundtable Discussion on what is currently happening nationally at the FCC and here in New Jersey.Topics include:
Also on Thursday, May 15th, don’t miss our Legislative Luncheon where Broadband Deployment in New Jersey and The Federal Incentives Funding Them will be discussed. Clearly broadband access is not just necessary but required for so many things: information, education, employment, and entertainment. Now that federal money is being distributed to municipalities to provide broadband service to everyone, JAG members need to understand how this money is used at the local level and what it means for our stations:
To attend these sessions and other at this year’s conference please visitjagconference.com/ to register.
NJ Legislative Actions
For 25 years, JAG has always tried to keep a watchful eye on bills both nationally and state wide that might be an issue for our municipalities and PEG channels in New Jersey. But JAG really started to be legislatively aware in 2011 when JAG mobilizes its membership within 24 hours to combat state legislation that would eliminate the requirements for telecom providers to care or support community media.
While the bill was fast tracked through the NJ Assembly it still needed to be introduced into the NJ Senate. JAG membership met with their state senators to explain the damage the bill would have on local community television. JAG was able to get enough no votes in place so that the bill never was presented before the NJ Senate for a vote. This marked a major victory in what continues to be an ongoing effort by telecommunication providers to remove any support for community media in NJ. Other notable actions on JAG’S due diligence included:
Though not legislative, but notable, on our 20th anniversary during the pandemic of 2020, PEG became a spark for allowing communications to flow from leadership down to the residents who needed the information the most. Our member stations found new ways to reach their communities. PEG carried virtual town council meetings, the Governor’s entire daily press conferences, and health crisis related updates from their local officials, and other informational programming desperately needed through the ordeal. This gave our municipal members and PEG channels a chance to prove just how valuable they were to citizens.
In our 25th year, JAG continues to represent the interests of municipal and community television channels in both Trenton and Washington. Our efforts on behalf of our members have never been more important.JAG (Jersey Access Group) is an organization that advocates, promotes, and preserves the right to media production, distribution, civic engagement, and education in support of diverse community voices, through Public, Educational and Government access facilities and other forms of media.
Posted: February 25, 2025 by Doug Seidel
A JAG Parable
by Geoffrey Belinfante, External Relations, Chair
Most of you know that we in West Milford are a very small operation run by an all-volunteer staff. As you might expect, we also have a very small budget. As a result, we truly count every penny. When JAG announced a dues increase this year several of our TV Commission member questioned whether we should continue our membership. I’m happy to report that we have decided to re-up for 2025, and that’s what this article is really all about—the advantages of JAG membership and how we in West Milford have grown to depend on it.
I know that the membership committee and our President, Bob Duthaler have often touted the advantages of JAG membership in this newsletter, so you all my have hear this before, but I think it’s worth discussing again. When considering whether to rejoin JAG, the TV Commission Chairman, Bob Nicholson (a gentleman many of you know) asked me to make a presentation to the commissioners on the benefits of JAG membership. Coincidentally, the mayor had requested a chance to speak to our committee and she was schedule to speak at the same meeting.
This was the first time any West Milford Mayor had requested to speak at one our meetings so it was a big deal. The mayor is aware of JAG and always comes by our booth at the NJ League of Municipalities Conference, but I was surprised that she wanted me to do my presentation before she spoke to the commissioners.
I began by suggesting that our relationship with JAG had changed over the years. Twelve years ago when the township decided to create a municipal channel, JAG was instrumental in helping the committee put together policies and procedures, and an equipment list. Then they gave us the support we needed to get the channel on the air. Now that we have been broadcasting for over 10 years, our relationship with JAG has changed, but it is none-the-less important to the day-to-day operation of the station.
First, I mentioned the cloud-based server that allows us to access programming from other PEG and community access channels across the nation. This allows us to supplement our locally-generated content with programming that appeals to a broad group of citizens from children to seniors. This allows us to take a hyperlocal channel with government programming and turn it into a general interest channel with wide appeal.
In addition, since many of us who work on the channel are retired, our day-to-day experience with television technology has changed. We need the insights that JAG and its organizational members provide to guide us through changes in production technology (that seem to come every month) and what we might consider for our next purchase to make our station look more professional and run more smoothy.
