WCCA TV13 is a public access TV station and community media center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Our programming is produced by and for the people of Worcester. We are a window into Worcester's diverse community.
WCCA TV, public access, is an important, vital part of the Creative Economy. WCCA TV facilitates a free speech platform which represents a free flow of information which any creative economy depends upon. WCCA also encourages citizen participation, civic engagement, open dialog, fresh and diverse ideas essential to creativity and an creative economy. We hope our city leaders ( councilors and administration ) are opened minded to the value of WCCA TV, as we share the following good news from MAASH.
One sure fire way to show support for a creative economy in Worcester is to demonstrate real support for WCCA TV. We are still without a long term commitment from the city to continue the tremendous public service and resources we provide to benefit all of Worcester. The public access agreement expired in January of 2007, a new cable contract was signed in Spring of 2008. It will be August first tomorrow and WCCA waits, in good faith, without a long term contract, for a message that the city will encourage this creative component of Worcester's economy.
As the City of Worcester renegotiates its contract with Charter Communications for the local cable monopoly, WCCA TV13 is in jeopardy. The station's funding depends on the details of the negotiation, details which are currently not being discussed with the public.
On the down side, the Research Bureau released a report suggesting that WCCA's funding should be cut by 2/3. This report was riddled with errors, misreporting the budget of some public access centers by $1 million and claiming a Michigan station was "public access" when it wasn't (chart with correct numbers).
On the up side, Worcester Magazine and the Telegram & Gazette wrote editorials supporting WCCA. An assessment of WCCA showed that the station is strong, well-respected, serves a wide spectrum of the community, and provides services to local non-profits valued at one million dollars annually. Letters of support have been pouring in to local publications.
How can I help?
WCCA really needs YOUR support in a number of ways. Here are some ideas of thing you can do to help:
Make a tax deductable donation to WCCA TV (Checks payable to WCCA TV). You can also make a donation online using Google Checkout or Paypal. Visit the Donate to WCCA TV13 page.
.Donate new computers and software
.Volunteer to teach or apply your technical skills to help us design and build new digital platforms for distributing content.
Make Goodsearch your default search engine. Be sure to enter WCCA TV as the charity you want to support. (every time you search through Goodsearch, WCCA gets a penny.)
If you have grant writing experience call Mauro today at (508) 754-1880.
Participate in anyway you can (volunteer, help us fundraise, spread the word, etc.)
What will be lost if WCCA's funding is cut?
If funding for WCCA "The PEOPLE'S Channel" is reduced...
You'll no longer see WCCA TV "Easy Access Productions such as Soapbox hosted by Executive Director Mauro DePasquale interviewing members of our community such as including, Worcester Mayor and City Manager, asking them the questions the people of Worcester submit through this web site. You'll no longer see Worcester Mayor Konnie Lukes discuss city issues with a wide variety of guests. Award winning KidsNet/Youth Channel, Teen Central, Young Views Young News, Worcester teens will no longer have a place to learn about television production in a real professional environment. WCCA is the only place where Worcester teens can really do all of this without the thumb print of a supervising adult.
Worcester's only show for seniors by seniors featuring local talent would disappear.
You'll no longer be able to see Worcester City Councilor Mike Perotto discussing Worcester issues.
Videos showcasing local bands will disappear.
Local Talk shows such as those hosted by Tommy Colletta and Shannon Senior, Sybil Farson, Father Michael Bafaro, Ramona Marangos, Bros. Dennis Wyrzykowski, Lynne Simonds, and others will be lost.
Our training workshops and internship opportunities would be lost and so would all the economic, social, and cultural development that WCCA contributes to will be gone.
Many other great shows created by and for the people of Worcester at The People's Channel will no longer be produced without your support and help.
This website ( browse through the site and see for yourself) and our community computer lab will also be lost.
Lights Camera , give us your BEST IMPRESSION stand off.
Gives us your best impression. Can you do Christopher Walken, Ricky Riccardo, Bill Clinton, Joan Rivers, John Lennon, or James Cagne, how about Elvis? What is your pleasure?
Male or Female, young or old, give us your best shot.
You will get about 60 seconds to introduce your character and riff some kind words in support of WCCA or recite our station ID. We’ll even give you extra time if you also say happy anniversary to the Worcester Cultural Coalition.
WCCA will videotape and later cable and web cast your impression.
“This huge, Jerry , HUGE !”
