WCTV Journal

Friday, August 08, 2008

Picnic Games

Producer Ralph Wynn playing cornhole on the back patio of Hayes Hall at the WCTV Summer Picnic. This is the photo I took after I dropped my camera on the concrete and tried to prove the camera wasn't broken.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

"Wayne County U" Debuts Tomorrow

During this, our 20th year, Whitewater Community Television has been thinking of ways to remind our viewers what public access television can mean to a community. We feel that educational issues are at the forefront in Wayne County at this time, and we want to contribute to that discourse. We hope that our new weekly program Wayne County U will help provide answers.

Wayne County U is a program produced by WCTV, with local partners, designed to support the educational discussions going on in our community at present.

The program begins airing Friday, August 8 at 8 p.m. on Channel 20, with repeats at midnight Friday and at 4 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Our first programs feature Dave Murray, President, National Center on College Costs, on the FAFSA: Liz Ferris, Coordinator, 21st Century Scholars, on that organization; and Maribeth Yoder, Assistant Director, Office of Financial Aid, Indiana University East, on financial aid information.

We are committed to producing fresh Wayne County U content bi-weekly, with twenty episodes through May 2009. If you are involved in a local educational organization and would like to partner with us on future episodes of this series, please contact me at 973-8488.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

This Weekend at WCTV

I wanted to remind you of some upcoming events this Friday and Saturday at WCTV.

Tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. is our 4th Annual Summer Picnic, to be held at Hayes Hall on the IU East campus. We would like to thank Meijer, Kroger, and the American Legion Post 65 Auxiliary for their support of this event.

For interested local producers, we will again draw the Channel 21 Program Lottery at 5 p.m. at the station, just prior to the picnic.

Local producers should have received their lottery letters by now. If you have not received a letter, or if you would like to be considered for a Channel 21 time slot, please contact me. Our primetime (Tier One) Channel 21 schedule is currently full, so be sure you have returned your materials to ensure your program will be included in tomorrow’s drawing.

As part of WCTV’s 20th Anniversary celebration, we are hosting a local PSA Day, where local not-for-profits can record free public service announcements. During the picnic, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., we will have our studio open with lights, camera, audio, teleprompter, and helpful staff to assist area not-for-profits in recording free thirty-second announcements to be aired on WCTV.

We have had a number of questions about the PSA event. If you would like to know more, feel free to contact me at 973-8488.

Saturday morning we will be offering our 2nd Annual free Video Bootcamp at the studio, beginning at 9 a.m. We will be teaching field and studio production in the morning, break for lunch, and begin iMovie and Final Cut nonlinear editing beginning at 1 p.m.

These free workshops came in response to requests from producers interested in improving their skills, but are also open to the community as a whole as part of our ongoing outreach intended to empower more grassroots video efforts in our community.

We hope you will join us this weekend at WCTV. And again, thank you for your ongoing interest in Whitewater Community Television.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

June 2008 Board of Directors Minutes

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

Present: Waketha Downs, Daryl Greene, Robin Henry, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Eric Marsh, Barb Orbik, Jeff Plasterer, Billy Porch, Larry Price, Phil Quinn, Valerie Shaffer, Stephanie Strait, and Rob Zinkan.
Staff: John Dalton, John Schuerman, and Diane Lucas.

Board President Mark Linderman opened the meeting by asking all members to introduce themselves.

Approval of Minutes
May Minutes: Ed Hoffman moved, with Barb Orbik giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of May 13, 2008. Minutes approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Barb Orbik presented the Treasurer’s Report for May 2008. Barb noted that May’s report reflects $1035 in additional membership income and $1000 from a grant with Communities in Schools. There are some small expenses shown for the annual meeting. Phil Quinn moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the May Treasurer’s Report was approved.

