City

Thanks again to the many persons who have written editorials and letters to the city manager in support of WCCA TV.

Lately , many people have come up to me expressing something like "...Congratulations, WCCA is finally all set, you have a new contract..."

No, we do not have a new contract. We have an extension of what we had signed in 1997.

As the Executive Director of WCCA, my years of experience on the job, I know how much many of you sincerely care for the station, and have also dedicate a lot of your lives volunteering here at the station, I have a duty to clarify the situation.

City Manager O'Brien has executed an contract extension with WCCA that will expire in September, 2008, unless we first come to a long term agreement prior to its expiration.

What this means:
First of all, we at WCCA sincerely appreciate that the extension will allow WCCA to continue until September. The extension, however, does not address our dire equipment needs or the support we would need to meet the increase community demands for our services, that would be supported from the capital provisions that were written into Charter's license to support PEG.

In the mean time, the City Manager O'Brien is asking a citizens cable advisory to review WCCA's public access needs. They are reviewing the work that was primarily done during the cable franchise renewal ascertainment process ( from 2004- 2008 ). During that phase of the process, community and city groups called for increased funding and support for WCCA. The City Manager has recently asked the cable advisory to look at best practices, contract length or term, financial accountability and to recommend how to allocate funding and capital to support channels 11, 12 and 13. It seems the new concern is that the city now has a five year, instead of a ten year, commitment, from Charter to support the Worcester's PEG channels. It looks like Charter did well to leverage political support and consumer complaints to get the short term it wanted. I tried to warn the city about the risk associated with a short license term, however, it did little good. In fact, after reviewing the renewed cable franchise license, we are not sure how much, if anything, of the expressed community needs that came out of the recent ascertainment, actually made it to the negotiation table. I say this because it is pretty much the same franchise deal as in 1997 minus five years commitment of cable service for Worcester and PEG channel support, and about half of the senior discount, no PEG Broadband inclusion , no inclusion on the preview guide or channel ID, no additional county wide channel for WCCA, no additional channel set asides specifically of Public Access, for example. None of these benefits are found in the rewed license.

I am certain, it is a matter of generally accepted best practices, and most consultants would agree, that of the 5% Franchise Revenue a city recieves for PEG, the formula to support PEG breaks down as follows: 60% P (WCCA), 20%E (WPS channel), 20%G (Government channel). While channels 11 and12 serve city government and an arm of city government (WPS), WCCA serves the entire city including public initiatives, individuals, private schools, and enterprises and hundreds of non-profits (24/7). To diminish WCCA funding in the smallest amount would be contrary to best practices. All the PEG channels are valuable and deserve support for the important contribution they provide for our city. The opportunity to assure reasonable support may have been lost during ascertainment and proceeding negotiations. Would it be right and just if the needs of channels 11 and 12 were to be met at the expense of WCCA TV 13, after the city had invested 22 years in what has become a thriving model public access center, WCCA TV?

On May 27, the City Council had passed a motion asking the city manager to wrap up a long term contract with WCCA by the end of June.

On May 27 the cable advisory committee also met. Both Channel's 11 and 12 expressed that they would like to take a substantial portion of the funding that was traditionally allocated to WCCA, to apparently, basically, to replicate much of WCCA has been already doing since 1986. Many on WCCA's Board of Directors, and members, friends and I agree, believe that if the City Manager's Cable Advisory Committee recommends such a thing and the City Manager carries it out, that may rightly be perceived as out right thievery.

The real need the City Manager's cable committee should be addressing is what can the city do to make up for what it lost in the negotiations with Charter's cable contract other than to pit PEG against itself or tell us to go beg for it?

We will soon be coming forward with a proposal which may offer a realistic solution, which we hope the City Manager will take into consideration.

We learned that the cable advisory will be meeting on June 16 in room 310 at 5:30PM.

Please keep up your letters, phone calls, and all you are doing to support WCCA TV 13,"The People's Channel". You are WCCA TV.

Last night WCCA TV's Studio A was packed with members, supporters,and a least one City Councilor, Gary Rosen, to discuss their need for the future of WCCA's funding and to share their frustrations with the way city seems to be apparently handling the matter. The general membership and opened meeting was cable and web cast live on Channel 13 and wccatv.com.

A community of concerned citizens shared and expressed their questions, concerns, and shared their opinions wanting to know why this process is taking so long, after the city had already spent nearly four years in a public process that included substantial and detailed review of community media needs including that of WCCA TV. Many were also questioned and condemned of the Research Bureau apparent continued attacks on WCCA and other fine community resources such as the Senior Center (WCCA members who produce Senior Speak).
Following my update on the status of WCCA which included a communication relative to the city manager needing more time to re-review the four year community assessment process, which has also appeared in todays Telegram, Community members shared dynamic and passionate views asking the City Manager, through City Councilor Rosen, to step up the pace so WCCA TV operations, which is in dire need of new equipment and building upgrades, can properly move forward with it's charitable mission to provide for public access community media needs and to build community through electronic media while making community empowering communication resources available ona non-discriminatory basis.

