by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
We have all been waiting for a long time to see the Protecting Community Television Act be moved on by our federal lawmakers. During the 117th Congress, these bills had many co-sponsors, 2 of which included New Jersey’s own Representatives Donald Payne, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Unfortunately, it was never voted on and was left to be hopefully brought up in the new Congress.
Well, that day has “literally” just arrived. The bills are going to be reintroduced by Senators Edward Markey and Tammy Baldwin, and Representative Anna Eshoo.
To remind you of what these Identical bills would accomplish for community television, they would reverse the regulations made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ensure that public, educational, and government (PEG) channels have the assets they need to keep producing content for their viewers.
The following is from a press release from Senator Edward Markey on the importance of this legislation. It included comments from not only its main sponsors, but from our national partners – the ACM and NATOA as well.
“In 2019, the FCC allowed cable companies to put a price tag on in-kind contributions they provide to communities, including PEG channels. Under the rule, cable companies can then subtract the ascribed value from the franchising fees that they pay in order to operate. The FCC’s decision has forced local governments across the country to decide between supporting PEG programming and supporting other public services for schools, public safety buildings, and libraries in cable franchise agreements.”
“I am proud to reintroduce my Protecting Community Television Act, which will undo Trump-era rulemaking undermining community television, a service which millions of Americans rely on to keep up with the news that matters most to them, stay plugged into enriching, educational programming, and hold their local governments to account,” said Senator Markey.“ At a time when news and media have become more consolidated than ever before, we must work to uphold local access to public, education, and government channels for every household in our country.”
“Community television is a critical part of our society, giving a voice to nonprofits, artists, local governments, and other community members who otherwise struggle to be heard,” said Representative Eshoo. “The Trump FCC’s actions on cable franchise fees have hurt public, educational, and governmental television, and this harms communities. I’m proud to reintroduce the Protecting Community Television Act with Senators Markey and Baldwin, legislation that reverse these harmful agency actions and protect community television by ensuring local voices have the platform they deserve.”
“Countless households across Wisconsin rely on community television to provide them with their local news and to lift up the voices of local businesses, organizations, and people,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to once again support the Protecting Community Television Act to ensure folks across the country can continue to access the news sources they know and trust.”
The Protecting Community Television Act is endorsed by Alliance for Community Media, National Association of Counties, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National League of Cities, and MassAccess.
“Local communities need the vital civic information that community television provides – to support local culture, education, business growth, government transparency and access to local democracy. We welcome reintroduction of the Act which reinforces the idea that communities deserve community channels, and the Federal government shouldn’t set up disincentives for meeting local information needs,” said Mike Wassenaar, President and CEO of The Alliance for Community Media.
“The PCTA is elegant legislation that seeks to protect benefits consistent with the Cable Act and cable franchising principles since 1984. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order that undermines this ability by redefining the term “franchise fees” as used in the Cable Act, and substituting its definition for that written by Congress in 1984. The Protecting Community Television Act remedies that altered meaning by protecting local public, educational and community access television so folks in communities across the country can continue to access relevant and timely local news that they rely on. The PCTA reaffirms Congress’ original intent to protect the long-standing ability of local governments to manage public property and provide for local media through public, educational and governmental access channels (PEG Access) in cable franchise agreements,” said Mike Lynch, Legislative Director for National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.
“Local PEG channels help cities, towns and villages to provide critical information and services to residents. The National League of Cities applauds the introduction of the Protecting Community Television Act, which would ensure that resources traditionally negotiated in cable franchises are preserved for the future,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities.