Director’s Report
John Dalton gave an update on current developments in Indiana’s Telecom law to new members, as well as information about the meeting with Comcast in April in Indianapolis.
John met with other public access television groups and the IOUCC (Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor) in Indianapolis in May to discuss ways to work with the IURC (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission) on the Indiana Telecom law.
John also reported that he gave the yearly presentation to the Wayne County Commissioners for the 2009 budget request. John stated that WCTV has not asked for an increase in funds in the last five years.
John recently sent out a membership renewal reminder letter. We have already received over $200 in renewals from this reminder.
As a part of our 20th anniversary, August 1st at 5:30 p.m. will be our annual picnic. There will also be an opportunity to tape free PSAs for area not-for-profits in the studio on that day in conjunction with the celebration. On August 2nd the free Video Bootcamp will again be offered, beginning at 9 a.m.
As part of the 20th anniversary, the staff has begun working on a new program, Wayne County U. This will focus on education and re-training for the community, and WCTV is committing to 20 episodes between August 2008 and May 2009.
John reported that WCTV will be providing media services for the national celebration of the Model T, to be held in Richmond in July.
The WCTV auction will take place again this winter. John is asking for members to begin thinking about this event and asked for those interested to participate in a committee.
Jason Ashmawi, a Ball State University student, is our summer intern.

Good of the Order
John Dalton thanked the new board members for their attendance and for listening to the “catch up” information.
Larry Price complimented Phil Quinn and John Dalton for their composure during the last Telecommunications meeting.
Daryl Greene thanked WCTV for their full coverage of the Bill Clinton visit. Daryl invited everyone to his 25th anniversary of ordination on June 22 at the Eaton United Church of Christ.

Adjournment - 12:07 p.m.

Friday, June 20, 2008

A WCTV Summer

I wanted to update you on some upcoming events this summer at WCTV.

Friday, August 1st at 5:30 p.m. is our 4th Annual Summer Picnic, to be held at Hayes Hall on the IU East campus. Again this year we will draw the Channel 21 Program Lottery at 5 p.m. in the studio, just prior to the picnic.

Lottery letters to Channel 21 producers will be going out in the next few weeks. If you would like to be considered for a Channel 21 time slot and are not presently on our producer list, please contact me. Our primetime (Tier One) Channel 21 schedule is currently full, so be sure to return your materials promptly to ensure your program will be included in the next drawing.

As part of WCTV’s 20th Anniversary celebration, we have decided to participate in PSA Day, where public access television centers across the United States open their doors for local not-for-profits to record free public service announcements. During the picnic, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., we will have our studio open with lights, camera, audio, teleprompter, and helpful staff to assist area not-for-profits in recording free thirty-second announcements to be aired on WCTV.

The following morning, Saturday August 2nd, we will be offering our 2nd Annual free Video Bootcamp at the studio, beginning at 9 a.m. We will be teaching field and studio production as well as iMovie and Final Cut editing. These free workshops came in response to requests from producers interested in improving their skills, but are also open to the community as a whole as part of our ongoing outreach intended to empower more grassroots video efforts in our community.

We are also using the Summer Picnic to announce the broadcast of Wayne County U, a new program WCTV is producing designed to support the educational discourse going on in our community at present. We are using our 20th Anniversary as a way to remind our viewers what public access television can mean to a community, and we feel that educational issues are at the forefront at this time. We hope that Wayne County U will help provide answers. Our first programs, for the month of August, provide information on the FAFSA and the 21st Century Scholars program.

We are committed to producing twenty episodes of Wayne County U through May 2009. If you are involved in a local educational organization and would like to partner with us on future episodes of this series, please contact me.

We hope you will join us for some of our busy summer at WCTV.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

May 2008 Board Minutes

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

Present: Waketha Downs, Robin Henry, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Barb Orbik, Sharon Palmer, and Stephanie Strait.
Proxies: Daryl Greene, Larry Price, and Rob Zinkan.
Staff: John Dalton, John Schuerman, and Diane Lucas.

Mark opened the meeting by introducing two new board members, Waketha Downs and Robin Henry. All members present introduced themselves.

Approval of Minutes
January Minutes: Sharon Palmer moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of January 8, 2008. Minutes approved.
March Minutes: Ed Hoffman moved, with Sharon Palmer giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of March 11, 2008. Minutes approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Barb Orbik presented the Treasurer’s Report for January, February and March. Barb noted that January was a normal month for the budget, showing little activity. Sharon Palmer moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the January Treasurer’s Report was approved.
February’s report did not reflect the payment from the City of Richmond yet, which came slightly later than usual this year. Ed Hoffman moved, with Sharon Palmer giving the second, and the February Treasurer’s Report was approved.
March’s report shows receipt of the money from the City of Richmond. It also reflects $2460.00 income from the membership drive. Barb stated that things are looking food for 2008. Stephanie Strait moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the March Treasurer’s Report was approved.