Next, I mentioned all the information we get from our Washington partners (NATOA and ACM) that keeps us aware of changes in legislation that might affect our operation. For example, we keep track of legislation that mandates that we add captions to our public meeting. Perhaps more importantly, JAG helps us monitor the legislative initiatives that might affect the funding we all get from our cable franchisee.
At this point, I was continuing on my laundry list of other benefits (which, incidentally are all available on our website), when the mayor stopped me and said, “Okay, okay, don’t over sell. I’m convinced! Do you want me to pay for the membership?”
Those words represent quite a turnaround from an elected official who normally is looking to cut anywhere she can. It reaffirmed the towns commitment to the station and made us all feel appreciated in a way that had never really been expressed by a mayor before.
The reality was that the mayor didn’t really have to pay for the membership, we just had to allocate an additional $50 from our budget which, I am happy to report, was unanimously approved by the commissioners. I guess the point of this article/parable is that we all need to remember how important JAG is to all of us.
We also need to keep in mind that the organization can only be as good as its members. Get involved, volunteer for committees, make you needs known. The JAG Community is here to help. With hard work and some help from your friends, you too can impress your mayor by giving them programming they can’t live without. Thanks for indulging me in this little soap opera, but if it weren’t for JAG, WM77 would look a lot different and not for the better.
Posted: February 25, 2025 by Doug Seidel
Oakland, NJ: Leading the Way in Fiber Infrastructure
by John Morley, Independent Producer
If you don’t know me, I’m John C. Morley, a serial entrepreneur, engineer, video producer, and certified journalist. I’m excited to introduce my new monthly feature: Tech Trends Unplugged
In today’s digital age, connectivity and communication are essential for the vitality of municipalities. Oakland, NJ, is taking significant strides to establish a robust standard for future growth while reducing costs. In this article, I’ll explore how, why, and specific locations where Oakland has unleashed this innovative flexibility. Additionally, I’ll explore the unique advantages that give Oakland the edge to accomplish this ambitious undertaking.
No great ballpark—now referred to as a stadium—has ever come to fruition without countless hours of planning, engineering, and fundraising initiated well in advance. Crucially, these projects also require a dedicated team of individuals who not only grasp the intricacies of the endeavor, but are also committed to delivering the best possible outcome at the lowest achievable cost without compromising on quality.
Like many successful projects, Oakland, NJ’s project journey started early in the late teens to give it a head start that would ultimately benefit the borough. The town’s foresight was spearheaded by Councilman Eric Kulmala, who brought a unique combination of insight and technical expertise. After over a decade of experience in telecommunications and broadcast engineering at Verizon, Kulmala developed a deep understanding of the significance of owning and deploying infrastructure to achieve cost savings.
His early planning and strategic decisions positioned the borough for future growth and economic benefits. Since transitioning to the role of Mayor, Kulmala has worked diligently to ensure that the town’s initial investments continue to yield positive results, fostering an environment conducive to sustainable development and community prosperity. Mayor Kulmala’s leadership has maintained the momentum of those early efforts and introduced innovative initiatives to enhance the success of the Borough of Oakland, NJ.
Mayor Kulmala’s background helped him understand the benefits of installing a fiber infrastructure and how to reduce costs. If your town or borough lacks knowledgeable individuals in this field, don’t let that be a showstopper. Seek experts who can assist you—the cost savings will show a significant ROI within a few years.
About ten years ago, Councilman Kulmala foresaw the potential for future infrastructure improvements when he noticed that the Oakland Recreation Field was digging trenches for new lighting. Recognizing that a significant portion of the investment outlay is in trenching and conduit, they decided to also lay conduit for a future fiber installation, which was later approved by the governing body.
Oakland Borough completed the fiber installation project around the fall of 2024. This initiative stemmed from a recommendation made by Mayor Kulmala in 2022, who urged the council to secure funding to start installing their fiber infrastructure. Recently, they began using the conduits laid years earlier, with plans to connect various municipal buildings, including the Municipal Hall, Library, Department of Public Works (DPW), Police Department, Senior Center, and First Aid Squad.
