Friday, December 22, 2006

Happy Holidays from WCTV

From this evening through January 1, enjoy more than 20 hours of local holiday programming provided by area churches, schools, and our Channel 21 producers. It is our way of saying thanks for a great year. We return to regular programming on January 2, and hope you will join us for all that’s to come in 2007.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Board Minutes November 2006

Call to Order - 11:05 a.m. by Vice-President Mark Linderman.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Eric Marsh, Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Ken Paust, Jeff Plasterer and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton, John Schuerman, Stephanie Frame and Diane Lucas.

Approval of Minutes
Dave Burns moved, with Ken Paust giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of the October 10, 2006. Minutes unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Jeff Plasterer reviewed the Treasurer’s Report.
John Dalton submitted the first draft of the 2007 budget to the finance committee for review.
John Dalton answered questions about state and federal Telecom legislation as it stands today, as well as updated information on the station’s relationships with Insight, the City of Richmond, Wayne County, and IU East. Dalton reported that the Telecommunications Council has more or less disbanded. Dalton stated he was invited to go with the Chairman of the Indiana chapter of the Alliance for Community Media to speak with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, at the IURC’s request, about Telecom legislation after Thanksgiving.
Jeff Plasterer moved to accept, with Dave Burns giving the second, and the report was accepted.

Director’s Report
WCTV will produce a live broadcast the Salvation Army’s Christmas program on December 7th and has an underwriter for the event.
The Extended Learning classes have been successful and brought in approximately $600. We have been asked to offer them again next spring.
WCTV will have an intern from Ball State in the spring who will work 20 hours a week.
The Music Library license expired, and WCTV purchased a very nice close-out music library with no additional licensing fees.
Plans are continuing for the Auction, which takes place on December 8th. There are already 20 items donated for auction. The production design is being revamped, including using a phone bank in the studio.
Stephanie Frame is leaving WCTV to return to WIWU-TV in Marion, IN. Stephanie’s position is currently being advertised. Jim Russell has agreed to help out with the programming in the interim.
Dalton discussed developing a revenue stream through corporate production. There was discussion regarding the need for a task force to evaluate the corporate production situation.

Old Business
Mark Lindermann indicated that at the next meeting there will be a vote called on the controversial programming issue and the lottery issue.

New Business
Dave Burns discussed potential loopholes in the Tuesday-Thursday open time slots for specialty programming on Channel 21, which was sent to the executive committee for further discussion.


Good of the Order
John Dalton thanked Stephanie Frame for her work and wished her well.

Adjournment - 12:20 p.m.

Friday, December 01, 2006

WCTV: 365 Days Later

It is a busy time at WCTV. Tuesday night I was teaching kids at Wernle about videography, and working with them to produce a DVD project. On Wednesday I was in Indianapolis, with a few other access center leaders, meeting with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to discuss the new Telecom Bill that was passed this year impacting local franchises, including ours. Next Thursday we are broadcasting the Salvation Army Christmas program for the first time, which has always been a traditional favorite on the radio and hopefully in the future on television. And Friday night we are having our second live television auction, with lots of items from local merchants to bid on and win.

So I almost forgot that it was one year ago today that I joined WCTV.

A lot has happened in that year. I was told upon arrival that local news and sports were important to our viewers. So we partnered with Kicks-96/WHON to bring you a nightly newscast, and we provided the first professionally-produced high school sports broadcasts this fall, teaming up with high school A/V classes to provide students learning experiences alongside WCTV staff.

We are currently programming more than 16 hours a day across three channels, averaging between 75-85 programs a week, locally produced or of local interest. We have close to fifty local producers generating content for Channel 21. We expanded from six to seven nights of programming, offering a Friday night Reading Service for the elderly and the visually impaired as well as a “By Request” time slot where viewers can ask to see their favorite WCTV programs. We also expanded our election coverage and broadcast our first live parade.

Our local producers have access to more equipment than before; we have added new cameras, and will be adding more edit bays soon. For the first time we have offered noncredit training classes through the Continuing Education Center at IU East, and will repeat those courses in the spring. Our members asked for more events, and we provided them, including a premiere party, a holiday open house, and a summer cookout. We have offered longer hours, including some weekend hours, for those wanting more access to our facility. For producers who need help with their programs, we now offer “House Calls,” where trained volunteers and professional staff come to your location and give advice on how to produce the best program for your viewers.

Equipment upgrades in our headend have improved our signal quality, and we have institutionalized procedures for troubleshooting problems with playback of our programming.

Our Board of Directors is filled out to fifteen members, and worked on developing a new Lottery system that is fair to everyone, as well as looking at other ongoing policies and procedures.

For those who asked for more information on what’s going on at WCTV, we updated the website, added a blog, and developed comprehensive email and traditional mail mailing lists. If you have yet to receive a copy of our new brochure, or would be interested in seeing our corporate media sampler DVD, please let me know.

I have always believed in grassroots and independent media, so it has been very rewarding for me to do professionally the things that I have always believed in and supported personally. The great staff and Board of Directors here have made this a good year for me.

But there are some storm clouds on the horizon. Public access television is facing great challenges on a statewide and national level. Now, more than ever, we need our friends and supporters to be with us. The longstanding motto of WCTV has been “Bringing the Community to the Community,” and I think we show that every day. I hope you will come with us as we continue to take that message forward. We are just getting started on where we are going, and I am excited for what’s to come in 2007.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Rocket Man

Volunteer Barry Barker sends Stephanie Frame off in style by shooting off a rocket in the parking lot on Stephanie's last day.

To The Moon

A close-up of the WCTV rocket, courtesy of Barry Barker.