Director’s Report
John Dalton reported that the live primary election returns show was a success. The show featured a round-table discussion with many people just stopping by to be on the air. The show was also unusually long.
Earlham, IU East and Ivy Tech recently had their graduations. All were shown live on WCTV and the staff crewed IU East and Ivy Tech’s ceremonies.
We are almost finished working on a grant with Communities in Schools. John Schuerman is also working on some academic excellence spots for IUE.
Our Continuing Studies classes did not get enough enrollment to hold the classes.
John is planning our annual summer picnic in August and will again offer a free Boot Camp.
John Dalton will attend a meeting tomorrow, May 14th, at the Indianapolis City Hall with the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (IOUCC).
John added more information to his Executive Summary of the City of Richmond’s meeting with Comcast on April 11th.We continue to be on high alert with these issues.
Wayne County has asked WCTV to come and present next year’s budget request. Both County and City governments are predicting cuts in their budgets because of property tax relief. We can look to 2009 and 2010 to see the full effects of these budget cuts.

New Business
Mark Linderman offered additional thoughts on the budget issue and suggested a board retreat in late summer or early fall.
The election of two new members of the executive board took place. For Vice-President, Ed Hoffman moved, with Sharon Palmer giving the second, that Stephanie Strait be named Vice-President. The motion was unanimously carried. For Secretary, Ed Hoffman moved, with Waketha Downs giving the second, that Sharon Palmer be named Secretary. The motion unanimously passed.

Good of the Order
John Dalton thanked the new executive board members and the new board members.

Adjournment - 11:35 a.m.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

March 2008 Board Minutes

Call to Order - 11:05 a.m. by Vice President Willard Brown.
As there was not a quorum, Brown presided over an informational meeting.

Present: Willard Brown, Ed Hoffman, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett, Larry Price, Barb Orbik, and Stephanie Strait.
Staff: John Dalton and John Schuerman.

Approval of Minutes
Tabled until May meeting.

Treasurer’s Report
Barb Orbik presented information on the 2007 budget year. WCTV ended with approximately $27,000 in profit, raising 102% of operating income with 90% operating expenses.
Orbik presented the January 2008 monthly report.
Orbik recommended the board accept Webb and Associates as the organization’s new auditor.
These votes were tabled.

Director’s Report
Dalton presented info on the annual membership drive conducted in February. The first responses are coming in. Our current mailing list has grown to over 600.
Dalton reported on the Channel 21 Lottery, held February 11. The Channel 21 schedule is nearly full again this time.
Dalton discussed the upcoming meeting with Comcast in Indianapolis, and gave an update on an Alliance for Community Media meeting in Cincinnati he presented at February 22.
Dalton presented potential new board members for the Annual Meeting.
Dalton stated that WCTV’s first live sports broadcast of the IU East Homecoming game was very successful in IUE’s eyes, and they are eager to do more.
Dalton reported that WCTV received a $1,000 grant to produce PSAs for Communities in Schools and 21st Century Scholars as part of a Wayne County Foundation impact grant.

Old Business
Dalton discussed purchasing software upgrades for the production computers to make them more compatible with the new video file server.

New Business
Dalton proposed conducting the Annual Meeting in conjunction with the actual 20th Anniversary of WCTV on Monday, April 7. This vote was tabled.

Adjournment - 11:45 a.m.

January 2008 Board Minutes

As inclement weather canceled February, and there was a lack of quorum in March, the January minutes were voted on in May.

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

Present: Willard Brown, Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Eric Marsh, Sharon Palmer, Jeff Plasterer, Kim Poinsett, Larry Price, Barb Orbik, and Stephanie Strait.
Staff: John Dalton, John Schuerman, Nick Poling and Diane Lucas.
Guest: Chris Hardie.