“It’s reaffirming to witness the efforts legislators who recognize community media as both relevant and worthy of protection,” said David Gauthier, President of Massachusetts Community Media, Inc. “Too often in a world of rapidly-evolving technology, community media is viewed as a relic of the past, whereas the truth is that our services are more in demand than ever. The continuing loss of local print media has left a void that community television makes every attempt to fill. The challenge, however, is that that funding for our efforts continues to head in the wrong direction. Funding for community media is directly tied to cable subscriptions, which decrease year after year. Subscriptions to cable services in Massachusetts have gone down over 20% since 2015 and that translates to less funding for community media operations. The Protecting Community Television Act would help to clarify financial responsibilities that cable companies must adhere to and undo industry-friendly measures taken by the FCC in the past.” Once these bills are reintroduced, it will fall on all of us in New Jersey to do our part to see that all of our Congressional members are ready again to support them and lead the way in making sure that every municipality’s voice can continue to be heard by their specific audiences. No matter how big, or how small.
News & Events
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Protecting Community Television Act To Be Reintroduced
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
We have all been waiting for a long time to see the Protecting Community Television Act be moved on by our federal lawmakers. During the 117th Congress, these bills had many co-sponsors, 2 of which included New Jersey’s own Representatives Donald Payne, Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman. Unfortunately, it was never voted on and was left to be hopefully brought up in the new Congress.
Well, that day has “literally” just arrived. The bills are going to be reintroduced by Senators Edward Markey and Tammy Baldwin, and Representative Anna Eshoo.
To remind you of what these Identical bills would accomplish for community television, they would reverse the regulations made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ensure that public, educational, and government (PEG) channels have the assets they need to keep producing content for their viewers.
The following is from a press release from Senator Edward Markey on the importance of this legislation. It included comments from not only its main sponsors, but from our national partners – the ACM and NATOA as well.
“In 2019, the FCC allowed cable companies to put a price tag on in-kind contributions they provide to communities, including PEG channels. Under the rule, cable companies can then subtract the ascribed value from the franchising fees that they pay in order to operate. The FCC’s decision has forced local governments across the country to decide between supporting PEG programming and supporting other public services for schools, public safety buildings, and libraries in cable franchise agreements.”
“I am proud to reintroduce my Protecting Community Television Act, which will undo Trump-era rulemaking undermining community television, a service which millions of Americans rely on to keep up with the news that matters most to them, stay plugged into enriching, educational programming, and hold their local governments to account,” said Senator Markey.“ At a time when news and media have become more consolidated than ever before, we must work to uphold local access to public, education, and government channels for every household in our country.”
“Community television is a critical part of our society, giving a voice to nonprofits, artists, local governments, and other community members who otherwise struggle to be heard,” said Representative Eshoo. “The Trump FCC’s actions on cable franchise fees have hurt public, educational, and governmental television, and this harms communities. I’m proud to reintroduce the Protecting Community Television Act with Senators Markey and Baldwin, legislation that reverse these harmful agency actions and protect community television by ensuring local voices have the platform they deserve.”
“Countless households across Wisconsin rely on community television to provide them with their local news and to lift up the voices of local businesses, organizations, and people,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to once again support the Protecting Community Television Act to ensure folks across the country can continue to access the news sources they know and trust.”
The Protecting Community Television Act is endorsed by Alliance for Community Media, National Association of Counties, National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, National League of Cities, and MassAccess.
“Local communities need the vital civic information that community television provides – to support local culture, education, business growth, government transparency and access to local democracy. We welcome reintroduction of the Act which reinforces the idea that communities deserve community channels, and the Federal government shouldn’t set up disincentives for meeting local information needs,” said Mike Wassenaar, President and CEO of The Alliance for Community Media.
“The PCTA is elegant legislation that seeks to protect benefits consistent with the Cable Act and cable franchising principles since 1984. In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order that undermines this ability by redefining the term “franchise fees” as used in the Cable Act, and substituting its definition for that written by Congress in 1984. The Protecting Community Television Act remedies that altered meaning by protecting local public, educational and community access television so folks in communities across the country can continue to access relevant and timely local news that they rely on. The PCTA reaffirms Congress’ original intent to protect the long-standing ability of local governments to manage public property and provide for local media through public, educational and governmental access channels (PEG Access) in cable franchise agreements,” said Mike Lynch, Legislative Director for National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.