Even though I have shared why, when, and where Oakland is deploying this cost-effective infrastructure, you may wonder why your town should consider doing the same. First, having fiber connectivity allows for direct network linking of any municipal buildings or resources. This results in significant savings by eliminating the need for separate payments for each building or venue’s internet, phone, and cable utilities.
Additionally, this connectivity facilitates the integration of essential systems directly to many buildings (including within the police station), such as phone services, IP cameras, security systems, and monitoring systems (for pumps, etc). It also enables the installation of broadcast cameras for local access TV stations, which enhances community engagement and improves communications.
Bergen County and many other locations offer programs that allow towns to purchase internet services, helping them cut costs on connectivity. With a simple purchase order (PO), municipalities can secure internet access for essential services, including fire departments, police stations, and other critical operations.
Lastly, I’d like to address how to get started. It’s crucial to stay informed about upcoming construction projects on your town or borough’s property, such as new lighting installations or other initiatives. You can issue a change order to install conduits for fiber, even if you don’t immediately install or activate the fiber. The key is to future-proof your town, enabling growth and potential cost savings when you’re ready.
If you have any further questions about this technology, please don’t hesitate to contact me. As an engineer with expertise in LANs, WANs, and data center implementations, I am currently working on lighting up a business complex to enable fiber access for one of our clients. Fiber is a reliable alternative to cable, which many residents find unsatisfactory, and the potential savings are significant. I encourage you to remain open to this idea. It could be precisely what your town needs to save money.
Posted: February 25, 2025 by Doug Seidel
Sharing the TelVue 2025 Vision with JAG
by Jesse Lerman, President/CEO, TelVue & Denise Rolfe, Director, Community Broadcasting Sales
It’s a new year. TelVue continues to be excited about our long-time partnership with JAG as we integrate the latest technologies to help you save time, expand your audience, increase accessibility, and generate new sources of revenue. Two letters have revolutionized the way we think now about technology: AI (artificial intelligence).
TelVue previously integrated AI into its broadcast products for automatic captioning and translation. Now we’re leveraging AI for meeting summaries and agenda generation to save time on transcript reviews and manual metadata entry. This allows faster meeting prep and streamlined communication. Agendas are displayed as chapters in your video library and are fully searchable along with the captioning—so your viewers can quickly find and watch specific topics of interest across your government meetings.
TelVue’s accurate and affordable SmartCaption automatic captioning service makes live and on-demand programming accessible to hearing impaired and multi-language audiences. Captions improve viewing in noisy environments or with muted audio. SmartCaption and CloudCast help you achieve Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance for your website and apps which is crucial for government compliance. AI is quickly progressing to be able to generate audio description tracks for further accessibility compliance.
Automatic Government Meeting Agenda Generation & Summarization
Social media is vital for community channels, fostering real-time audience engagement and expanded reach (especially among younger audiences) while providing powerful promotional tools beyond traditional TV. Engaging directly with viewers also offers insights to tailor content and increase viral potential. The HyperCaster already automates live programming distribution to platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live, and now we’re adding automatic video files exporting to YouTube playlists. Our InfoVue Community Bulletin Board simplifies integrating social media feeds into your custom screens. For ready-made screens, the Screenfeed Social Apps package supports Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn with moderation options to approve posts before they air.
TelVue Social Media Integration
HyperCaster V8.6 supports motion logos and backgrounds to enhance on-air graphics and branding. Upload motion graphics as bugs (motion logos) or backgrounds for tickers, snipes, clocks, and program guides to draw more attention to your channels through creative, dynamic branding.
NDI is a high-quality, low-latency protocol designed for live production. HyperCaster AIO models now offer NDI output as a new license option to expand output formats along with SDI, Transport Stream, RTMP, and HLS. While the HyperCaster AIO has long supported NDI input for live and recordings, NDI output adds utility for channel monitoring and NDI-centric workflows.
TelVue also launched an affordable, enterprise-grade cloud storage service for secure video archiving. This expands HyperCaster’s integration beyond NAS and Archive.org. Workflow rules allow automatic archive and retrieval of content to the cloud. It includes a browser-based interface for managing users, files, and folders. TelVue Cloud Storage eliminates the complexities of servers, hard drives, RAID, and backups, which results in a reliable, long-term archiving solution for municipalities and organizations preserving historical programming.
