Community Media

...and it is participatory !

I remember well those public hearings and countless cable advisory meetings where WCCA and our community supporters rallied around one of many important components of PUBLIC ACCESS value in our fight for continued, at least level funding. We tried are darnedest to convince the city why it would be important for WCCA TV to be distributed county wide and why it is so important to fund WCCA's COMMUNITY VISION News and other WCCA presented news and information programming. Today, although we recieve less than level funding compared to past decades of franchise support, thanks to community initiatives and dedicated coalition made up of staff and volunteers WCCA is distributed beyond Worcester.

This is serving a purpose that is exactly in tune with our public access mission, the intent of congressional law in support of public access cable franchising, and one that studies have shown in other areas, is well needed.

Today, our channel 13's Community Vision News, along with a number of other ethnic community news productions presented in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Albanian, to name a few, in additional ot WCCA's community electronic bulletin board, provide our viewers with the best and most diverse and comprehensive coverage of local news and events.

The WCCA TV 13 and public access everywhere, plays an important role, in our media ecosystem that is not served anywhere else.Nowhere else do you find the level of encouragement and incentive for everyone to participate in sharing news, heritage, information, and fresh ideas. WCCA TV 13 is a charitable organization, and is an anchor institution that uniquely provides a comprehensive services to the general population with access to the needed media tools, the channels of distribution and the professional staff facilitation and educational component available to the general public, in one location, and making such access affordable.

No matter what your political point of view or opinion is you can participate int eh publci access process. Think about that. Look at the boundless diversity that exist on our channel activity, our website, or the daily activities going on at WCCA's studios on Main Street, and then ask yourself why not do more to support TV 13 public access programming.

The funding provided by cable franchises is not enough to support WCCA activities or the entire scope of it's mission, that is why we need your continued help and support. Consider making a financial or in-kind contribution to support all our fine programming and meet the challenges to maintain the local free flow of news and information. You can help keep this window into Worcester open to the world.
Feel free to contact me to see how you can help. 508-755-1880 ext. 11
Learn Create Connect WCCA TV 13, "The People's Channel"

Thank you for helping us build Worcester's community and helping to make our city a better place to live.
Mauro

Watch this following video link and you may agree why I think it is pretty clear that there are some legislators in Washington that are heavily lobbied to cut what is truly TV BY FOR and OFF THE PEOPLE, aka PUBLIC ACCESS/Community Media Television stations out. Here is the link : Rep. Serrano to Genachowski: What About Fair & Equal Treatment of PEG Access Channels?

We applaud Representative Serrono's words on this subject. The FCC has taken over a year, and has still failed to make adequate assurances to guarantee the protection of Public Access is very suspicious to say the least. It raises many questions. There is no question, after decades of public access experiences in over 1,500 cities and towns across the USA, that PUBLIC ACCESS serves as an important and valuable anchor institution in a community. So there can only be limited answers to why the FCC or congress has not yet mandated improved guaranteed assurances to protect Public Access centers such as WCCA TV.

PUBLIC ACCESS TELEVISION is a place where the PEOPLE, rather than a cable or phone company or the government, are in control of disseminating free speech, educational material , views and opinions, a free flow of information, a diverse and shared view of the world. We must all recognize that perhaps this is why some in power perceive this as some sort of threat and perhaps why some cable and phone companies and, in some cases, even political entities, and some in government, can't stand the existence of a public forum on television.

I am aware of many who feel that if our political leaders and municipal and state authorities you can not appreciate the value of the product of a public access station , you have no business working in a democratic government or claiming to build or care about community or individual rights or government transparency.

Transparency is not just about what government allows the people to see it is also about maintaining open forums for the people to express their point of view. Stations such as WCCA make that possible, without government intervention. That is not a threat to our community but a healthy and nurturing thing.

When government stalls on moving to protect assurances to protect PUBLIC ACCESS television, where companies lobby or make attempts to either trivialize or bury PUBLIC ACCESS channels in a maze of the digital cosmos, where there are moves to diminish funding and capital that are intended to support Public Access, it may be argued that those are actions are against us, the people, against our ability to be self empowered, against our gaining opportunity to improve our lives, against our basic freedom and civil liberties, against true local participation.