Live Shot

Of course, everything was documented on tape.

3...2...1...

Don't try this at home, kids! Barry is a trained professional.

Splashdown

Stephanie recovered her rocket, which in the world of model rocketry is considered good luck; a hopeful sign for Stephanie's new work at WIWU in Marion.

Happy Trails

The WCTV staff poses for one last picture before sending Stephanie on her way to WIWU in Marion. We wish Stephanie luck in her new position.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

October 2006 Board of Directors Minutes

Call to Order - 11:08 a.m. by Vice-President Mark Linderman.

Present: Dave Burns, Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Eric Marsh, Barb Mayberry, Billy Porch and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton, John Schuerman, Stephanie Frame and Diane Lucas.


Approval of Minutes
Dave Burns moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of the September 12, 2006. Minutes unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report
John Dalton reviewed the Treasurer’s Report. John pointed out that the “Ask Alan” contract has expired and are working with them on a renewal. Dave Burns moved to accept, with Billy Porch giving the second, and the report was accepted.



Director’s Report
WCTV’s most recent project for the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Banquet has been successfully completed.


John Dalton has worked with Wernle Home to procure a $1300 grant from the Wayne County Foundation. This grant will be used for a new promotional video for Wernle Home.

The Richmond Symphony Orchestra has joined as a member to have an symphony event taped on October 28.

Our 2nd football game was very popular and we sold 7 or 8 copies of the game thus far. WCTV plans to tape the Wayne County basketball tournament in January 2007. There are plans to tape at least one basketball game from Earlham.

We have been working with Insight to clear up some snow problems on our stations and the results have been very good. Dave Burns suggested that we might consider tape delay for any live event experiencing serious back haul problems. Dave noted a couple of local producers still having trouble with their audio. John Dalton suggested that we might offer to do a “house call” for those needing help.

Our satellite dish, though working, needs some new parts and will be repaired soon.

Old Business
The guidelines for controversial programming were discussed. After some discussion, the issue will go back to the executive board for further review of points #4 and #5 of the guidelines.


Postcards were sent out to encourage membership.

John Dalton, Barb Mayberry, Dennis Andrews and Tim Scales recently met to discuss the auction. The Chamber of Commerce did a mailing to solicit items for auction. The last auction raised approximately $5,000. There will be local people helping and it was suggested to pair them with a professional. The auction will take place on Friday, December 8th from 6:00-10:00pm.

John Dalton asked everyone to think about the concept of having a commission sales person working with WCTV.

The dart tournament will be considered for next spring.

Dave Burns discussed the lottery, noting his preference for an annual lottery. The lottery will be discussed further at next month’s meeting.


New Business
The Board approved the purchase ($1,568.49) from Marker Tek for equipment.



Adjournment - 12:10 p.m.


Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Live from the Kuhlman Center

The WCTV crew did live election returns from our new remote studio Tuesday night. Here is an overview of the new set, built by John Schuerman.

Live from the Kuhlman Center 2

Candidate Jeff Plasterer gets ready to chat with studio hosts Joe Kaiser and Paul Kreise.

Updates

Christina Vaughn provided updates from the center of the action.

POV

A view from the remote control room, with myself and intern Jon Crawford.

Control Room

The three Johns in the remote control room. That was not my Coke, but after a few hours of live directing it began to look pretty refreshing.

Live from the Kuhlman Center 3

A nice shot of the action from John Schuerman's camera on election night at the Kuhlman Center.

Behind the Camera

Iron man volunteer Ed Hoffman runs camera at the live election returns.

From the Set

Stephanie Frame brought in candidates to interview, chased election results, floor directed, and even found time to bring back milkshakes to the crew.

Behind the Camera 2

The last time we saw volunteer Chris Richmond he was suspended in a bucket truck over Highway 40 helping us broadcast the Richmond Bicentennial Parade. I think he's finally forgiven us.

In the Crossfire

Joe and Paul talk politics with candidate Mike Statzer.

CG POV

A shot from John Schuerman's camera of the control room action.

More from the Control Room

John Schuerman captures me in all of my open-mouthed confusion during the waning hours of a long night of live election coverage.

Democracy in Action

Another great night of broadcasting ends. Thanks to everyone who has told me since how much they enjoyed our expanded election night coverage.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

"Community Benefits" Live TV Auction

The Second Annual “Community Benefits” Live Television Auction will be held Friday, December 8 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on WCTV Channel 21. Whitewater Community Television is again partnering with the Richmond/Wayne County Chamber of Commerce and SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) at Indiana University East to produce the Auction. Watch Channel 21 in the coming weeks for more information and to see items up for bid that evening.

Businesses who wish to donate items for the Auction will receive on-air credit before and during the Auction. Contact 973-8488 for more information.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

September 2006 Board Minutes

Call to Order - 11:00 a.m. by Vice-President Mark Linderman.

Present: Willard Brown, Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Eric Marsh, Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Jeff Plasterer, Billy Porch, Phil Quinn and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton and Diane Lucas.

Approval of Minutes
The Board unanimously accepted the minutes of the August 8, 2006 meeting.

Treasurer’s Report
Jeff Plasterer went over the financial report dated July 31, 2006. The interest income continues to exceed expectations; everything else is on target. Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the financial report with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the motion passed unanimously.