New TelVue Cloud Storage Service for Secure Archiving
The TelVue CloudCast Paywall option empowers JAG stations to generate new revenue with flexible subscription and pay-per-view models (ideal for sports programming). Initially launched for websites, we are now extending Paywall to OTT and mobile apps for a seamless, TV-everywhere experience—purchase once, watch anywhere. CloudCast Paywall supports 24×7 live channels, live event-only, and VOD programming. It has nDVR for rewinding within live events, cloud recording, and live-to-VOD.
CloudCast Video Ads enable JAG stations to monetize live and VOD streams with pre-/mid-/post-roll ads, creating new platform revenue opportunities through local business advertising partnerships.
Generate Revenue with Paywall & Video Ads
OTT and streaming have driven the rise of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. TelVue now offers cloud channels for FAST, with advanced automation features that can benefit community media stations too. Tools like program segmentation, bumpers, and trailers help fill schedules to standard durations (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour) with promos and sponsorship spots to create a more consistent viewer experience.
We look forward to seeing you, presenting these latest developments, and getting your valuable feedback for our roadmap at the next JAG meeting, Feb. 26, 2025 at Bloomfield TV!
Posted: February 25, 2025 by Doug Seidel
Legislative Update February 2025: News from Trenton & Washington, DC – Changes in the FCC
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
As we thought, February has become an active month for us and the news from the nation’s Capital is going full speed ahead. And something we were worrying about is being brought up once again in the House of Representatives.
From the ACM:
H.R. 278, “The Broadband Leadership Act” was introduced. This bill specifically puts forward a shot clock for all wireless and telecommunications siting in the United States. It puts forward deemed granted procedures if local governments or state governments don’t respond to requests for wireless or telecommunications siting. It formalizes what is essentially no oversight, or extremely light oversight for local governments to use for telecommunications.
One thing that’s curious about the bill is that it basically wants to eliminate the review process for telecommunications siting on structures. This may be part of a package of other bills that could come forward to committee in the House, similar to what we saw in the last legislative sessions. So we might see something like H.R. 3557 coming forward soon.
From Best, Best & Krieger:
Tillman L. Lay, a partner in the law offices of Best, Best & Krieger, did a quick read of this bill and said the following about it. “It is a son-of-HR 3557, but unlike HR 3557, it is directed only at a rewrite of Section 253. And it’s a killer.”. Here are some parts of the bill that he pulled out:
Furthermore from Gerry Lederer, Partner, Best, Best & Krieger:
BBK has just issued a legal alert on the threat to local government management of PROW and police powers. It is titled “Call to Action: Impending Threat to Communities’ Property Rights, Revenues and Police Powers Demands Planning and Response from new Telecommunications Legislation and Rules.”
Please click on the link above to read more about this issue.
From NATOA:
On January 28th: the Federal Communications Bar Association’s (FCBA-The Tech Bar) Diversity Committee hosted a panel on “Diversity in the Telecom Sector: Where Do We Go from Here?” Advocates for racial diversity and equity in the telecommunications industry expressed shock and confusion about how to reconcile recent orders with longstanding practice and law.
Clint Odom, Vice President of Strategic Alliances and External Affairs at T-Mobile, emphasized that DEI principles aren’t just modern buzzwords, but were deeply rooted in Constitutional Amendments—including the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments—and reinforced by law. “It’s enshrined in the statute,” Odom emphasized, referring to the Communications Act, “We can’t read it out of existence—it is there. “The Communications Act requires that telecommunications services be made available “so far as possible, to all people of the United States, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.”
Panelists said that The Telecommunications Act of 1996 reaffirmed principles of equity by emphasizing universal access to telecommunications services. And the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 explicitly prohibited digital discrimination—based on income, race, ethnicity, or geography—in the rollout of broadband infrastructure.
