local programming

WCCA's playback technician Charlie Thanas writes well about Keeping It Reel and Keeping It Local!

This is no doubt inspired by our current negotiations with the City Manager and his apparent insistence on re-defining what is "Locally Produced Programing" based on content rather than location and to what we know is contrary to a definition typically accepted by the public access and most industry professionals.

The short answer to the question can be that about 96% of everything presented on WCCA TV 13 is locally produced programming.

The bottom line is defining the source of a program has to do with the location where a ready to air, cable/web cast video product was assembled. Delineating whether something is locally produced or locally sponsored or Imported has nothing to do with the elemental contents that are used to create a compete, ready to air, video production. It has to do with WHERE the program was actually created or assembled. Was it assembled in Worcester, locally, or at NBC studios for National distribution? Irregardless of the personal choices of content and "ingredients" used by the video producer it is about where it is made not what is in it. To prioritize local programming as "local programming" is determined and based upon content would be discriminatory and hints at censorship. If the future of WCCA's funding is based upon such a narrow perspective it could be argued as an injustice.

Most television and public access professionals will agree use of video clips, sound bites, graphics, jpeg images, live studio acquisition, that are ingredients used in assembling, off or on line, are irrelevant to defining whether a video product ( public access or otherwise ) is local or not.

Is it local and baked fresh if a baker on Water Street assembles flour, sugar, and eggs to make bread? Do we say "no, it is not a locally produced bread" because the sugar came from South America, the flour came from the mid west and the eggs shipped in from New Hampshire?

This is an example of one of the reasons that signing a new agreement with the city is taking so long. Some compromises where made and the city's attorney has been very good in modifying some points of our concerns. We are all looking forward to getting back to what we do best facilitating public access television.

Here is what Charlie writes:

A question that invariably seems to find it's way into the conversation when speaking about Public Access Television is the question of what constitutes "local programming." A vague "misconception" is that for a show to be considered "local" would mean that the show needs to have been produced and taped within the confines of a particular Public Access Television Station- or as we would say "shot in-house" meaning in the studio. Now, while one would not be wrong in that assumption – it is only part of the answer because it is factually wrong to consider only those programs shot in-house to be "local programming." If we compare this idea to the broadcast networks then that would mean that all the programming shown on NBC, ABC, CBS or FOX would have to be shot "in-house" at their particular studios as well. I don't think we have to look very far into how that would limit most of the popular shows for each network which is shot on location and sold to each network which calls it their own show.

Now if we look at Public Access Television with a similar eye we then see that whether a particular show is shot in-house or produced and shot at your house - the end product is still the same: A Local Television Program. A large part of Public Access is to provide an informational soap box, a free speech platform covering a host of intellectual and creative expressions. Whether I write that speech at home or in the studio does not affect the end result which is disseminating information to the viewing public which would be considered a local cablecast. After all, each city does not have to re-discover the cure for chicken pox when it makes sense to invent that cure once and then share it with all other cities. So if I produce a Vietnamese program in my home by gathering many pieces of video - some shot locally and some from around the world - and then create my final show and bring that to a local public access station then that program is considered by all measure of common sense to be local. After all it is locally produced and locally cablecast – at my house but not in-house and still cablecast to your house. Not too tough to figure out. Another example is when your "local" news brings you pictures and stories from around your neighborhood, city and – the world – it is still your locally produced news program. Who would define it other wise? And why? I can assure you that the News Producers of home-town newscasts around the country consider their newscast to be nothing but "local." Even though they are bringing you reports from around the world as well, there is no doubt that the program they present is considered to be a local news and it is marketed and sold as such because it IS local.

The same can be said for locally produced programs which are presented to a particular Public Access Station. Even though some shows may contain clips from near and far, from at home and abroad, from your neighborhood and or your childhood, edited and assembled to be shown on your local Public Access station: That show is local programming no matter how you view it - we are still keeping it real by calling it local.

I wrote a blog back on May 7th titled WCCA Matters
and here we are today, past mid September, finding ourselves still in the dark regarding the future of true public access in the city of Worcester. We try to remain hopeful but nothing has changed except that we have received a second extended contract. A contract which is short equipment and facility funds that Charter originally agreed to in 1997. That means it appears that WCCA is being short changed. WCCA needs to desperately replace and upgrade nearly all of it's equipment.
We could use words of encouragement.

I am asking those who utilize this station, those who believe in free speech and independent media, those who believe in participation, those who believe that empowering citizens with do it yourself participatory media , those who believe that providing a relevant free flow of information is important to a community, to all join together to take a stand and write a letter (or another letter) of support or perhaps an editorial commending WCCA for the work our staff and volunteers are doing.

Many of you have already written such letters. We appreciate it very much but it is apparent more is needed.

Thank you
Mauro