“Local PEG channels help cities, towns and villages to provide critical information and services to residents. The National League of Cities applauds the introduction of the Protecting Community Television Act, which would ensure that resources traditionally negotiated in cable franchises are preserved for the future,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities.
“It’s reaffirming to witness the efforts legislators who recognize community media as both relevant and worthy of protection,” said David Gauthier, President of Massachusetts Community Media, Inc. “Too often in a world of rapidly-evolving technology, community media is viewed as a relic of the past, whereas the truth is that our services are more in demand than ever. The continuing loss of local print media has left a void that community television makes every attempt to fill. The challenge, however, is that that funding for our efforts continues to head in the wrong direction. Funding for community media is directly tied to cable subscriptions, which decrease year after year. Subscriptions to cable services in Massachusetts have gone down over 20% since 2015 and that translates to less funding for community media operations. The Protecting Community Television Act would help to clarify financial responsibilities that cable companies must adhere to and undo industry-friendly measures taken by the FCC in the past.” Once these bills are reintroduced, it will fall on all of us in New Jersey to do our part to see that all of our Congressional members are ready again to support them and lead the way in making sure that every municipality’s voice can continue to be heard by their specific audiences. No matter how big, or how small.
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
What are the Benefits of an Asset Manager?
By Dana Healy, VP Sales | Cablecast Community Media
At Cablecast, it is our mission to help our customers quickly and efficiently get their video content across platforms. We will be highlighting the benefits of Asset Management, and introducing Cablecast’s new Smart Asset Manager.
We’ll also talk about security best practices of a CDN, and introduce REFLECT+, Cablecast’s cloud-based content delivery network.
What is an Asset Manager?
An asset manager is a system that helps organize, store, find, and retrieve digital assets like video files.
What are the Benefits of an Asset Manager?
Quick and Easy File Access
By having all assets centralized in one location, people can find what they need faster and focus on more important tasks.
Cut Operational Costs
Time is the only non-renewable resource! Every minute not spent on searching for a file is time saved for your team to work on more valuable projects, like creating important video content for the community. I remember the days where I would pull the DVDs stored in a three ring binder, ingest the file, and drop it into the system for playback. All that time is saved when you have a centralized asset manager.
Maintain Important Assets
We’ve all had those important community videos like the 100th anniversary of a city. An asset manager keeps those files safe, so you can easily call them up when needed.
Seamless Integration with your Playback
For community media centers, your video playback is the nervous system of your station. Content enters the system, it is programmed, and then distributed out to viewers. With an asset manager, media can easily be pulled up and played without any additional work.
Smart Asset Manager
SAM is Cablecast’s new personal assistant for video automation workflows. SAM becomes a member of your team when you have the Cablecast 7.5 software.
SAM handles the busy work. He can’t bring you coffee, but SAM can automate those predictable parts of your file management workflows. Not only does SAM eliminate human error when moving content, but he frees you up from those time-consuming tasks.
SAM is obedient and reliable. You set the rules and SAM follows them. He doesn’t change the process, and he doesn’t take weekends off.
SAM is multi-talented. So, what exactly can SAM do? He can move video files between your network and the cloud automatically.
Here are some examples of the rules you can set for SAM:
What’s a CDN?
A CDN is a content distribution network. Think of it as a group of servers geographically placed around the country, or world, to accelerate delivery of content.
There is a lot of traffic coming to a CDN, what are the ways in which can you make sure your content delivery network is safe?
SSL Certificate
The first thing to look for is a SSL certificate. This is a digital certificate that authenticates a website’s identity and enables an encrypted connection. Make sure your CDN has one of those!
Password Protection
Use complex pass-phrases to ensure the back end of your CDN is secure. Always update your passwords!