Director’s Report
The Lottery went very well and we have only five open hours in our schedule. The picnic following the Lottery was a success, with Kroger and Richmond Baking Company donating food. The American Legion cooked hot dogs and James “Iceman” Patterson served as DJ.
WCTV successfully aired its first live parade, using three cameras and a bucket truck from RPL. RPL also underwrote the event.
We also did our first high school football game, Centerville vs Lincoln. John Dalton said he had around a dozen emails with positive comments awaiting him the following morning. The next game will most likely be Hagerstown vs Centerville. RHS said “no” to our taping their homecoming game.
Regarding the question of going to a “once a year” lottery, the response ran 2 to 1 in favor of once a year. About a dozen people responded to our mailing. Phil Quinn moved to table the issue, giving time for further investigation.
WCTV’s “Boot Camp” will be taught through the Extended Learning Department of IU East.
John again circulated the list of previous members and talking points, hoping that the board might know someone on the list and be able to encourage renewal of membership.
WCTV is working on a DVD to send to the top businesses in our area.

Old Business
The fundraising committee met, and Phil Quinn talked about a potential dart tourney. The committee will meet again to discuss particulars. Phil Quinn suggested that we might push the dart tournament to the spring.
John Dalton noted that an auction could be much improved from the last one. The Chamber of Commerce would secure donations and Tim Scales class would help with the telephones and more. A potential date would be in December. Daryl Greene moved to endorse the auction with Ed Hoffman giving the second. The motion was approved.
The Controversial Programming guidelines have been updated and will be finalized at next month’s exec meeting.

New Business
Ed Hoffman encouraged board members to become more “hands-on” in the studio.

Good of the Order
John Dalton thanked everyone for their help with the picnic, lottery and football game recently.

Adjournment - 12:05 p.m.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Friday Night Lights, Part 1


Director Stephanie Frame gets ready for the kickoff at the Hagerstown vs. Centerville game Friday night.

Spaghetti Junction


It takes a lot of cable to put on a football game, as seen here. We set up in a garage behind the stadium to stay out of the elements. Our camera people on the roof of the press box weren't so lucky.

Play By Play


Caleb Walters and A.J. Alexander call the shots from the press box, with floor director Sarah looking on.

From the Booth


It was Caleb's birthday, and what better way to celebrate than calling a close football game?

Friday Night Lights, Part 2


The view from outside the pressbox, with our banner flying proudly and our camera people shivering.

Friday Night Lights, Part 3


Lindsey follows the action from atop the press box.

Sky Cam


Sam monitors the other camera from her vantage point on the roof of the press box.

On the 50


Tyler got some great hand-held shots from the field to complement the action.

H-town Crew


Most of our crew was made up of students from Mr. Curry's A/V class at Hagerstown High School. Here are Shelby, William, Tyler, our intern Jonathan (from Centerville High School) and Sam rallying up for further instructions at halftime. The hometown team went on to win in an exciting photo finish.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

WCTV Bootcamp!

I get a lot of questions about offering workshops at WCTV, so I am happy to announce that we have partnered with the Indiana University East Continuing Education Center to offer training and coursework. Below is some information on upcoming classes:

Scriptwriting
This course will be covering all aspects of
scriptwriting from the ground up, including
writing corporate and instructional videos all
the way to developing feature films.
Fee: $40
Richmond 2 Wed., Oct. 4 & 11, 6-9 pm
Registration deadline: Sept. 27

Videography
This course begins with the fundamentals
of videography, and builds on knowledge to
include basic studio camera as well as
more advanced ideas of field videography,
with lighting and audio schemes presented.
Fee: $40
Richmond 2 Wed., Oct. 18 & 25, 6-9 pm
Registration deadline: Oct. 11

Editing with iMovie
Even if you don’t use iMovie, this course will
introduce you to the basic ideas of nonlinear
editing on computer platforms.
Students can use camera tape shot during
the Videography course; otherwise stock
footage will be provided for practice by WCTV.
Fee: $90
Richmond 3 Mon., Oct. 30-Nov. 13, 6-9 pm
Registration deadline: Oct. 23

Finalizing Projects with Final Cut Pro
Computer editing training on Final Cut suite
will be offered to those who complete Editing
with iMovie as a prerequisite. Students in this
course will be working towards completing
content to be used on WCTV, including PSAs,
station IDs, and other production elements.
Fee: $90
Richmond 3 Mon., Nov. 27-Dec. 11, 6-9 pm
Registration deadline: Nov. 20

Enroll in the series for only $220! Participants who successful complete all four classes will receive a one year membership to WCTV and be certified to use the WCTV facility. You can get additional information on how to register for classes by calling the IU East Continuing Education Center at 973-8203.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

August 2006 Board Minutes

Call to Order - 11:10 a.m. by Vice-President Mark Linderman.

Present: Willard Brown, Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Eric Marsh, Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett, and Phil Quinn. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
The Board accepted the minutes of the July 11, 2006 meeting. Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the minutes with Ed Hoffman giving the second.

Treasurer’s Report
Jeff Plasterer went over the financial report dated June 30, 2006. The interest income continues to exceed expectations; everything else is on target. Ed Hoffman moved to accept the financial report with Phil Quinn giving the second, and the motion passed unanimously.