Approval of Minutes
Ed Hoffman moved, with Willard Brown giving the second, that the Board unanimously accepts the minutes of December 11, 2007. Minutes approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Barb Orbik presented the Treasurer’s Report. Barb noted that the franchise payment did not arrive in November as it had in the past; therefore it is reflected in the December report. Barb pointed out the $1183.00 brought in by the Auction.
Jeff Plasterer moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the Treasurer’s Report was approved.

Director’s Report
John considers the Auction to be complete with $2,942.00 raised. There is still over $300.00 of unclaimed items that John is talking to the accountants about what to do with.
John reported that the live call-in Santa Show was a success. There were over 45 calls taken during the one-hour show, which also featured about a half-dozen children in the studio.
In March, WCTV will again offer workshops through the Continuing Studies department of IU East. Last year WCTV made about $570.00 with these classes. John also plans to offer the free workshops again in the summer.
The IU East Homecoming game on January 26th at the Tiernan Center will have live coverage from WCTV.
On January 17th the Telecommunications Council will meet. John plans to attend and address the status of the live system with the cable provider as well as report on the regional access center meeting he attended.
John noted that 8 of our 15 board members will have their terms expire this year.
The Wayne County Foundation was awarded an Impact Grant with WCTV participating.
Membership Scholarships were discussed with John offering candidates for scholarships this year. Daryl Green moved, with Ed Hoffman giving the second, and the two scholarships were unanimously approved.

Old Business
For the 20th Anniversary of WCTV, there will be new station IDs, the Viewfinder Video Magazine, and some special “By Request” shows. Daryl Green noted that this might be a good time to educate the public about just what WCTV is.

Good of the Order
John Dalton thanked Chris Hardie for his attendance at the meeting.

Adjournment - 11:50 a.m.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Cameraman-Eye View

Volunteer Barry Barker snapped this cameraman-eye view of our live Primary Election Returns from behind his tripod.

Live Primary Returns

This is Ball State student Jason Ashmawi, our summer intern. Finally somebody else tall enough to get those high-angle shots.

Camera #3

Barry Barker snapped this shot of board member Billy Porch manning a camera in the early hours of the broadcast.

Live Primary Returns #2

Later ironman Ed Hoffman filled in for Billy Porch. We had our All-Star camera line-up, with former Volunteers of the Year Ed, Billy, and Barry all on the job.

Live Primary Returns Roundtable

A nice shot by Barry Barker of our live Primary Returns set, on the staircase landing at the Wayne County Annex. John Schuerman dreamed this up, and I didn't know how good it would look until I saw the broadcast. Thanks to Karen Chasteen, Joe Kaiser, Phil Quinn, and Kelley Cruse, who anchored down almost three hours of live returns.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

20th Anniversary

As promised, another 20th Anniversary cake.

20th Anniversary #2

The assembled membership looks over the minutes of last year's Annual Meeting.

20th Anniversary #3

Board President Mark Linderman and I preside over the festivities.

20th Anniversary Awards and Recognitions

Thanks to all who attended last night’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. We recognized more than 50 volunteers as well as current and previous staff and board members.

I wanted to share with you some of our 2007 program recognitions.

Channel 11 Producer of the Year: Sharon Palmer for “City Connections.”

Channel 20 Producer of the Year: Wes Miller for Earlham College programs.

Channel 21 Producer of the Year: Keith Van Tilburg and Al Johnson for “Rightly Dividing.”

2007 Volunteers of the Year: A.J. Alexander and Caleb Walters.

The 2007 Program of the Year selection was again open for public voting. This year’s winners were Ray and Bonnie Slick for “Proclaim Liberty.”

As part of a brief business meeting, new board members were added and several terms renewed.

Renewing terms were Eric Marsh, Barb Orbik, Jeff Plasterer, and Stephanie Strait.

New board members are Waketha Downs, Robin Henry, Valerie Shaffer, and Rob Zinkan.

They will join Daryl Greene, Ed Hoffman, Mark Linderman, Sharon Palmer, Billy Porch, Larry Price, and Phil Quinn on WCTV’s 2008-2009 Board of Directors.

