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
Spotlight: West Milford – A Thank You Note
By Geoff Belinfante, West Milford TV
I have a ritual. Every Thursday morning it’s my responsibility to program our channel, WM77 here in West Milford, for the following Saturday. Why Thursday?—because our council meetings are held on Wednesday nights and I want to make sure that the latest meeting is available for viewing at 11:00 Saturday morning for those who can’t catch it during the week at its regular times—7:00am and 7:00pm.
By PEG standards, we have a very small station run by a handful of intrepid volunteers, and as I was doing my programming this week, I had this thought–without JAG, the other PEG channels around the country, and independent producers that support our efforts, there would be no West Milford channel. Why?
Since we don’t have enough volunteers to shoot all the local activities that could fill the channel, we rely on the JAG cloud–based server to help us create a program schedule that has broad appeal to everyone in town. It is in that context that we present our School Board and Town Council meetings. Thanks to the server, they are included on a channel that someone might actually want to watch! What better way to provide transparency in government to those who wish to watch their elected officials in action and keep track of how their tax money is spent.
Thanks to the JAG server, we are able to program a channel 24 hours a day, and my Saturday schedule is a good example of how we use the programs available to us. The overnight hours are full of old movies, paranormal shows—(thanks to Woodbridge) and/or South Amboy’s Spooky Thriller Mystery Theatre. Then we grab a very nice version of the national anthem at 5:00am to begin our broadcast day. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you an hour by hour breakdown of the rest of the day, but I am going to detail the kind of shows that we use on any given Saturday to create a general interest channel.
In the morning there are exercise shows for seniors (Seniorcize, thanks to Woodbridge); kids shows (Sing a Long with Miss Mirium from HTTV), drawing and painting—Saturday Morning Cartooning (again Woodbridge). In the afternoon and evening, after some local sporting events when available, we have programs for adults like Democracy Now, Empowering Women, Ted Talks, shows related to the environment like Peak Moment, and science shows from the National Science foundation and NASA. But as they say in all those awful infomercials—There’s More.
TV isn’t just about information; you have to have some entertainment, and we have lots of music shows to choose from including one that we produced locally before the Pandemic called “Music from the Vreeland Store”—a local restaurant and watering hole. Then there’s “Sidewalk Entertainment from the West Coast” with a peek into the world of entertainment. There are also many cooking shows to choose from just in case someone out there is interested in finding something to cook for dinner on Sunday. I also am able to program Book Review shows, interview shows, shows on aging and specials on many different topics that are available for occasional use. There are also excellent shows that are produced by Montclair State and other University Radio and TV programs. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the short segments like “Riverwatch” thanks to the Delaware River Keepers that help fill the time between shows.
So this is a thank you note—Thank you to JAG, all the PEG channels around the country and the independent producers who contribute to our server for providing us with programs that keep our little channel up here in the highlands going. No article about the JAG server would be complete without a big THANK YOU to TelVue, who hosts all the content and makes it available to those of us who depend on it. Without the server, there wouldn’t be much to WM77. The moral of the story… If you need to fill out a program schedule and you want to provide your residents with some great programming, but you don’t have the staff or money to shoot everything in your town, then use JAG’s cloud-based server as a resource. There’s lots of great stuff available.
Posted: February 21, 2023 by Doug Seidel
Announcing The 2023 JAG Conference
By Geoff Belinfante, Conference Committee
JAG held its first conference in 2004 and this year we will celebrate our 18th conference. The JAG Conference Committee is pleased to announce that the JAG Conference for 2023 will be held at the newly renovated Crowne Plaza in Edison on Thursday May 18th., so mark your calendar now. The website where you can follow all the developments as the date approaches is simply www.jagconference.com .
Although it’s only February, rest assured that the conference committee has been busy working on the plans for this year’s event, but there will be some very notable changes from past conferences.
We have consulted with many of our Organizational Members to provide insight in the develop of this year’s program. The committee’s focus is to rework the conference from trying to bring people to a trade show to having an event that addresses the needs of our membership and strengthen the relationships of all levels of membership.
This year the conference will be a one day event combining sessions, user groups and vendors. The workshops will not be streamed. You have to be present to participate. Many of the events will be held in the main room where there will be a stage for speakers and sessions. There will be only one session presented at a time so participants don’t have to make any hard choices as to which workshop to attend. The meals will also all be served in the main room which will give attendees a chance to network and get to know the vendors all at the same time.
The committee has been hard at work planning interesting sessions that will include a legislative update on those matters of interest to our members; the ever-popular Social Media session that will provide tips on how to get the most out of your social media platforms; a look at new technology that can improve production and station operations, and a tips on lighting interviews at remote locations. Details and guest panelists will be announced soon.
As we have for the past few years, the conference will be followed by the JAG Banquet and Award Celebration that will include a cocktail party, buffet dinner and of course the award ceremony itself celebrating the best in a variety of categories. If you haven’t entered yet, please check out all the categories (and yes there are some new ones this year) in the JAG Award section of our website, and enter soon, the deadline for entries is February 28.
Once again this year we have to thank our organizational members for their continued support. TelVue is our Diamond Level Sponsor, which means they are the general sponsor for the entire conference. Varto Technologies will be the sponsor of the JAG banquet, and both TelVue and Varto Technologies will sponsor user group breakfasts. Already committed to attending are LiveU, De Wolfe Music, DeSisti Lighting and Cologna Productions, with other vendors to be announced as the date approaches.
This year’s JAG Conference will offer ample time to network with your fellow JAG members and to discuss your equipment needs with the vendors. We will also present our Legislator of the Year and Municipal Excellence Awards during lunch and the JAG Recognition Award at the banquet.
This year the cost of the Conference and the JAG Banquet is $160 per person for JAG members. Your admission includes breakfast, keynote lunch, networking beverage breaks, and admission to the Cocktail Party, the Buffet Dinner and the JAG Awards. Cocktails, three square meals, informative panels, the opportunity to meet with vendors, and a chance to network with your colleagues—The JAG Conference—an event that can’t be missed. For more information and the latest additions to our program, check out www.jagconference.com and circle May 18th on your calendars. Registration is now open.
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!