Director’s Report
John Dalton pointed out that our Channel 21 Lottery will be August 14 at 4 p.m., and a picnic will follow at 5 p.m. The picnic will include hot dogs and more, with James “Iceman” Patterson as DJ.
Richmond’s Bicentennial event is fast approaching. WCTV will provide a live telecast of the parade on August 20th. We plan to use three cameras and an RPL bucket truck. Immediately after the parade, WCTV will go to the football stadium to do a live broadcast of the closing event, the county-wide high school band performance. We will also tape the Mayor’s breakfast and opening ceremonies for broadcast. WCTV will air footage of the 150th Year Celebration parade, as well as some episodes of “Richmond in Motion,” in support of the Bicentennial.
Tim Elstro has found some replacement parts for our damaged satellite dish and will be working on getting those installed. The Dish-TV dish is up and running, airing various programs.
WCTV is now an affiliate of the University Channel. This service allows for the downloading of public lectures, mostly consisting of nationally known speakers from major universities. We are also finalizing an arrangement to air “Inside Indiana Business” from WFYI, which will run on Tuesday evenings.
WCTV’s “Boot Camp” will be taught through the Extended Learning Department of IU East.
We are looking at a “slate” of five football games for the fall and are working with area schools. When the schedule is finalized we will be looking for sponsorships.
We will have two interns from Centerville High School this fall.
John and Kim Poinsett met with staff from Civic Theater and they are very interested in participating in the Reading Service, seen on Friday nights. There is hope that this service might be able to generate some grant money. Daryl Greene suggested that we contact the Independent Living Center to inform them of our Reading Service program.
John is working with Ken Paust on a post card for a future mailing regarding memberships.
John presented a page of “talking points” for use when discussing WCTV in the community and looking for fundraising opportunities.

Old Business
The Controversial Programming guidelines have been updated and will be finalized at next month’s meeting.

New Business
Ed Hoffman mentioned the S.O.S. Jamboree with Charlie Estes and the Slicks, which will be on Friday, August 11th, and will be taped for replay on WCTV at a later time.

Good of the Order
Ed Hoffman has been recognized as an “Older Hoosier of the Year” for his volunteer work at WCTV and will attend a picnic and a dinner.

Adjournment - 12:05 p.m.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Wayne County Football!

When I came to WCTV one of the first things I heard from viewers was that they wanted to see local high school sports. And we listened—this weekend WCTV will be showing our first high school football game, Centerville vs. Cambridge City Lincoln, with our professional staff working in cooperation with the A/V classes at Centerville and Richmond High Schools. I hope you like what you see.

You can catch Centerville vs. Lincoln Saturday at 7 p.m. and midnight and Sunday at 5 a.m., 9 a.m., Noon, and 3 p.m.

We are planning more local high school sports from WCTV, so stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

At the Mics


Hosts Caleb Walters and Christina Vaughn get ready to go live for the broadcast of Richmond's Bicentennial Parade. This broadcast was a historic event for WCTV as well as for the City of Richmond. It was a great day for a parade.

At the Mics #2


Caleb and Christina, ready for their close-up.

It Takes A Village


Some of our crew getting set up. In the foreground is Volunteer of the Year Barry Barker, in the background board member and long-time volunteer Ed Hoffman. It takes a lot of people to put on this kind of live event.

Camera Jockeys


Centerville High School students Jon and Bruce ready to go. This camera would be hand-held during most of the parade. Jon is interning with us this fall and Bruce will be at the station in the spring.

Spence on Headset


John Schuerman's son Spencer, the next generation of WCTV talent at work.

Eye in the Sky


The good people at Richmond Power and Light sponsored the live broadcast of the Bicentennial Parade, as well as donated the bucket truck and a person to run it. Surprisingly, there were more people willing to go up in it than I thought. We got fantastic coverage from this camera.

Skycam


Earlham student Chris Richmond high above the parade route, giving us great shots. We told him he couldn't come down until he paid his student membership dues to WCTV.

Skycam #2


John Schuerman snapped this photo, showing some of his cabling handiwork; note the stereo microphones used to record the Parade for the DVD, available for purchase here at WCTV.

At the Switcher


John Schuerman calling the shots from our remote truck. Yes, John did hit his head on the roof. I got stung on the elbow by a hornet. Live TV isn't always as glamorous as you would think.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

WCTV Summer Picnic #1


Board members Eric Marsh and Phil Quinn, with his manager, enjoying dinner. The rain did not keep people away from the cookout, thankfully, as we had a good spread set out.

Iceman in the Groove


James "the Iceman" Patterson, producer of our 2005 Program of the Year, spins the discs at the Summer Picnic.

Waketha on the Scene


WCTV producers and friends enjoying the music.

Endless Love


What's a WCTV party without a shot of me staring at a cake? Another historic moment captured by Diane Lucas.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The Dinner Bell


My family always conveniently drops by the office when there is free food, and the summer picnic was no exception! We had help from the American Legion Auxilary, Kroger, and the Richmond Baking Company to put on this event.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

July 2006 Board Minutes

Call to Order - 11:10 a.m. by President Kim Poinsett.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Sharon Palmer, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
The Board accepted the minutes of the June 13, 2006 meeting. Dave Burns moved to accept the minutes with Ed Hoffman giving the second, minutes passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
Jeff Plasterer went over the financial report dated May 31, 2006. He noted that there have been no fundraising funds coming in thus far. He also pointed out that the interest income has increased, and surpassed expectations. He called for the board to become more involved with fundraising. John Dalton noted that there is a DVD demo being developed to promote corporate services. This DVD will be used to show potential customers a sample of some of our past productions. Several fundraising ideas were discussed. Willard Brown moved to accept the financial report with Ed Hoffman giving the second and the motion passed unanimously.

Director’s Report
John Dalton reported that we did another mailing regarding membership renewal, and included membership information in the lottery letter. Junior Achievement is joining at the $1,000 membership level to produce their Hall of Fame video.
John noted that the lottery is coming up on August 14 with a cookout to follow. James Patterson (Iceman) will be the DJ. We are seeking some underwriters for food and supplies.
Our satellite dish has been repaired but is essentially obsolete. The dish will need to be replaced at some point. Options are still evolving. The DISH-TV dish will be used for some programming also.
WCTV’s Reading Service has begun and we have already received some positive feedback. In the next segment, Jean Harper will be reading from her book about Richmond.
John Dalton has had several visiting and speaking opportunities recently. He spoke at the Chamber of Commerce, attended an Earlham meeting for “not-for-profits,” and will judge the Philo awards.
Dave Burns raised the question of whether the lottery might be more appealing if it were held only once a year vs. two times a year. John Dalton will draft a letter to send to producers and members soliciting their opinions regarding the timing of the lottery.