REFLECT+
REFLECT+ is the Cablecast cloud-based CDN where live streams and VOD content are pushed to the cloud. This service has an added security feature by pushing content to the cloud, eliminating the need
edto port through firewalls.REFLECT+ is ideal for cities and media centers closely tied to their municipalities.
An additional benefit of REFLECT+ is the Adaptive bitrate and live streams are pushed 24/7. If viewers are calling up different VOD files, there will be no impact in performance because the files are already in the cloud. Cablecast is very excited to support community media by saving time with playback scheduling. The more time we can save you, the more content and programming you can make for the community.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
From a Need to a Necessity
by Stan Olochwoszcz, Coordinator, South Amboy Television
Once upon a time, on the banks of Raritan Bay in Central New Jersey, South Amboy Televison (SATV) was created to keep the residents of the City informed about what was happening in town. The Government channel was a side-of-the-desk task assigned to Senior Services / Recreation. Initially a bulletin board comprising of white words on a blue background – pretty much the default screen configuration of a Videonics Titlemaker 3000 – and recordings of events such as the City’s well-known St. Patrick’s Day Parade and other events produced by volunteers using personal equipment started to appear sporadically. The ebb and flow of municipal funding allowed for the progression to more sophisticated equipment. Over twenty or so years ago, the station was automated using a Leightronics Mini-T-Net connected to VCRs and DVD players. That system required much manual manipulation, such as frequent visits to the station location to change tapes and disks.
A small group of folks offered to tend the station in exchange for use of space at the Senior Center to operate an “Internet radio station,” the idea being to offer local students a chance to learn some broadcasting skills. Although intended as more or less a schools-based recreational club, meeting Board of Education requirements presented too much of a challenge at the time. Technology and perspectives changing as they are wont to do, SATV was also faced with the reality of a lack of enthusiasm. They had begun putting much of their own self-produced programming on YouTube, Facebook and the like.
Eventually, the Mini-T-Net outlived its usefulness, and it was replaced with a modest but more modern computerized Tightrope Media Systems Carousel Digital Signage and Cablecast Flex system. SATV had gone digital! This stood the City in good stead when Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc. Although much of South Amboy was without electricity for as long as eleven days, SATV provided news and official information at various locations powered by generators. For example, residents could simply look at a screen in the lobby of the Senior Center to learn what resources South Amboy had available. The value of SATV as a community asset was amply demonstrated for that brief shining moment.
As the first TRMS system aged out, the Cablecast Flex-Lite 340 and Carousel Digital Signage Player 340 currently in use were purchased. Space has been dedicated to a studio and control room at the Senior Center and a concerted effort has been made to obtain cameras and other equipment so local programs could be produced. SATV has also benefitted from hand-me-down equipment as a result of upgrades in the Council Chambers / Municipal Court. Keeping the various technological jimcraws and doodads acquired over the years talking to each other has been interesting, but programming efforts look promising.
Over the course of the years, The Mayor’s State of The City addresses have been broadcast, as have countless dedications, groundbreakings, fireworks and festivals. We had always thought about putting recordings of Council and Agency meetings on the channel and it came to pass to some extent during the pandemic as experimental Zoom meetings were broadcast. Of late, the channel is presenting video of popular non-profit organization events such as the Music at St. Mary’s Concert Series and the SA Arts Alliance’s Acoustic Fridays. A staple of SATV has been Spooky Thriller Mystery Theatre, an admittedly cheesy nod to bygone Saturday matinees cobbled together from public domain short subjects, cartoons, and movies. STMT has been well-received by other PEG channels since SATV joined JAG Online and started distributing it through the Media Exchange. The fifth “season” is currently in production.