You can become the next big star. Come on down to WCCA studio’s, 415 Main Street anytime Monday through Thursday, between the hours of 12:30 and 4:30 PM, beginning Thursday, June 19, 2008
There will be a prize involved. We will be asking viewers to vote on line. The winner will get a gift certificate for a local Worcester Restaurant, and heck you’d be on TV supporting the best local television station every, WCCA TV 13, “The People’s Channel”
Donations will be welcome, of course, but no pressure. Camera and studio is waiting for your close up ! It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Summer Fun happens at WCCA TV!
Glad to see Bill is feeling better. In this upcoming InCity Times, Bill shares some insight on Fathers Day.
" Fathers Day : United StatesIn the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia[4][5] or on June, 19th of the same year, in the state of Washington[6].In West Virginia, it was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mothers' Day, which had been celebrated for the first time two months prior in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles (24 km) away.Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA.Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon."
Thanks to Bill and also Rose at InCity Times for all they do to help and contribute to build Worcester's neighborhoods.
Don't forget to check out Father's Fest at Institute Park, Saturday afternoon, June 14th. Family fun, and parent resources for all.
Hello All:Here's the latest NewsNote installment.It covers the next step in Iraq. Economic jobs programs are this year's model. I am north of Baghdad.
(Kirkuk Iraq) - America is taking the next logical step in Iraq to cut violence. Too bad it’s about 4 years late. Until the latest spike in violence, insurgent activity had dropped off dramatically, to about 40 American deaths a month. Partly because renegade religious leader Muqtada al Sadr declared a ceasefire. But mostly because the Sunnis for the most part threw in the towel. Al Qaeda's barbarous acts against the very Sunnis who most supported them drove those same Sunnis to turn against the insurgent group and throw them out. Now many of the Sunnis are manning checkpoints, riding around in cars and generally keeping the peace in their own neighborhoods across the Sunni areas. Now American patrols routinely stop at these checkpoints, talk and joke with the Sunni 'fighters,' hand out some water, and find out what the insurgents are up to in the area. It's a remarkably effective way to quell violence. If someone lays a roadside bomb, it’s these neighborhood security groups that have the local knowledge to find the perpetrator. For this the Americans pay the Sunni fighters the princely sum of somewhere between $125 a month to $250 a month per fighter, depending on the area. In this part of northern Iraq there are 12,000 of these fighters. Upward of 70,000 across the country. It is probably the best bargain America ever made. One of the reasons the al Qaeda message was initially so attractive is because al Qaeda paid good money. For an unemployed Iraqi man, especially one with a family, getting $100 in return for firing a gun at America forces or helping to lay a roadside bomb is a meal ticket good for a month. Many American officers knew as far back as 2004 that the economic incentive was a major factor in quelling the insurgency. That’s not surprising. Counter-insurgencies are waged at the level of the village, neighborhood and household. That meant sergeants, lieutenants and captains knew what was going on better than the generals. But that knowledge didn’t flow upwards. To take away the economic attractions of al Qaeda meant the Americans needed to spend money on a massive scale and spread it around in small chunks. Like a 1930s-era Works Projects Administration. That essentially is what these US-funded Sunni security groups do - they pay American dollars to military-minded Iraqis to stay away from al Qaeda. We out-bid al Qaeda for their services and we won. Violence is down. It works. Finally and at last the military is taking that idea and extending it. A new program called the Civilian Service Corps (CSC) is being created. It aims to get thousands of people into job training and into viable construction companies, and give them a guaranteed paycheck for about a year, courtesy of the America taxpayer. It will bring economic stimulus to large areas of Iraq. The idea, essentially, is to let the Iraqis eat their way out of the insurgency. As ideas go it’s a winner. But the problem with ideas like this is they are not 'sexy.' Economic training and jobs programs are... yawn... boring. Sadly, they are also much more effective than kicking in doors and shooting people. This massive jobs program didn’t happen in 2004 because the American military leaders didn’t have the ability to take the information from below and develop something like the CSC. And because the rules governing the military's use of funds for civil projects actually prohibited spending money for programs like the CSC. It will be interesting over the next year to see if the CSC works. If it doesn’t work it won't be because it's not a good idea - it's probably the best one of the past year. It will be because the idea is so gosh-darn unbearably boring that no one will take it seriously.
Mission
To ensure people have access to the use of a public forum through various channels of communication including technology and media with education and training resources.
Benefits to the Community:
Citizen Produced programming: Behind every show and every electronic message there is a Worcester person, group or organization behind it.
Increased Communications within the city: WCCA is a voice for all a beacon to Worcester's diversity, fresh ideas, news and information, a home to all types of different languages and ethnic backgrounds. Inspires discussion and encourages community dialog.