Take note of who those are and do not tolerate any threats to PUBLIC ACCESS Television.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Sorry for the rant.

Meet the key founding father of Public Access.
Link
Look for part two.

It as it seems so to us. Okay maybe not really a "byline" in the literary sense, but perhaps using the paradigm, or a model of what public access has been, in large part, for decades. that is by providing a way for people to have their own show on TV.

OPRAH may have her own network. Guess what residents of Worcester? SO DO YOU. It's right here, WCCA TV 13, on cable and streaming on line, and seen around the world.

The People's Channel" is your network, in fact, it is more than JUST a network. It is a place where you can learn, create and connect. A community resource. You already have your own without OPRAH.

OPRAH is very wealthy, it is wonderful that she can put her pocket book into her shows and network and that is fantastic. At WCCA TV, however, you can too, as much as you like. If you don't have OPRAH bucks, it is still possible to have your own show or be on TV.

All Arts Weekend in the WOO
May 14, 15 and 16

One weekend, three venues, hundreds of artists and their work

The Sprinkler Factory Annual Spring Open Studios or here
May 14, 4-8pm, May 15-16, 11am -5pm

Worcester Center for Crafts
MAYFAIR
May 14, 2 -7 pm
May 15, 10 am - 5pm
May 16, 11am - 4pm

stART on the Street: SPRING EDITION
May 16, 12 - 5 pm

Don't forget the amazing work of video artist contributing to WCCA TV programming every day on channel 13 and streaming on line at
WCCA TV is art within art.

Dear Member of Congress

On behalf of WCCA's Board of Directors, staff, members and supporters of TV 13, “The People Channel”, we ask you to please support the CAP Act (H.R. 3745).

Please note that our request joins a great many across this state to urge that you, in addition to supporting the CAP Act, and ask you colleagues in Congress to do so as well and to also request that they communicate with the FCC that it is past time that the Commission acted upon the Alliance of Community Media's (ACM's) Petition challenging the validity of AT&T's channel 99 PEG plan.

Language in this act is needed to ensure that the franchise funding for non-profit access centers such as WCCA will not be diminished.

Public Access television, especially non-profit facilities such as WCCA

Mr Ahma Googloski president of Google-rific fabrications called asking if he could donate free ultra speed broadband to WCCA TV for life. Apparently it was the life of fruit fly that had actually died before the phone call was even made so we immediately called and seriously we really did read more

The people of Albany have recently been battling to regain their public access station. Some small gains where made as the following letter will reveal. A colleague, former staff member and friend, is there right now trying to help them advocate for public access in their city. We wanted to share her letter with our members. It is important ot remember how lucky we are here in Massachusetts to have state legislation that places franchise authority with each city and town, and mandates franchise license provisions are to be restricted for the purposes of public access channels. Becasue of that, Massachusetts has the most vibrant collective of access centers compared to any place in the nation. I left out the first few words of greeting. Please be sure to read more and don't miss the link to their video

The other day, while discussing the important value of Public Access television with a friend, it occurred to me that one thing that seems to be overlooked when the subject of PEG TV or Pubic Access television comes up is the profound difference between Public Access/ community TV and commercial TV, a profound difference that federal, state and local legislators should be keenly aware of and take advantage of for the good of their communities.

I never understood why many cable and telecom companies have resisted franchise licencing or the mandate to fund and to support public access television. As an institution, Public Access is a community resources, building community in a way that can set the ground work needed for a sustainable commercial markets.

Our legislators have an opportunity through HR 3745, the
Community Access Preservation Act (CAP) to ensure support for Public Access as a good for their community and business constituencies.

The goal of commercial television, as it is with really any commercial enterprise, is to exploit a market. Although the commercial enterprise may wish to sustain it's ability to sell product, ultimately, it's role is to exhaust the market share.

On the other hand, the goal of Public Access/Community TV, as it is really with any non-profit community media, is to nurture, enrich and build community through media. A Sustainable public access mission, provides a rich community resource which inspires, invigorates and even encourages growth in related commercial markets in fields of cable services, television and video production and other creative economy initiatives.