Old Business
Controversial programming will be tabled until the next meeting.
Capital equipment expenditures were approved for four JVC decks and two Leightronix interfaces. Jeff Plasterer moved to approve with Dave Burns giving the second. The motion carried unanimously.

New Business
Dave Burns mentioned that he is seeing virtual commercials on PBS. He suggested looking into the potential for “underwriting commercials.”

Good of the Order
Ed Hoffman has been recognized as an “Older Hoosier of the Year” for his volunteer work at WCTV and will attend a picnic and a dinner.

Adjournment - 12:35 p.m.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Channel 21 Lottery Changes?

The WCTV Board of Directors is considering a change to the Channel 21 Lottery process that would move the Lottery from twice a year to once a year, held in August to more closely coincide with the traditional broadcasting “season.” Reasons for this include allowing producers to be able to advertise their programs more effectively, and their viewers to find their programs more easily.

Before the Board makes a final decision, they would like to hear your feedback. Feel free to contact me with your comments, questions, or concerns at 973-8488, or jodalton@indiana.edu.

We hope you join us for the Channel 21 Lottery Monday, August 14 at 4 p.m. and stay for our Summer Picnic afterwards, to be held at the WCTV studio in Hayes Hall on the IU East campus.

Monday, August 07, 2006

WCTV Summer Picnic!

I invite you to join WCTV for our Summer Picnic on Monday August 14 at the WCTV studio, immediately following the Channel 21 Program Lottery at 4 p.m. If you haven’t been to WCTV in a while, you’ll get the chance to tour the facilities as well as see previews of some of this fall’s new programming.

We are located in Hayes Hall on the IU East campus.

We would like to thank the American Legion Post 65 Auxiliary, Kroger, and the Richmond Baking Company for their support of this event.

Monday, July 17, 2006

Dateline: Mumbai

Here's a nice write-up in the local paper about "In Your Business," a program on WCTV produced by Tim Scales:

http://www.palitem.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060717/NEWS01/607170306/1008

Tim is producing a new show for the fall season while in India this summer!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

June 2006 Minutes

Call to Order - 11:05 a.m. by President Kim Poinsett.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Ed Hoffman, Daryl Greene, Mark Linderman, Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Ken Paust, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman. Guest: John Zetzl of Gillam & Zetzl, Inc.

Approval of Minutes
The Board accepted the minutes of the May 9, 2006 meeting. Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the minutes with Ed Hoffman giving the second, minutes passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
John Zetzl, of Gillam & Zetzl, Inc., presented our audit report. John indicated that WCTV’s finances were “clean” and well within accepted accounting principles. WCTV’s cash is $23,000 up from the previous year. WCTV has $165,220.00 total net assets. John presented an informal management letter containing helpful suggestions. After his presentation, John Zetzl received a round of applause.
Jeff Plasterer went over the financial report of April 30, 2006. He indicated that the finances are pretty much on track as anticipated. Ken Paust inquired about the return on the membership drive. The drive has approximately a 10% return at this time. There was discussion as to some kind of follow-up measure. Ed Hoffman moved to accept the financial report with Ken Paust giving the second, and the motion passed unanimously.

Director’s Report
John Dalton reported that our satellite dish is broken, preventing us from showing Classic Arts. Tim Elstro evaluated the problem and ordered a part.
John noted that Indianapolis is currently renegotiating their public access franchise with Bright House before the start of Indiana’s new Telecom law and is watching this process closely. John has been having difficulty communicating with Insight about their plans, possibly due to the fact that they do not currently have a local director at Insight.
Some board members have stated that Verizon is reportedly testing the Richmond market for interest in potential future Verizon cable service in the area.
Chris Richmond, an Earlham student, is working on a project for SIFE and WCTV is administering the Lily Grant funds for this project.
The staff of WCTV has been approved to teach classes through Extended Learning at IU East. They will also be helping on a student film festival to be held in conjunction with the Richmond Art Museum in the spring and partially funded through a grant. Work is underway on a project with Wernle Home, teaching students camera and editing skills, as is a project working with an A/V Club at the Boys & Girls Club.
WCTV recently purchased two new cameras, with a sponsorship from First Bank, doubling the number of cameras for checkout. John reported that soon, with the capital equipment money from Insight, there will be double the number of editing computers available for members as well.

Old Business
John Dalton distributed material showing WCTV’s policies on controversial programming. This material will be reevaluated in a future executive board meeting.

Good of the Order
Dave Burns pointed out the improvement in quality and thanked the staff of WCTV. John Dalton thanked everyone for the well wishes during his recent illness. Daryl Greene is pleased to see the new members present.


Adjournment - 12:35 by President Kim Poinsett.

Monday, July 10, 2006

August Lottery Information

Here is the information pertaining to the next lottery drawing for programming on WCTV Channel 21. This lottery will take place August 14 at 4 p.m. in the studio of WCTV.

Feel free to join us afterwards for a cookout celebrating the start of WCTV’s new schedule and slate of programming.

The new schedule will begin the week of September 3, 2006.




CHANNEL 21 PROGRAM LOTTERY INFORMATION

Tier One Program Drawing

Reserved only for local producers whose programs take place physically, and are recorded within, Wayne County, Indiana.