Citizen Empowerment through Electronic media: Opened to all on a non-discriminatory basis, WCCA is participatory and democratic media. WCCA provides access to channels tools, education and resources to media which in turn, allows people to make a difference, impact their community through shared ideas, opinions, and action. People become franchised owners through such participatory use.
Shared diversity of Ideas, culture and information: WCCA is unmatched in the number of programs that aere Worceseter centric. WCCA presents locally produced News, in nearly every language, the vast spectrum of ideas, backgrounds ethnicity, technology , institutional offerings, individual opinions, together, contributes substantially to the creative and smart city model.
Promotion of sense of city pride: Watch WCCA programming or read letters we receive from around the world, WCCA is window into Worcester. Community media producers are more than proud of their accomplishments, WCCA is a model public access center, more importantly, the public access process , as a free speech platform, nurtures community spirit and pride.
Community outreach venue: Nearly every non-profit in Worcester has taken advantage of WCCA, as an affordable media tool it is unmatched and extremely valuable.
WHAT MAKES WCCA TV IMPORTANT FOR YOU?
Community Building block giving voice to the invisible in our community
Classes and Workshops on TV or media, from KidsNet/Youth Channel, Young Views Real News, Internships, Weekly production courses, web classes.
WCCA's Interactive website and streaming media,
WCCA's Community Computer Lab
Internships and volunteer opportunities
Producing MY OWN Community Media, your own TV show
Being a guest on any of the hundreds of locally originated WCCA shows.
Local news and information, programming you can not find anywhere else. TV BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE AND OF THE PEOPLE.
Outreach the station provides fro non-profits, cultural events, social service agencies, artist.
Other:
Thanks for your support.
Leave your answer as a comment.
Congratulations to ALL those who helped make this possible. Everything Worcester has to offer, from the smallest and most invisible voice, our many institutions and organizations, our schools, our services, our diversity, to the highest level of leadership, is what makes Worcester as good as it is. We are all proud to be a part of it and to call it home.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, PEOPLE OF WORCESTER.
Last night, March 19th, WCCA met with members of the city council's Public Service and Transportation Committee to discuss WCCA's operational and capital needs for the next five years.
Councilors Joe Petty, Gary Rosen and William Eddy were very receptive and expressed their support for WCCA. Gary Rosen passionately expressed that he hopes to be joined by all his colleagues on the council in a call for assurances to ensure WCCA will continue the valuable level of service and to meet future community media needs.
Congratulations to YOU, Worcester. Thanks to the people and organizations of Worcester for the tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement you have given to WCCA TV over the past years. You have have helped us with your letters, editorials, post cards, petitions, attendance at cable meetings, and your many phone calls to city leaders. Because of your efforts, the city was able to negotiate a decent contract with Charter. The city will soon be receiving the funding and capital needed to continue WCCA TV's public access mission.
Now WCCA's funding and its future lies in the hands of City Manager Michael O'Brien. It is up to him to allocate funding pursuant to YOUR needs as ascertained by the city. YOU have spoken at those public hearings and through YOUR letters, before the PS&T and Cable Advisory committees. Both Committees echoed your request for increased funding, equipment capital and additional channel for WCCA TV “The People's Channel”, YOUR VISION TELEVISION. The city has been sensitive to all of our voices and, so far, to the needs of public access.
Your continued support is more vital now than ever. Please continue those calls and letters to our councilors and the City Manager.
Stay alert for upcoming public hearings regarding the future of WCCA. Sign up for our WCCA mailing list. Together, we may be able to convince the Manager to see to it that WCCA sustains at least the current level of service and community productions. We must press on together. That is what makes this truly "the people's channel".
Sincerely on behalf of the Volunteers, Community Producers, Interns, KidsNet/Youth Channel Students, Community Board, and Staff, Thank you.
Mauro DePasquale
Watch all the preliminary excitement as the new Hanover Theater enjoys it's premier night. Relive the celebration with cameraman Frank Rocco with Gary Rosen and Dottie Hargrove,as they interview crowds on the red carpet.
Cable and web casting this
Thursday night at 9pm, (pre-empting Grecian Melodies), Monday, March 24 at 8:00pm (pre-empting Ted Lalos),
and also on Friday, March 28 at 2:30pm
WCCA's Mike Benedetti also has images posted on Flickr. as well. Congrats to all involved.
Tonight, as I write this, I am swinging to sounds of WPI's fantastic stage band under the direction so Rich Falco. This is the first shooting for WCCA's special music series: BAND EDGE.
Groovy cool big band sounds the way nature intended it.
Awesome, we can't wait to get this on cable and on line for you. Yeah Baby! Swing it man!
WCCA TV13 is a public access TV station and community media center
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