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Grafton Cable Television Oversight Committee

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To view the Town of Grafton, MA Cable Television Oversight Committee website, please go HERE.

To view the current license that the Town of Grafton has with Charter Communications, please go HERE.

To view the current license that the Town of Grafton has with Verizon, please go HERE.

To view past Annual Reports of the CATV Committee, please go HERE.

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REPORT OF THE
GRAFTON CABLE TELEVISION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
2008 ANNUAL TOWN REPORT

The Grafton Cable Television Oversight Committee provides general oversight of all cable access operations in the Town. Also, the Committee monitors the overall performance of the both Charter Communications and Verizon with respect to their Grafton cable operations.

Listed below is a summary of Access Activities:

Public Access Usage:

In the year 2008, portable equipment was provided for producers 49 times, with Linear Editing equipment being requested 2 times. Non Linear Editing equipment was requested 212 times and 117 studio shoots were produced in the year 2008. There were 182 bulletins posted on the GCTV Bulletin Board, 30 Bulletins posted on the GGTV Bulletin Board and 5 bulletins posted on the GETV Bulletin Board in the year 2008.

Public Access Production Course & GCTV Education Opportunities:

The GCTV Production Course was offered in the Spring of 2008 and 2 producers were certified. A second production course was offered in the Summer of 2008 and 9 producers were certified. A third production course was offered in the Fall of 2008 and 4 producers were certified.

Also this year, GCTV expanded its kid’s summer class offerings by increasing to 2 sessions of the GCTV Kids Summer Television Class in 2008. During the first session, 11 children, aged 12 through 17, participated in the class. During the second session, 7 children, aged 12 through 15, participated in the class. The week long workshop teaches kids the ins and outs of studio production and each class made an own program that was aired on GCTV-11.

Finally during 2008, GCTV began to run Advanced Training Workshops for its producers. These workshops are for individual producers or small groups which focus on a specific subject. Several individual workshops were conducted in 2008, and in addition, monthly workshops for larger groups were conducted as well, one in November and one in December.

Programming Summary for Grafton Public, Government & Education Access Channels:

Sports programming on GCTV-11 in 2008 included: Grafton Chiefs Tiny Mites Football Jamboree, Grafton Chiefs Jr. Pee Wee B Football Jamboree, “Baseball Without Doris Kearns Goodwin” which was a documentary on the evolution of Baseball as America’s pastime from an access station in Virginia along with several Grafton Chiefs Pop Warner Football games from several different age groups. In addition GCTV continued to air “Go Fish with Dan Kenney” a fishing series from Leicester Cable Access, “Senior Fitness with Brenda Armstrong”, and “Backpacker’s Journal”, both produced in house at GCTV.

Sports programming on Grafton Education Television in 2008 included broadcasts of selected games featuring: GHS Boys Varsity Basketball, GHS Indoor Track SWCL Relays, GHS Girls JV Basketball, GHS Girls Varsity Basketball, GHS Boys Varsity Basketball, GHS Indoor Track, GHS Boys Varsity Basketball, GHS Boys JV Basketball, GHS Varsity Baseball, GHS Varsity Softball, GHS Varsity Field Hockey, Varsity Football, GHS Girls Varsity Soccer, GHS Boys Varsity Soccer and GHS Boys Varsity Soccer. Special sports features broadcasts included: Grafton Indian Football Highlights 2007, Grafton All Stars vs. the Harlem Wizards Fundraiser Basketball Game and the GHS Students vs. Teachers Basketball Game.

Interview, news, and politically oriented programs broadcast on GCTV-11 in the year 2008 included a Vote Ray Mead PSA, a Charles Villee for School Committee PSA, The League of Women Voter’s Candidate’s Night from 4/13/08, Grafton Update: A Candidate’s Forum from April of 2008, The Case Against Casinos, an episode of Soapbox from Worcester featuring Sheriff Guy Glodis, Shrewsbury Democratic Debate, a Moore for State Senate PSA, a Belanger for State Senate PSA, John Lebeaux for State Senate Kickoff, John Lebeaux for State Senate Interview, John Lebeaux for State Senate- Interview with Paul Celucci, and the Shrewsbury Moore/Lebeaux Debate. In addition, GCTV continued regularly airing the following news and politically oriented series: “Capital Perspective” from Senator Ted Kennedy’s office, and “Senate Forum” from Senator Ed Augustus’s office. In 2008, production ended on the GCTV series “What’s Happenin’, Grafton” a news magazine show focusing on people and events in Grafton, though it continued to play for much of the year.

In 2008, interview, news and politically oriented programming broadcast on Grafton Government Television, Channel 12 were: live and replayed regular Board of Selectmen and Secondary School Building Committee meetings, and School Committee meetings were taped for rebroadcast. Additionally, in June of 2008, Grafton Planning Board meetings began to be broadcast live and rebroadcast on Channel 12 at the board’s request. All regularly scheduled and special Town Meetings were broadcast live and replayed on Channel 12. Special Government broadcasts included: Forum on Casino Gambling, School Committee Forum, Cable Advisory Committee Public Hearing, Lake Quinsigamond Commission, BOS Public Hearing on the Verizon Cable License, Planning Board Affordable Housing Presentation and SSBC OPM Interviews.

