Today at 12:25 PM
One
of the spin-offs from some recent heated discussions involved the
future of Medford's Community Access TV aka Channel 3. It got me
thinking.
I really haven't missed Channel 3, for a couple of reasons - the schedule wasn't on the Comcast onscreen guide and when I did click through Ch 3, I didn't find much programming of interest.
I really haven't missed Channel 3, for a couple of reasons - the schedule wasn't on the Comcast onscreen guide and when I did click through Ch 3, I didn't find much programming of interest.
The
community needs to re-think the whole community access thing since the
internet now provides so many ways to get amateur content available and
the cost of video equipment is much lower now. Not everyone has a
computer, but on the other hand a lot of people don't have cable and get
all their entertainment streamed to them over the internet.
I'd suggest the next mayor appoint a committee to investigate;
- What success stories can we find in neighboring communities? How do they define and measure success?
- What contractual and legal framework exists in our current cable contracts?
- What does the Medford community need and want?
As
President of the Historical Society and Museum, I think one of the
purposes should be to document and archive public events in Medford.
The mayoral debate was a recent example that was recorded. Was the
dedication of the Peace Garden recorded? The Museum could partner with
the community access group to insure preservation of events that will
be of interest to historians decades from now. The community access
group could also partner with High School students to produce content.
But I'm sure there's much more.
John Anderson