Lastly:
Please check out “This is the Way: Equal Access to Broadband through Municipal Franchising” offered by NATOA member Mike Bradley of Bradley-Werner
“The source of local franchising authority arises from a number of sources including, but not limited to, state law, state constitutions, municipal charters, and state common law, including state statutory and common law recognition of local authority to manage the public rights-of-way. Local franchising is a sovereign power that resides in the states and is not derived from federal law, including the Communications Act.”
This article is in the current edition of Municipal Lawyer, the JOURNAL of LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAW of the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA).
Mike also reminded us about the following:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES: A Small Entity Compliance Guide:
On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register1 published the Department of Justice’s (Department) final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule has specific requirements about how to make sure that web content and mobile applications (apps) are accessible to people with disabilities.
You can download it at https://www.ada.gov/resources/small-entity-compliance-guide/
JAG (Jersey Access Group) is an organization that advocates, promotes, and preserves the right to media production, distribution, civic engagement, and education in support of diverse community voices, through Public, Educational and Government access facilities and other forms of media.
Posted: January 29, 2025 by Doug Seidel
Spotlight: YMCA State Alliance – Raising the Next Generation of Leaders: A Message from the CEO of the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance
by Julie Gallanty, Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance
Supporting young people today, creates a stronger, more vibrant tomorrow
At the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance, our mission is simple yet powerful: to strengthen our communities by bringing people together to improve lives and inspire positive change. We lead a coalition of 30 independent YMCAs associations to advocate for the funding, programs, and resources that allow local Ys across the state to thrive. Through our collective efforts, we can amplify our impact, ensuring that communities throughout New Jersey have access to services that foster youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.
One of the Alliance’s key priorities is nurturing the potential of young people by providing them with opportunities to grow as engaged citizens and future leaders. Our Youth and Government (YAG) program is a prime example of how we bring this commitment to life through hands-on experiential learning. YAG is a civic engagement initiative designed to inspire and equip high school and middle school students with the tools they need to understand and participate in the democratic process. Each year, students take on the roles of elected officials, judges, lobbyists, journalists, and more as they come together to debate and pass mock legislation.
The experience cultivates essential skills such as public speaking, critical thinking, and collaboration. Beyond that, it empowers young people to find their voice and recognize their capacity to effect change in their communities. This program is transformative, but access has not always been equitable. That is why I am especially proud to share that the Alliance secured funding in the state budget to expand YAG. Thanks to this support, we can ensure that more students from underserved communities have the opportunity to participate in this enriching experience.
In addition to funding for YAG, we successfully advocated for continued support of our Safety Around Water program, which teaches critical water safety and swimming skills to children and people of all ages. This program addresses a serious public health issue—drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for children. By equipping young people with lifesaving skills, we help protect them and foster confidence both in and out of the water.
Students from across the New Jersey are preparing for this year’s YAG pre-legislation conference: March 23, 2025 at Rider University and the main conference April 25–27, 2025 at the East Brunswick Hilton. We expect up to 425 student participants—each bringing unique perspectives and a shared dedication to public service. The main conference is a culminating event where students put months of preparation into action, presenting their ideas, debating policy, and building lifelong connections.
We are also excited to welcome our new Youth Engagement Director, Jessica Mulkey, who will oversee and strengthen this statewide initiative. Her leadership will be instrumental in expanding the reach of YAG and other civic programs that encourage young people to take an active role in shaping the future of their communities.
At the Y, we believe that when we support young people today, we create a stronger, more vibrant tomorrow. But we cannot do this work alone. We invite members of the Jersey Access Group to join us in raising awareness of the invaluable role local YMCAs play in strengthening communities. Your ability to connect with your audiences through local programming and outreach is a vital tool in amplifying our message and extending our reach.
There are many ways you can support our efforts. By advocating for your local YMCA and our statewide programs, you help secure the partnerships and funding needed to sustain our work. We also encourage you to explore volunteer opportunities at your local Y. Whether serving as a mentor, assisting with programs, or sharing your expertise, your involvement can have a profound impact on the lives of others. Together, we can empower young people to lead with integrity, inspire healthy lifestyles, and foster strong, resilient communities. Thank you for your partnership in this important mission.
For more information about the YMCA or to learn how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.njymca.org, or reach out to your local YMCA. Our new Youth Engagement Director Jessica is also happy to answer any questions about the upcoming YAG pre-legislation conference and main conference (registration for both begins Jan. 20.) She can be reached at jmulkey@njymca.org.
