WCCA and ESL

Submitted by wccatv on May 12, 2008 - 10:33am.

A letter submitted to local papers this week.

To whom it may concern:

When I started as an ESL teacher at Worcester State College, teaching Listening & Speaking, I contacted a number of local TV and radio stations to give my students access to their stations for experiential learning purposes.

No one opened their doors for me, except the community channel WCCA TV 13. Each semester, my students visit the station where we are met with enthusiasm and dedication. Mr. DePasquale devotes his time to meet with my students, to take them on a tour around the station explaining to them the details of the operations and encourages them to be part of the station in any way they wish.

The station hosts very interesting programs representing our communities and their views. It is our voice and presence in the face of other TV channels that are tarnished with commercialism and propaganda. Channel 13 is vital for Worcester as a media technology resource for all, and a vent for our youth and young adults.

It saddens me to read any suggestion to place WCCA's funding at risk. We need WCCA TV. Its funding does not come from tax or city money but rather comes from a percentage of cable companies' gross annual revenues, by law, so people can have public access such as WCCA TV.

I hope the city manager will consider the request of the many of us, the people, who benefit from this channel instead of offering us an alternative commercialized TV channel that nobody needs.

Faithfully

Bayda Asbridge (ESL teacher)
Institute of Intensive English Language
Department of Continuing Education
Worcester State College

  • 115 reads

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

The letter references a recent suggestion made by the WRRB

Submitted by mauro on May 13, 2008 - 12:05pm.

Those who have been following cable franchise and PEG access matters understand that the purpose behind much of the lobbying going on to eliminate franchise license is to serve profit margins from companies such as Verizon, and Charter Communications. Cable and Phone companies would love to see Public Access disappear because, for one thing, it would free up channels for them to make more profit.

It is interesting to me that both Charter and Verizon make contributions to the WRRB. Oh and so does the "City of Worcester Government Channel".

Interesting isn't it?

Post new comment