Maximum program length is one hour. One program maximum per week in this tier.

Programming days include Saturday through Thursday (WCTV’s programming equipment will not support more than six sequential days of programming per week).

Producer may supply one new program per week, and shall supply at least one fresh program at least every two weeks, to maintain tier one status. Producer shall deliver program to WCTV studios at least one business day before program plays on Channel 21.

Tier One programs will be placed first. Tier One may be expanded at the expense of Tier Two as new local producers qualify for Tier One. Tier One programs always take precedent. As of this drawing, as we maintain one hour maximum per program, there are sufficient hours available to handle historic numbers of programs. However, Tier Two programs are subject to be moved or discontinued if demand for Tier One programming expands to the point that the only way to accommodate Tier One programmers is to shrink Tier Two time, accordingly. Any cancellation may be based on last in, first out. Cancelled programs may be entered in the next lottery.

All assigned hours in Tier One are subject to the luck of the draw. Since programs are either ½ hour or one hour in length, the presiding WCTV lottery official may assign the drawn program to the next practical and available time slot, later or earlier, as applicable.

This drawing will be effective starting September 3, 2006, and programs in Tier One will normally be scheduled for a total of three run times per week, as practical. Original cablecast and repeats are typically at eight hour intervals.

Any program qualifying for Tier One which becomes a part of WCTV programming after the lottery may be placed in any time available until the next lottery drawing.

Tier One programmers -- please check the appropriate box on the return form if you would prefer that your program appears regularly on Sunday. The first random drawing will be for Sunday-preferred time slots in the eight hours between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. until all preferred Sunday hours availabilities are filled. Then, Saturday through Thursday time slots will be randomly drawn and placed in late afternoon and evening hours, as available. In the event that any Sunday hours remain after the Sunday-preferred drawing, they will be drawn for last of all, if it is necessary to accommodate any remaining producers.

Tier Two Program Drawing

Reserved only for programs that take place physically, and are recorded, outside Wayne County, Indiana.

Maximum program length is one hour. Two programs maximum per week, as time may be available. Must have a different local sponsor for each program.

Programming days may include Saturday through Thursday.

All times, repeats, and placements in Tier Two are at the discretion of the Program Director. Original program cablecast and repeats typically are at eight hour intervals for a total of two to three run times per week, as practical.

Producer may supply one new program per week, per time slot, and shall supply at least one fresh program per time slot at least every two weeks to maintain Tier Two status.

Producer shall deliver program to WCTV studios at least one business day before program plays on Channel 21.


Other Information

After its cablecast, any program that is judged to have technical problems may be pulled from programming rotation. Possible problems include very low or no audio levels, video images which have tracking problems or static, video images that are too dark or out of focus, and/or other technical problems. The Program Director may suspend the program and future episodes of the program from further cable casting until technical problems are resolved. Please spot check your program before you bring it in to avoid any problems.

WCTV accepts VHS, S-VHS, DVD, and MiniDV.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Our Blogging Producers

Check out some of our WCTV producers blogging on the web:

In Your Business

G-TV

Dickson/Chappell Report

Did I miss your blog? Send me a link at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

May 2006 Minutes

Call to Order - 11:05 a.m. by President Kim Poinsett.
Members and staff introduced themselves.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Eric Marsh, Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Kim Poinsett, Billy Porch, Phil Quinn, and Stephanie Strait. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
Dave Burns moved to accept the minutes of the April meeting with Willard Brown giving the second, minutes passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
John Dalton discussed the Friends campaign monies, the First Bank equipment sponsorship, and other items on the report. He reported that Gillam & Zetzl would be at the June meeting to report on the audit. Eric Marsh moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented with Mark Linderman giving the second, report passed unanimously.

Director’s Report
Dalton updated the board on the Indiana Telecom Bill that recently passed as well as the potential federal legislation on the horizon. He reported on the success of the statewide Access Center Director’s meeting held at WCTV, as well as meetings with IACT and the Telecom Council. He reported that Insight was scheduled to attend the next Telecom Council meeting.
Dalton reported on the positive feedback garnered from WCTV’s live election night coverage as well as highlighted other events in a busy spring production schedule, including IU East and Ivy Tech graduations and other live events.
Dalton reported that he and Kim Poinsett would try to schedule new board member orientation before the next meeting.
Dalton stated that he had been asked by the Wayne County Commissioners to present a request for funds for 2007.

Old Business
Dalton returned to the board with more information about becoming an affiliate of Free Speech Television, in which FSTV would offer a free Dish Network dish and a year’s subscription in exchange for running their news program, “Democracy Now,” five nights a week. This program would be sponsored by Paul Kreise and the American Democracy Project at IU East, who had previously talked to WCTV about running the program. Dalton believes this dish can be used as a stopgap for other programming until a more permanent replacement for the aging current dish can be secured. Phil Quinn made a motion to accept this proposal as presented with Dave Burns giving the second. The motion passed by majority, with one opposed.
New Business
Kim Poinsett presented a slate of officers for 2006-2007:

Kim Poinsett, President
Mark Linderman, Vice President
Willard Brown, Secretary
Jeff Plasterer, Treasurer

This slate was accepted as presented by a motion of Dave Burns with Jerome Mahaffey giving the second. The slate passed unanimously.


Good of the Order
Kim Poinsett welcomed the new members and thanked those who attended the annual meeting.

Phil Quinn spoke about a partnership between KICKS96, WCTV, and others to present a program on Internet predators at Centerville High School.

Other board members commented on the positive responses to WCTV’s election coverage.