Let’s work together to ensure every young person in New Jersey has the chance to thrive and realize their full potential.
Posted: January 29, 2025 by Doug Seidel
How AI is Helping Newark TV Stay Ahead of the Game: A Station Manager’s Perspective
by Edward Cologna, Station Manager, Newark TV
To be honest, this is written with help from Chat GPT 4.0
Friends and colleagues, two years ago a famous producer and director, Luis Santos from Argentina, told me that artificial intelligence (AI) in video production is not going to make video people obsolete, but those that don’t embrace AI, will become obsolete. At first, I fought hard against using AI. I still avoid being lazy and letting AI make all the creative decisions for me. But, similar to how a word processor with dictionary and grammar check made the typewriter a tool of the past, AI is like a smart assistant that doesn’t know all the answers, but can help in many ways.
At Newark TV, our mission is to serve New Jersey’s largest city by providing the community with local news, public service announcements (PSAs), education, and government information. As a PEG station, we operate on a tight budget and every decision we make must count. So, when AI became a viable option for streamlining our operations, we didn’t hesitate to dive in. From creating PSAs to managing budgets and even coming up with new content ideas, AI has been a time-saver.
As the station manager, I’ve seen firsthand how tools like ChatGPT and other AI-powered platforms have transformed the way we work. These tools are somewhat affordable, easy to use, and incredibly powerful—helping us produce content faster and more efficiently without sacrificing quality. But while they’re useful, I also know that AI is still evolving, so we always double-check the work to ensure it’s accurate. Here’s a look at how AI is helping Newark TV get things done.
AI for Writing PSAs: Speed, Simplicity, and Impact
One of the main functions of Newark TV is creating PSAs that keep our residents informed about local events, public health, safety, and citywide initiatives. Writing these announcements used to be a long process that involved multiple drafts, reviews, and reworking the message to get it just right. But since we started using AI, particularly ChatGPT, things have moved much faster.
Let’s say we need to write a PSA about a local vaccination clinic or a change in trash pickup schedules. Instead of starting from scratch, we can input some basic info into ChatGPT, and it generates a draft in minutes. Of course, we still review it, tweak the tone, and make sure the message is clear and concise, but the bulk of the work is done. And the best part is we can easily generate different versions of the same message to see which one resonates best with our audience.
We’ve even used AI to help us come up with fresh ideas for PSAs. Sometimes we hit a creative wall, but with ChatGPT, we can throw in a few keywords related to community events or public health and get a variety of angles we can work with. It’s like having a brainstorming partner who’s available 24/7.
Brainstorming Content Ideas: AI Sparks Creativity
One of the trickiest parts of working in local TV is coming up with new content ideas. What will grab the audience’s attention? What are people talking about? At Newark TV, we’re always looking for ways to make our programming fresh and relevant. That’s where AI has also been helpful.
For example, we often need to develop content around local issues like education, community outreach, or city government. Using ChatGPT, we can input general topics (like “Newark schools” or “local arts initiatives”) and get a list of show ideas and story angles in seconds. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking AI for a few ideas, then it gives us prompts that we would never have thought of on our own.
We also use AI for research. Let’s say we’re working on a segment about local housing issues. Instead of spending hours researching, we can ask AI to summarize articles, pull up statistics, and even suggest interview questions based on what’s trending. It doesn’t replace the hard work of real investigative journalism, but it helps speed up the research process and gives us a strong foundation to build on.
Streamlining Budgets: AI Keeps Us on Track
Running a PEG station means managing tight budgets, and every penny counts. AI is making it easier to track expenses and allocate resources efficiently. We’ve been using AI-powered tools for everything from calculating production costs to forecasting upcoming expenses. For instance, AI helps us figure out where we can cut costs without affecting the quality of our content. It looks at things like equipment use and staffing levels then it offers suggestions for improvement. This has been especially useful for ensuring we stay within budget without sacrificing production quality.
AI also helps with scheduling and resource management. We track how long it typically takes to produce different types of shows or PSAs. AI uses that data to recommend more efficient workflows. It’s like having an assistant who always knows the best way to prioritize projects to maximize our time and resources.