Grafton Education Television, Channel 13, also rebroadcast School Committee and Secondary School Building Committee Meetings, and the GHS weekly news program, “GHS On A Roll” continued to be broadcast in 2008. Additionally, the following news and politically oriented programming was broadcast on Channel 13 in 2008: School Committee Forum, GEA Community Forum, Parent Information Forum on Grafton Schools Accreditation and SSBC OPM Interviews.

Most of the School and Children’s events were broadcast on Grafton Education Television during the year, however a few of these broadcasts did occur on GCTV 11 including: CSI:TCS, which was a fictional movie make by the students at Touchstone Community School in conjunction with Grafton Community Television, The Summer Variety Show, a program produced by the July Session of the GCTV Kids Summer Class, The Summer Variety Show 2, a program produced by the August Session of the GCTV Kids Summer Class, Apple Tree Arts presents…Phantom of the Soap Opera, and the Oxford NHS Disney & Dinner Fundraiser.

As previously stated, most of the School and Children’s events were broadcasted on GETV-13, Grafton Education Television in 2008, including: GHS Presents… Oklahoma, GHS Talent Show 2008 GHS Graduation, 2008 NGES Memorial Day, NGES Mealworm Project, NHS Induction Ceremony, GHS Homecoming Field Day, GHS Presents… Our Town, The Forever Kevin Benefit Concert- which was broadcast live on Channel 13, 2008 NGES Halloween Parade, and the 2008 NGES Thanksgiving Book Parade and Plays.

Music Programming on GCTV-11 in 2008 included the 2007 Apple Tree Arts Community Holiday Concert, Claflin Hill Symphony presents… American Originals, 2008 Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band Spring Concert and Concerts on the Common. In addition, there were several music oriented series that continued to be broadcast on GCTV during 2008. GCTV’s longest running show, “Music Reminiscence with Roger Isabelle”, “Local Rock” from Millbury Public Access, which showcases rock bands performing live at the Millbury studio, “Instant Coffeehouse”, from Lake Champlain Access Center in Vermont, which features local folk musicians playing acoustic music, “Music and the Spoken Word”, which features religious music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and “It’s Polka Time”, which features polka festivals, live bands and polka dancing. One new Music series produced at GCTV began airing in 2008: “Music Conversations with Paul Surapine.”

General Interest programs broadcast of GCTV Channel 11 included: Let Me Eldertain You, Forgeworks Farm 2007 Year in Review, The Pet Personals, a Maple Sugaring Video, Gaze in Amaze Episode 1, Community Harvest Project PSA, 350th Anniversary of the Hassanamessit Praying Indian Village, The Nick Bailey Collection, Prevent Home Fires, Hunger in the Commonwealth, Veteran’s Day Dedication of the Walter Ermak Memorial Bridge and Grafton Update: Emergency Preparedness Forum.

Several new general interest series began airing on GCTV in the year 2008. New series produced in house at GCTV or by Grafton Producers were: “Day Trip to History” which is a show that takes viewers to local historical sites that are no more than a day tip away and teaches them about how exciting local history can be. Also a show entitled “Dark Nights of Grafton,” which is a series of suspense and horror shorts, is being aired.

Returning general and public interest series originating from GCTV in 2008 included 2 Guys Who Like to Talk, Animal Adventures, Ask The Geezers, Blazis Safaris, Cooking With Tasha, Drive In Theater, From the GCTV Vaults, The Gary Murray Show, Good Neighbors, The Grafton Oral History Project, Heartwings Place, History in the Making, JR Presents… The Holy Blabbermouth, and That’s A Good Question. In addition, several shows which originated outside of Grafton Access were aired including: Along The Blackstone, Bloomin’ with the Bemis’, Capitol Perspective, Diocesan Special, The Dungeon of Dr. Dreck, Mass Talk, Open For Business, Physician Focus, The Literati Scene, Thyme in the Kitchen and Veteran’s Forum.

2008 Grafton Access Television News:

In notable Access news for 2008, GCTV added a 3rd part time Access Assistant to help with production of Government and Education Channel meetings as well as to assist with GCTV Studio work.

New Equipment Purchases in 2008:

The Committee authorized the following major equipment expenditures during 2008: an iMAC computer, 2 HD camcorders, a digital camera, 3 HDV recorders, 2 personal computers along with various software packages and external hard drives.

Funding:

Cable access operations are funded through payments made by each cable provider.

Public Input:

We welcome input from the public and access producers – all are invited to attend our monthly meetings or to contact us. The Committee meets monthly (usually the third Saturday) and meetings are always posted at the Municipal Center. The Committee can be reached by writing to:

Grafton Cable Television Oversight Committee
30 Providence Road
Grafton, MA 01519

Danielle DeLucia, Grafton’s Public Access Coordinator and Mark Durfee, Vice Chairman of the CATV Oversight Committee contributed the information included in this report.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Grafton Cable Television Oversight Committee

Bob Hassinger, Chairman
Mark Durfee, Vice Chairman/Clerk/Treasurer
Ron Fairhurst, Member
Richard Schultze, Member
Corson Wyman, Member
Bill Robidoux, Ex-officio (non-voting)