Adjournment - 12:15 by President Kim Poinsett.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Circle City Public Access

Here's an article from the Indianapolis Star talking about public access possibly returning to Indianapolis. The leader of the group mentioned in this article, Andrea Price, was here at WCTV for our statewide access center meeting and talked about their challenges. When you see that a city the size of Indianapolis doesn't have what Richmond has in terms of public access you can see the potential of what we have here.

And a nice mention of "Iceman on the Move," our 2006 Program of the Year!

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006606120365

Feel free to write me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

New website!

Surf over to our sister page, www.wctv.info, to check out our new look and updates! Feel free to send questions and comments to me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Monday, May 22, 2006

New Officers and Board Members

I wanted to let our viewers and members know that we have elected new officers to our Board of Directors for 2006-2007:

Kim Poinsett, President
Mark Linderman, Vice President
Willard Brown, Secretary
Jeff Plasterer, Treasurer

As well as new board members:

Ed Hoffman (renewal)
Barb Mayberry
Sharon Palmer
Kenneth Paust (renewal)
Billy Porch (renewal)
Phil Quinn
Stephanie Strait

Feel free to email me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Friday, May 12, 2006

You Shout Out, We Shout Out

G101.3 has been producing a fun little sketch comedy/music video show on WCTV and has been promoting it quite a bit on the air and on their blog. Check it out!

Feel free to contact me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

April 2006 Board of Directors Minutes

Call to Order - 11:05 a.m. by President Kim Poinsett.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Ed Hoffman, Daryl Greene, Mark Linderman, Jerome Mahaffey, Eric Marsh, Jeff Plasterer, and Kim Poinsett. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
The Board accepted the minutes of the February 14, 2006 meeting with the minutes amended to reflect that the board wished to pursue avenues of discounted purchases through IU East before purchasing software upgrades outright. Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the minutes with Mark Linderman giving the second, minutes passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
WCTV has received the quarterly installment payment from the city.
The money in our Silver Eagle account is earning approximately 4% interest at this time.

Director’s Report
John Dalton reported that our “Friends Campaign” has seen a return of approximately 5% thus far and earned about $2,400.
First Bank awarded WCTV a sponsorship of $1500, which will be used to purchase a camera for outreach programs. There are plans for outreach programs with Wernle and the Boys and Girls Club in the works so far.
On April 20th at 1 p.m., WCTV will host a state wide public access meeting to discuss the Indiana Telecom Law, to be chaired by Erik Mollberg of Access Fort Wayne. Board members are welcome to attend.
The Annual Meeting is coming up on April 25th. Meijer is coming on as a sponsor for the meeting. We are still accepting votes for Program of the Year.
John Dalton gave thanks to Dave Burns for all his help with “House Calls.”
WCTV is participating in Mighty U at IUE, with students getting tours and an opportunity to make a public service announcement.
John Dalton is working with IUE Extended Learning to teach some of our courses through their program. This could be another source of revenue for the station.
There was discussion regarding potentially airing “Democracy Now,” a news show. There is an opportunity to get a free dish if we agree to air the news show five days a week. There is also an opportunity to get the first year’s subscription fees to DISH TV waived. After viewing a segment of the program, and after varied discussion, it was agreed to postpone the decision, giving board members time to view additional footage of the program.
John Dalton presented the equipment list request for 2006. The monies come from the Capital Equipment Fund due in June from Insight Communications. The list includes a JVC camera package, 2 Apple G5 computers and a JVC recorder. Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the proposal with Mark Linderman giving the second. The equipment proposal was approved.
John Dalton shared a letter of clarification and apology that he wrote to the County Commissioners about an incident where a volunteer, who portrayed himself as an employee of WCTV, was escorted out of the County Building by law enforcement. Dalton reported that this volunteer has been asked to follow the same rules for scheduling time as other members by not monopolizing or otherwise trying to control access to the edit bay, to limit his personal calls to the station and not to give out the station’s phone number as a contact point, and not to otherwise represent himself, or allow others to believe, he is a WCTV employee. This volunteer was given an opportunity to present a letter to Kim Poinsett prior to the board meeting but elected not to do so. Other discussion indicated that the board will support John Dalton’s decisions in this matter.

Old Business
Kim Poinsett presented the list of nominees for the Board of Directors. The list includes term renewals for Billy Porch, Ed Hoffman, and Ken Paust; and new terms for Sharon Palmer, Phil Quinn, Barb Mayberry and Stephanie Straight. Daryl Greene moved to accept, and Ed Hoffman gave the second. The list of nominees was approved.
Ed Hoffman commented on some programming problems which occurred on the previous Friday evening.

Good of the Order
Dave Burns pointed out the improvement in quality of the Midwest Jamboree and the Dickson Chappell Show.

Adjournment - 12:35 by President Kim Poinsett.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Live from the Kuhlman Center


Amy Leise from Kicks96/WHON reads election results live from the Kuhlman Center as camera person Liz Schwartz gives the cues.

Pre-Production


Stephanie Frame does some last-minute prep on graphics and music from our remote control room at the Kuhlman Center Tuesday night.

From Both Sides of the Aisle


Joe Kayser and Paul Kriese ready to go on live from our remote studio.

Stand By...


We are ready to go live from our remote studio as floor director Barry Barker looks on.

In the Crossfire


Joe and Paul interview a candidate while volunteers Ed Hoffman and Billy Porch man the cameras.

From the Studio


Crew and equipment from our remote location at the Kuhlman Center, bringing live election results Tuesday night.

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Mighty U at WCTV

The next generation of television professionals from Vaile Elementary visited the WCTV studio Wednesday .