Improving Accessibility: AI-Driven Captioning
Another area where AI has been indispensable is accessibility. PEG Stations are committed to making our content accessible to all, including those with hearing impairments. AI-driven captioning tools have been a huge help in ensuring that edited programs are fully captioned. These tools have come a long way, and while they’re not perfect, they’re a significant improvement over manual captioning, which could take hours.
The heart of AI captioning is the software that transcribes and synchronizes the audio with the video. AI-driven captioning tools typically use speech recognition models to transcribe dialogue and sync it with the visual feed in real time or post-production.
Some popular AI captioning software solutions for PEG TV stations include:
• Rev: Rev is an AI-powered transcription service that offers automated captioning and human-edited captions for greater accuracy. The platform supports both live captions and captions for recorded content. It’s ideal for PEG TV stations looking to serve a variety of content types. Rev provides affordable options for smaller stations and allows for quick integration with video production software.
• Descript: Descript is a powerful tool that not only offers transcription, but also lets you edit video by editing the transcript. It’s useful for creating captions for pre-recorded content. Descript’s AI-driven platform can also help with real-time captions when integrated with live streaming platforms.
• Otter.ai: Otter.ai is known for its speech-to-text capabilities and can provide real-time captions for live broadcasts. This platform is popular for its accuracy and ease of use It allows users to quickly edit transcriptions and captions. It’s a good solution for stations with limited resources that want an affordable, reliable AI-powered captioning option.
• Enco: Enco is a highly regarded AI-powered captioning solution designed specifically for broadcast and live TV environments. Enco’s EnCaption system uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to generate real-time captions for live broadcasts. It’s especially popular among PEG stations due to its reliable, real-time captioning capabilities and cost-effective solutions. Enco also integrates seamlessly with broadcast equipment and supports caption embedding for TV signals. Its EnCaption4 system offers cloud-based captioning that enables flexibility and scalability for stations with varying needs. Enco’s solutions are noted for high accuracy. It also offers features like multilingual captioning, which is essential in diverse communities.
• StreamText: For live broadcasts, StreamText is a leading solutions that provides real-time captioning. It is widely used by broadcast stations to ensure accessibility for live streaming, including government meetings and public service events. The system integrates with live video feeds and provides accurate captions in real time.
• AI-Media: AI-Media provides both real-time captioning for live content and post-production captioning services. It’s designed for broadcast, streaming, and on-demand content. This makes it a solid option for PEG stations with high-volume live programming. AI-Media is particularly useful in local government and educational settings where real-time communication is crucial.
AI for Video Production: Enhancing the Creative Process
In addition to ChatGPT, we’ve also embraced other AI tools that have helped us streamline video production, automate tasks, and enhance our creativity. Here are a few examples:
The Importance of Human Oversight
While AI has been a huge asset, I want to stress that it’s not perfect. Like any technology, AI is still evolving, and sometimes it produces results that need to be tweaked or corrected. For example, while ChatGPT is great for drafting content, it’s not always spot-on with local references or the finer details. That’s why we always review and edit everything generated by AI before it goes live.
At Newark TV, we’ve learned to use AI as a tool to assist with efficiency, but we always apply a human touch when it comes to accuracy and relevance. Our team has decades of experience in local television, and we rely on our judgment to ensure the final product reflects our community’s needs and values.
With new AI tools being developed all the time, we’re always learning and adapting. We regularly test out new platforms to see what works best for us, but we never lose sight of the fact that technology is just a tool. The real value comes from how we use it to enhance the work we do for our community.
Conclusion
As the station manager, I’ve seen how AI has transformed the way we run Newark TV. From writing PSAs and brainstorming new content ideas to managing budgets and improving accessibility, AI is helping us operate more efficiently and serve our community better. But, we also understand that these tools aren’t foolproof.
While AI can help us work smarter, we always ensure that human oversight and local knowledge guide everything we produce. It’s the combination of cutting-edge technology and dedicated people that makes Newark TV thrive—and I’m excited to see how these tools will continue to evolve and enhance our programming in the years to come.