As the second Tightrope system nears its end-of-life, changes in the City Administration have South Amboy TV adjusting its perspective in order to better define its capabilities. A small but enthusiastic group of new volunteers is stepping forward. New programming ideas are being encouraged. Renovation of the studio space is proceeding. SATV is still largely a Public Service Bulletin Board, only prettier. It is hoped that the momentum of the past several decades will propel South Amboy TV on Optimum 15 & Fios 35 toward the viable and useful community service that those involved have always hoped it would grow to be.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Federal Communications Commission Nominee – Take 2
by Dave Garb, Legislative Committee Chair
President Joseph Biden has renominated Gigi Sohn to serve as 5th FCC Commissioner.
Sohn, who was first nominated in October of 2021, had been opposed by certain corporate Democrats targeted by telecom lobbyists who pushed them to oppose her from joining the regulatory panel. and thus, Sohn did not have enough support the first time around.
After the President’s re-appointment, digital and consumer rights advocates called on the U.S. Senate to swiftly confirm Sohn, a lawyer, public advocate, and longtime net neutrality defender to the Federal Communications Commission.
With the current 2-2 FCC makeup, the panel has been unable to vote on the protections. This has undermined the agency’s ability to effectively address the Biden administration’s telecommunications priorities. Sohn’s confirmation would give Democrats a 3-2 majority at the FCC, allowing them to challenge issues, such as reinstating the net neutrality rules, that the Republican-led FCC voted to repeal in 2017.
CHAIRWOMAN ROSENWORCEL STATEMENT ON NOMINATION
WASHINGTON, January 3, 2023—Federal Communications Commission
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel made the following statement at the start of the 118th Congress as President Biden nominated Gigi Sohn to serve as a Commissioner at the agency:
“I’m proud of the work the Commission has accomplished in the last two years. Closing the Homework Gap, broadband access and affordability, telehealth, mapping, and network security are top priorities and we’ve acted accordingly. Gigi is a knowledgeable nominee with a long record of commitment to the issues before the FCC and I congratulate her on nomination as a Commissioner at the agency. I look forward to the day we have a full complement of five commissioners.”
STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GEOFFREY STARKS ON NOMINATION
WASHINGTON, January 4, 2023—FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks issued the following statement on President Biden’s nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as Commissioner:
“As I said during the last Congress, Gigi Sohn is an accomplished leader whose talent, expertise, and experience will invigorate our work at the FCC. I continue to hold that view. Whether we’re protecting consumers, securing our networks, or bringing the promise of new technologies.
Sohn’s confirmation to the agency would help to push one of the campaign pledges made by the President: to reinstate the rules requiring that internet service providers treat all online traffic equally.
Update on the Protecting Community Television Act
The Protecting Community Television Act did not get acted on during the last Congress even though it had the support of large contingent of Congressional members on both the Senate and the House sides.
This important legislation would have ensured that community television operations would have continued to receive the resources they needed to inform and educate their viewers in all the cities and municipalities where they operate.
Currently, as part of cable franchise agreements, local governments are permitted to require cable companies to meet community needs by providing in-kind contributions that benefit public, educational, and government channels (PEG), as well as schools and public safety buildings.
However, the FCC voted in August of 2019 to permit cable companies to assign a value to these contributions and then subtract that amount from the franchise fees they pay.
As a result, local governments were forced to make a hard decision between supporting their PEG stations in cable franchise agreements or supporting other important services.
Since its beginnings, community television has been a critical part of our local lives. It has given a voice to artists, governments, nonprofits, and other community members who otherwise would have a difficult task in being heard.
The Protecting Community Television Act would have clarified that the franchise fees that cable companies provided to local governments would have only included monetary assessments and not in-kind contributions.
It will now have to be reintroduced in the new Congress and be re-sponsored in order for it to be bought up for action to have it voted on.