Thursday, April 27, 2006

2005 Volunteer Recognitions

I wanted to thank everyone who attended WCTV’s 18th Annual Meeting on Tuesday. I enjoy getting together with our members and supporters and having the opportunity to discuss our ongoing efforts.

First I would like to welcome new Board of Directors members Barb Mayberry, Sharon Palmer, Stephanie Strait, and Phil Quinn, as well as thank returning board members Ed Hoffman, Ken Paust, and Billy Porch, who renewed their terms for three more years.

I also would like to share our list of 2005 award winners:

Channel 11 Producer of the Year: Daryl Greene for “A Closer Look”

Channel 20 Producer of the Year: Jim Russell and the Richmond High School AV Classes

Channel 21 Producer of the Year: Harlen Whitamore for “Richmond Poetic Society”

Volunteer of the Year: Barry Barker

Program of the Year: James Patterson and “Iceman on the Move”

Feel free to email me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Telecom Bill Updates

A lot of members and viewers ask me about how the new Indiana Telecom Bill will impact WCTV. The answer right now is that the situation is still evolving. Access Center Directors across the state decided to come together and discuss these issues so that we could share information and present a united front. I offered to host this statewide meeting at WCTV, and the meeting was held here last Thursday with about a dozen people in attendance. We heard from access folks in Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Indianapolis, and other places, as well as a spokesperson from Verizon, recognized as one of the potentially major players in this statewide process. I think it was not only important to have this meeting as part of understanding the Telecom Bill but also to return WCTV to the statewide stage as a premiere access facility. Other access directors were very complimentary about our facilities and operation, making me realizing again that we have an organization here to be proud of.

If you have questions about the Telecom Bill, or anything else, please contact me at jodalton@indiana.edu.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

March 2006 Minutes

WCTV BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MINUTES
Tuesday, March 14, 2006


Call to Order - 11:02 a.m. by President Kim Poinsett.

Present: Willard Brown, Dave Burns, Ed Hoffman, Daryl Greene, Jerome Mahaffey, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett, and Billy Porch. Staff: John Dalton, Stephanie Frame, Diane Lucas, and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
The Board accepted the minutes of the February 14, 2006 meeting as mailed. Dave Burns moved to accept the minutes with Billy Porch second, passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Jeff Plasterer pointed out that most items were within the budgeted amounts. The report indicated some overtime still showing up in January. The overtime amounts should diminish with a full staff on board.
The repair and maintenance contract with Tim Elstro expires at the end of March and will not be renewed as it is. Additional work will be on a specific as-needed basis.
The WCTV money market account will be closed and the Silver Eagle account will be the primary one used.
Ed Hoffman moved to accept the report with Willard Brown giving the second. The Financial Report was approved.

Director’s Report
John Dalton offered information regarding the new Telecommunications Bill. John has offered to host a state meeting involving other public access directors to discuss this bill. There is a potential to lose the capital expense money from Insight in 2008. WCTV will meet with the city to discuss the continuation of money coming from the City of Richmond. John Dalton and the executive board members will work with the city and Insight. John Dalton indicated that even though this may be a “bump in the road,” that there are other possibilities and ideas for funding in the future.
The “Friends Mailing” went out last week with about 500 letters having been sent. As of today, we have received 13 responses totaling a little over $500. David Fulton will record a “Friends” promo for the station to promote the campaign.
The February lottery went well, and we are programming between six and eight hours a day six days a week on Channel 21.
Our Premier Party was successful with 50-75 in attendance.
Last Monday, the Kicks96/WHON news began to air at 10:00 p.m. on Monday-Friday.
WCTV participated in the IT Fair last week at IU East.
John is working with the Wayne County Historical Museum to digitize their old film, in exchange for being allowed to use the footage to produce new “Richmond in Motion” programs.
WIPB and the Indianapolis government channel sent some programs in trade. We currently have MVCC and DATV interested in some programming of ours.
We recorded our first Spanish-language Bulletin, which is a 10-minute filler about legal and medical issues for Spanish-speaking people in Wayne County.
John Dalton asked the board for approval to purchase the Final Cut Pro 5 upgrade for Stephanie Frame’s Mac workstation to make the workstation compatible with the other workstations. He estimated this cost to be about $500. Daryl Greene moved, with Dave Burns giving the second, and the motion passed to approve the expenditure only after pursuing the possibility of discounted purchases through IU East before buying the software upgrades outright.

Old Business
Kim Poinsett asked to suspend the by-laws and have the general meeting on April 25th at 4:00 p.m. Dave Burns motioned with Jeff Plasterer giving the second. The date was moved one month in order to continue developing a slate of officers and a class of board members for next year. The motion passed to have the meeting on April 25th at 4 p.m. in the WCTV studio.

New Business
Daryl Greene mentioned that we should continue to pursue quality issues with the time base correctors.
Jeff Plasterer mentioned that he would like to see WCTV scroll a list of the polling places for the May election, as many have changed locations.


Good of the Order
Kim Poinsette enjoyed the Premiere Party.
Jeff Plasterer mentioned that the board development committee is working towards a maximum number (fifteen) of board members for the new year.
Ed Hoffman and Billy Porch agreed to new terms.
Diane Lucas feels the new brochure is very nice.

Meeting adjourned by Kim Poinsett, Ed Hoffman moved and Jeff Plasterer second to adjourn.


Adjourn - 12:15 by President Kim Poinsett.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

A Steady Hand Behind The Camera


Longtime volunteer Ed Hoffman runs camera in the WCTV studio. Ed has done a little of everything since the early days of WCTV and currently serves on our Board of Directors.