Monday, April 07, 2008

2007 Annual Meeting Minutes

Call to Order:
President Kim Poinsett called the Annual Meeting of the membership of WCTV to order at 4:05 p.m.
Poinsett introduced the current Board Members and acknowledged Kenneth Paust, who left the board.
Poinsett also introduced the WCTV staff, recognized part-time and interim staff, and interns.
Fifteen Production Partners were recognized and twenty-six Business Partners were acknowledged and thanked.

Present:
The list of those in attendance is attached. (Attachment A)

Approval of Minutes:
Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting were distributed. Ed Hoffman moved to accept the minutes with Dave Burns giving the second. The minutes were unanimously approved.

Financial Report:
Treasurer Jeff Plasterer presented the financial report ending December 31, 2006. The income was $238,463.42, operating expenses were $216,923.85, with a total net income of $21,539.57. Plasterer reported that WCTV ended the year in better shape financially than the previous year.
Jeff Plasterer moved to accept the report with Sharon Palmer giving the second. The financial report was unanimously approved

Director’s Report:
Station Director John Dalton shared WCTV statistics, including an average of more than 75 programs a week adding up to more than 16 hours a day across the three channels; and airing more than 100 original series from more than 45 local producers in 2006.
Dalton also shared updates on the board, personal, and community mandates given to him upon his arrival a year ago.
Dalton spoke about this year’s plans, including exploring more technology trends and outcomes, and pursuing corporate work to grow additional revenue streams. But Dalton stated that following state and federal franchising legislation, and working with our current and any potential future cable companies, would be paramount.

When Dalton asked for questions from the floor, Ralph Wynn stated that he hoped WCTV would look at the personnel requirements for hiring. Wynn urged all to remember what public access means, especially to under-represented populations.
Jerome Mahaffey and James Patterson also spoke from the audience to ask WCTV to look at personnel requirements.

Old Business:
Nominees for new Board Members were introduced by Mark Linderman. Nominees are:
Daryl Greene (renewal), 3 year term
Eric Marsh (renewal), 1 year term
Jeff Plasterer (renewal), 1 year term
Stephanie Strait (renewal), 1 year term

James Patterson moved to accept the slate of nominees, with Ed Hoffman giving the second. The nominees were unanimously approved.

New Business:
Annual Awards:
John Dalton presented certificates to 45 volunteers. He recognized former award winners in the audience before announcing the following awards:

Channel 11 Producer of the Year – Stephanie Hays-Mussoni (accepted by Harry Phillips), for “Environmentally Speaking”

Channel 20 Producer of the Year – Tim Scales, for “In Your Business”

Channel 21 Producer of the Year – Jim and Cathy Hill, for “Midwest Jamboree”

2006 Volunteer of the Year – Jonathan Crawford and Christina Vaughn

2006 Program of the Year – WHON Kicks 96 News

Meeting Adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Refreshments Provided.

(Attachment A)

Whitewater Community Television
2006 Annual Meeting
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE NON-MEMBER ATTENDANCE

Willard Brown Dara Chamberlain
Dave Burns Kate Eliason
Patricia DeSonie Annalisa Gross
Waketha Downs Johnny Hou
Chris Hardie Harry Phillips
Cathy Hill Megan Scales
Carolyn Hoffman Shirley Turley
Ed Hoffman Cynthia Vaughn
Mark Linderman Caleb Walters
Jerome Mahaffey
Barb Mayberry
Sharon Palmer
Jeff Plasterer
Kim Poinsett
Tim Scales
Bonnie Slick
Ray Slick
Stephanie Strait
Ralph Wynn

STAFF IN ATTENDANCE

John Dalton
John Schuerman
Nick Poling
Diane Lucas

Friday, April 04, 2008

Upcoming WCTV Events

Just a reminder that WCTV’s 20th Anniversary celebration will be held Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the WCTV studio in Hayes Hall on the IU East campus. We will have a brief business meeting, then share recognitions and awards before offering a facilities tour. Refreshments will be served.

Also, on Sunday April 6 Channel 20 will be offering a slate of special programming to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Richmond explosion. Please check the local listings, or the WCTV website (www.wctv.info), for the full schedule.