Don't Touch That Dial
This blog will feature highlights of programming by Falls Cable Access, a not-for-profit organization located in Menomonee Falls High School.
See Village Election Results First on Channel 14
The 2009 School Board Race and the Village Board Presidents Results will be broadcast on Channel 14 again this Tuesday, April 7th. In the race for two spots on the school board, Kathy Shurilla, David Noshay and Anthony Poth are on the ballot. Randy Newman and Jefferson Davis are running for the spot on the Village Board currently held by Rick Rechlicz. The 2009 Voters Forum can be found 2 ways this year. It can be found running on Channel 14 by going to http://www.fallscableaccess.com/weekly_schedule.html for times and dates. If that doesn't fit into your schedule you can watch the forum on-demand by viewing the streaming video at our Peg-Central link http://fallscable-wi.pegcentral.com/. The Forum is listed in the Village Government folder. Remember to VOTE on Tuesday and if you can't Vote on Tuesday be sure to stop at Village Hall on Monday where you can VOTE early.
Much happening at the studio lately. The 2009 Voters Forum was hosted by John Mercure of WTMJ-TV and was shown "LIVE" on Channel 14. Technically running a show live on public access is fairly simple as far as routing the signal. Hitting the scheduled time running and keeping it moving are another thing completely. The show went off with only 2 minor glitches and they were only obvious to crew. It helps having a professional like John in the drivers seat and our now seasoned camera people, Alyssa Demge and Gorrdon Kirchoff, were able to handle all the challenges of a live audience and unrehearsed format. We expect to run other live programming in the future when it calls for it. The National Association of Broadcaster Conference as proved to be a valuable source of information for FCAC and this year we will be doing further investigation on Digital trans coding and Micro-wave technology. With the cost of microwave coming down, the technology improvements and the our remote trailer in full operation we are close to providing "LIVE" remotes of the parades, concerts and sporting events.
Let's Go, Batter Up, We're Takin' the Afternoon Off!
It's that time again. Friday's Brewer Home Opener signaled the start of Spring in Southeastern Wisconsin. The kids are enjoying their Easter Break. Teachers are driving to relatives all over the US and Falls Cable Access is running Little League Weekend again. Why run 72 Little League Games back to back to back? Well the first reason is there is a lot of work involved in each of those games and it seems a shame that they sit on a dark shelve in the high school collecting dust. The second reason is that we get so many comments from our viewers about Little League Weekend. From stories and anecdotes they want to share to tearful Thank You's from parents and Grandparents. And the third reason...they are infectious. Watching your long lost friends in the stands, your dentist or mail person hitting off the pitching machine, or my favorite, seeing people who are your friends now who you didn't know at the time, has a tendency to have you watch just one more to see who is next. And then another. Maybe just one more. And then you've either blown an afternoon you could have been working or it's 3 am and you have to usher at the 7:30 Mass. Whatever your reason, Little League Weekend will continue to be an annual event in Menomonee Falls. Go on, try to watch just one. One extra note...the games will not be streamed on the website for 2 reasons. 1. The would have to be re-entered into the drives to transfer to the server. (Lots of hours) and 2. It would consume most of our allotted space on the Peg Central server.
Friday May 1st, the access studio will be buzzing with activity as we are a host site for tours of WAPC members attending the state conference in Pewaukee. We are putting the finishing touches on the studio at this time to give the best impression and for those who are building or starting an access center, a good model to learn from. I am planning a survey of the visitors to see what they think of Falls Cable Access and how it compares to their own studio.
New Contract, New Horizons
With the new contract in place for Falls Cable Access the door is now open to some changes and improvements to the channel 14 viewing experience. A lot of the planning and direction of the access studio was in limbo since the state adopted the video provider legislation that gives the state the control over cable franchise agreements instead of the local municipalities.
Although the legislation is being challenged as not com sumer friendly, the Village needed to make sure that they were complying with state laws, and that the organization running the day to day operation of the channel understood and complied also. Falls Cable Access provides more original programming at less than 1/5 the budget of Milwaukee or West Allis, which are two of the more successful access centers in the state. We are very pleased with the Village Boards vote of confidence and the detailed and responsible work of the Village Manager and Village Attorney. The contract allows for the continuation of the cable access channels while providing a larger portion of the franchise fees collected to go into the village general fund. Specifically, the reserve fund, which as of April 15hth was around $250,000 and made possible by volunteer work in the late 80's through the 90's, will be used for capital improvements.