Posted: January 24, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Lighting….. The Easiest Part of Creating an Alternative Media Space
by Paul Distefano, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, I Light USA Corp – DeSisti & Coemar USA
A few years ago, while still with a lighting system integration company, my boss introduced a new term to me….. the “Alternative Media Space”. Basically, this was a place…. an office, a lobby, a conference room, a newsroom, a foyer…… anyplace that could be lit and used to record media. These were rarely permanent installations. Crews could come in, set up a couple of chairs, one or two cameras, shoot an interview or some other content, and leave…. closer to an ENG shoot than a studio production. Given the choice, the one thing that our customers wanted to be somewhat permanent was the lighting. This made sense. If there were no need for stands and cabling, the overhead lighting was clean, efficient, and would allow a crew to come in and shoot on battery power and leave without even unspooling a cable.
I always thought this would be a great time saver for the PEG community. If a space such as this could be set up in your municipal building, or other appropriate locations, would it make it easier to record announcements or interviews with your town’s administrators in a central location, rather than needing them to come to the studio or setting up and breaking down a remote? I know that some of your studio facilities are in the municipal building, but I know that some are in a different location….. and some may not even have a studio!
Also, in the past, I had been asked about providing entertainment-type fixtures to record outdoor events. More often than not, these took place regularly, and in a single location…… such as a park, in something like a band shell or gazebo. Outdoor venues were always a challenge. There were usually limited power sources requiring lots of cabling, creating trip hazards. Lighting stands on uneven ground are always risky, especially tethered to power cables. Add to this the crowds of people, especially children, and there are plenty of things to worry about on top of the quality of your production!
Our Coemar line debuted some great solutions in November at the Lighting Dimensions show in Las Vegas. Our new line of Mini-LEDkos provide great output at very low wattages, and are available in many configurations, including track-mount. A variety of control options are available, such as on/off, on-board dimmer pot, DALI, Bluetooth, DMX and (soon) wireless DMX. Inexpensive Smart Track can be easily and, unobtrusively, installed anywhere. Fixtures can then be mounted anywhere along these tracks and provided with power and control. These fixtures can be left there, or taken down after the shoot. We even provide them in white, or in custom colors, to make them more architecturally pleasing. If more power is needed, the DeSisti 3”, 4.7” Fresnel, as well as our SoftLED1 & 2 can also be track mounted.
For those outdoor venues, we now offer a small, 50W, IP65 rated ellipsoidal, the LEDko EXT-M. This provides gobo projection, framing shutters, and a zoom optics in a compact, weather resistant housing in a much smaller, and less expensive package, than the full sized LEDko EXT. All these new fixtures are available in various color temperatures from 2700° – 5000° K and in variable white from 2800° – 6000° K. I look forward to demonstrating these great new lights to you at the January JAG meeting. My goal is to offer a solution you may not have considered before. Let’s put our heads together and think outside the box……. Or in this case, outside the studio!
Posted: January 4, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Beyond Cable: New Ways to Communicate with your Citizens
This session discusses the different media and strategies that municipalities can use to communicate with their citizens. Our panel of experts will delve into social media, over-the-top (OTT) options and platforms beyond Facebook and YouTube. Our panelists include JAG’s Executive Board members who utilize various media and platforms every day to amplify and share municipal information every day.
Posted: December 19, 2022 by bduthaler
PEG Stations—Then, Now, and Into the Future
By Dave Ambrosy, Station Manager, East Brunswick
Some of you may remember starting out back in the day and the fun and excitement of creating new local programming. Discovering local talent in town to announce your sports coverage or become reporters and interviewing your neighbors so they can tune in to their cable channel and watch themselves. Convincing your mayor and council that yes, people will watch. Or maybe you remember the frustration of carrying those heavy cameras the size of a microwave and attached to an even heavier tape deck that recorded a whopping twenty minutes of footage on U-matic cassettes. If you were lucky, maybe you had a production assistant watching the audio meter and time remaining. The frustration of working all day on your deck-to-deck edit only to have the boss ask if you can add a section in the middle. Or hear the awful sound of the pinch roller crunching the tape sending the deck into warning. What is a pinch roller anyway???
