Facilities

WCCA TV 13 is located in a condominium building at 415 Main Street in Worcester. It occupies 10,000 square feet of space or roughly sixty percent of the entire building. WCCA uses two floors and a basement for its studios, training and general office space. The condominium that houses WCCA TV 13 was paid for through a five year loan and WCCA owns this property outright. However, the maintenance fees (including heat and cooling) are substantial at almost $3,500 per month or forty-two thousand per year.

The maintenance fees include care and repair of the exterior of the building but not the interior space. The “care and repair” is simply maintenance and would not include upgrades or renovations to the exterior. Additionally, because maintenance or renovation of the interior is the responsibility of WCCA TV, there have been instances when renovation or repair was postponed due to budget constraints. For instance, the basement was renovated by volunteers to house the KidsNet/Youth Channel training and could use further repair and upgrading. The electrical supply in the building frequently surges and equipment and computers have ceased to operate, probably because of “brown out” conditions. Staff believes there are electrical upgrades that need to be made. The heating, ventilating and air conditioning unit (HVAC) is noisy and causes problems with adequate sound proofing during production. Staff estimates there are approximately $40,000 in immediate repairs to the interior and the renovation the façade needs to keep the property in good condition.

There are three studios, Studio A which is 1,575 square feet, Studio B which is 750 square feet and the KidsNet/Youth Channel studio which is in the basement. Studio A and B have dedicated, separate control rooms. The KidsNet/Youth Channel studio also serves as the training classroom for the youth program. Staff reports that they could use an additional twenty-five hundred square feet, perhaps in a satellite location, to comfortably accommodate staff and access users.

Classes and training are conducted in the studios depending on the schedule and use of the studios by access users. While this is not unusual, it would be optimal for there to be a separate classroom facility so that production does not have to shut down to accommodate training. This is more of an issue during the evening hours when most production is done and when training is typically given to accommodate working adults’ schedules. Given the robust amount of programming produced by volunteers, separate training space would eliminate any conflicts in the schedule and free up the studios for more production.

WCCA’s operating hours are as follows.

General Public Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Member Hours Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

WCCA does not open to the “General Public” on Saturdays unless it has a volunteer receptionist available. This is problematic since a good deal of the population works during the weekday. This schedule discourages use of WCCA facilities by that population. Since WCCA maintains a computer lab and internet access in the lobby, this schedule discourages general public use of that resource.

We noted that there was not an adequate amount of separated storage space in the building for the typical sets and equipment access centers employ.

While the building’s location offers excellent public transportation options for access users and the general public, there is no free off-street parking. Parking meters are free after six p.m. but parking garages in the area charge an average of five dollars per visit and staff parking costs WCCA approximately $6,000 per year. The building is accessible for persons with disabilities, however the parking situation can make it difficult for persons with disabilities to access the building if they have to park a block or two away. Additionally, WCCA has many senior producers and parking can be an issue for this population.