I want to thank ALL who time to attend the meeting last night. Your comments were stunning, eloquent, articulate, and direct. People of all ages, a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds and ethnic heritage, came together in a unified spirit. The meeting demonstrated, without argument, that there is a strong community need, care and concern for the continuation of WCCA TV and for the city administration and city council to make assurances to ensure WCCA TV's capacity for increased growth to meet community media needs in all platforms of communication technology.

Those who attended last night's cable cast meeting, and also those who had written support letters, editorials, sent a strong message that you care and that WCCA is important to you. Your message has been well noted and will remain documented and archived on tape and on line for the record, the people's record. Keep it up. Will our efforts to call attention to saving public access be fruitful? That remains to be seen. Thanks for your continued patience.

WCCA will also be re-cable casting the meeting soon. Stay tuned for the new program schedule.

EVERYONE in this city knows WCCA TV is important and should be supported. Either this empowering community resource is nurtured or it is compromised. What does that mean to YOU ?
Thanks for your support.
Wormtowntaxi writes more on the subject.

Photo by Jeff Barnard

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

Only on WCCA TV 13, The People' Channel.

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.

The Worcester Telegram reported incorrect local primary election results in this mornings news paper. They did correct it on the on line version. Less than 15% of the registered voters showed up to vote yesterday. That is a key issue.

With this story today we want your comments or theory why such a despicable low voter turn out.

Please note:
The T&G wrote;
WORCESTER— The following candidates for at-large city councilor finished in the top 12 in yesterday’s preliminary election and have advanced to the Nov. 6 general election: Gary Rosen, Konstantina B. Lukes, Kate Toomey, Frederick C. Rushton, Dennis L. Irish, Grace C. Ross, Michael J. Germain, Michael C. Perotto, Joseph M. Petty, Morris A. Bergman, William J. McCarthy and William S. Coleman.

Those eliminated are: John J. Mahoney, Maritza Cruz, Allison A. Alaimo, James M. Callahan, John L. Dellasanta and Michael Grandone Jr.

A chart on the front page of some editions of today’s Telegram & Gazette gave incorrect results.

WCCA TV in partnership with InCity Times will be conducting a candidate forum focusing on the the At Large and Mayoral Candidates. SAVE THE DATE October 3rd, 6:30 PM LIVE at WCCA TV 13, the People's Channel.

WCCA TV is participating again with Worcester Windows:
A Community Gallery Program" funded in part by the Worcester Cultural Coalition,
City of Worcester, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce,
and KJ Barron's Fine Wine and Spirits.

August 29, 2007

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WCCA TV 13 will be presenting a special six part series promoting local artist entitled ARTIST SHOWCASE.

The WCCA TV series will present four visual artist: Sumiyo Toribe, Debra Bianculli, David Wackell, Svetlana Burinskaya visual painter/poet Judith Ferrara, composer/ video artist: Andrew DePasquale and a craft /jewelry artist: Chris Ploof. The series will feature a unique view of the diverse talent from the Worcester area.

These exciting collaborative television production features intimate discussions examining and sharing perspectives and artistic treatment by the creating artist. The series is TV by Artist, for Artist and for those who appreciate the significance art and culture has on both individual and community well being.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Worcester Cultural Commission, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, The program is a collaborative involving the Worcester Cultural Coalition and its members, the appearing artist and WCCA TV.

There are many great and important artists in the Worcester area. We view this initiative as a pilot with intentions to continue placing the spot light on many more artist and cultural institutions in the future.

Artist Showcase will be cable and web cast weekly, beginning Saturday at 9 AM and 5:30 PM beginning September 1st on WCCA TV channel 13 and over the web at www.wccatv.com

For more information please contact: Tracy Foley, Program Manager, WCCA TV

WCCA TV 13, "The People's Channel", Worcester's public access channel is presenting the BOLD STEPS conference along with exclusive interviews presenting local leaders and partners in this wonderful collborative on:

Thursdays, June 14 & 21 at 9:00pm
Friday, June 15 & 22 at 10:30am

In an effort to address the need for shelter and transitional housing,the Central Massachusetts Housing Authority Alliance has joined with Worcester State College and several agencies to form a BOLD STEPS INITIATIVE.

A packed room including several government leaders attended the announcement yesterday, included Mayor Konstantina Lukes, Sen. Edward Augustus, city councilors, state Rep. Robert P. Spellane, D-Worcester, and U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester.

Partners in the Bold Steps Initiative include: Worcester State College, Curry College, L.T.L. Dance Studio, Massachusetts State Police, Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corp., Worcester Boys & Girls Club, Worcester Department of Health & Human Services, Worcester Firefighters Local 1009, Worcester Probate and Family Court, Workforce Central, Girls Inc. and YMCA.

Also we provide more about this from the Worcester Telegram