For the most part everything was new and fun to figure out, like chroma-key for graphics, lighting techniques and wiring up multi camera shoots. A different production every day. Covering an elementary school class where kids say, “no one watches that channel,” followed by, “when is it going to be on?” Still makes me laugh.
I believe the purpose of your PEG channel is still the same today as it was back then. To get the township’s information out to the residents i.e., council and board meetings and in the meantime create a little fun so people want to watch. Something that hasn’t changed is just when you think you learned and mastered the format of the day, it all becomes obsolete, and you have to get ahead of the curve and learn what’s new and how to implement that technology to keep your station up to date. Going from large bulky cameras to PTZs, giant twenty-minute cassette tapes to SD cards the size of a stamp that record for hours, linear to nonlinear editing. Perhaps the biggest change is in content delivery. From manually hitting Play on a tape deck and flipping a switch to go live on your cable channel to scheduling files on a playback server to play anytime on multiple platforms.
Changes for the future remain to be seen but we all did a pretty good job adapting and changing our workflow through a pandemic where PEG channels became more important in their community than ever before. Funding may become a real issue should franchise fees and how they are determined change, but I think PEG access stations have a long and bright future if they stay true to their roots. We have to look ahead and be ready as people change the way they consume media. Today, people want to watch everything on their terms—when they want, on a device of their choosing. Those of us working at PEG stations must embrace all new media technologies, those in place now and those that will come in the future in order to reach younger, more computer and internet savvy viewers. The information and entertainment programming we produce must be available beyond our cable channels to people who have cut the cord. We must be willing to incorporate all kinds of Over the Top (OTT) solutions to deliver our content to all our citizens, those with cable and those without. The number of cord cutters is likely to grow, but PEG Channels still have something no other media entity has. To quote my first boss who hired me, “We can get people to watch by giving them something the big networks can’t, and that’s themselves.”
You may have heard that I will be retiring at the end of 2022 after forty plus years in local TV. WOW, how did that happen? Best wishes as you and I hope to watch the great work to come from the JAG membership.
Posted: December 19, 2022 by bduthaler
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD; ENTER THE JAG AWARDS
by George Fairfield, JAG Awards Committee, Chair
JAG AWARDS OPEN JANUARY 1, 2023!
JAG AWARDS CLOSE FEBRUARY 28, 2023!
December; what a wonderful time of the year; the winter solstice; the music; the lights; the food; and most importantly, everybody gathering together, sharing good tidings, warm embraces, and hunkering down around a video monitor agonizing over what to choose for the JAG Awards.
The JAG Awards Committee is excited to announce the JAG Awards will open for registration and submissions on January 1, 2023.
The JAG Awards Committee has even more great news. First and probably most important to everyone, all JAG members in good standing will, once again this year, be able to submit their first entry for free.
The other big news is that in an effort to even out the competition among the vastly different JAG stations, the committee has added more categories. These 2023 JAG Awards categories will provide more opportunities for our members to enter and be honored for their hard work.
Here is a complete list of the categories:
101. Documentary:
201. Instructional/Training:
301. News Magazine:
401. Talk Show:
501. PSA: Public Service Announcement:
601. Promotion:
701. Sports Programming / Single Camera:
801. Sports Programming / Multi-Camera:
901. Public Meeting / Single Camera:
1000. Public Meeting / Multi-Camera:
1100. Public Ceremony / Single Camera:
1200. Public Ceremony / Multi-Camera:
1300. Public Parade / Single Camera:
1400. Public Parade / Multi-Camera:
1500. Concert / Single Camera:
1600. Concert /Multiple Camera:
1800. Community Development Event:
1900. Community Ground Breaking/Ribbon Cutting/Dedication:
2000. Community Festival/Fair Event:
2100. Community Award Presentation:
JAG will also be awarding an overall high score to an Independent Producer and a Non-Profit organization.
With everything said, do you want to hear your station’s name announced after, “the winner is”? Then you have to enter the JAG Awards. You have to be in it to hear it (and win it). Good luck