Rogue Valley Community Television

OPEN HOUSE & SPECIAL SEMINAR NEXT WEEK!

We’d like to spread the word far and wide about our Digital Media Center Open House on Wednesday, July 31 from 7-9 p.m. This is your chance to connect with videographers, studio crewmembers, field producers, show hosts and other grassroots media makers from across Southern Oregon!

In addition to an orientation towards the end of the evening for those new to the facilities of Rogue Valley Community Television within the DMC, we have a special seminar at 7 p.m. planned, the intent of which is to empower local producers to promote their shows on-line, build audiences via social media and make use of our new Underwriting Policy. We wish to empower you with the tools to get the word out about your shows, build community engagement with your production and build the support you need to sustain your series.

Our Public Access Advisory Board will be on hand as well to speak about their work and to share with you some of the ‘dreams come true’ already taking place through RVTV. The future of this vital regional resource (including our services to local governments and educational institutions) depends more than ever on an active and thriving Public Access producer community.

If you would like to get involved to help the PAAB get the word out about this special event, or if you’d like to pitch in by bringing refreshments, or if you just have more questions, please let Charles (douglasc@sou.edu) or Brandon (givensb@sou.edu) know. We’re counting on your support!

NEW POLICIES TAKING EFFECT THIS SUMMER, PART 2

In addition to the new Underwriting Policy mentioned last week – which can be reviewed at https://rvtv.wpengine.com/public-access-2/rvtv-underwriting-policy/ – RVTV has also implemented a Fee Schedule to bring together in one document the various user fees previously scattered around our Programming Policy & Procedures documents (other recent changes include our new Series Status policy at https://rvtv.wpengine.com/series-status/ and the restructuring of our basic Studio and Field Certification workshops).

The new Fee Schedule represents the first price rise in several years. These increases were made due to the declining support Public Access receives from local governments and the cable companies they have franchise agreements with. As we’ve mentioned in past newsletters, steps must be taken to make Public Access more self-sustaining if it is to survive in a new media environment where Internet streaming becomes increasingly predominant.

As you can see on our detailed Fee Schedule at https://rvtv.wpengine.com/public-access/fee-schedule/, we made a notable exception to these fee increases – local programs submitted in a ready-for-encoding digital format. Submissions of this type and in this format (MPEG-2 or MOV files on portable media such as a flash stick or external hard drive) are free.

This is in line with that part of the Series Status policy where we discuss programming priorities for Community Access Channel 15 – put simply, local programming comes first. Other formats such as VHS, MiniDV and even DVD are becoming anachronistic and will be inevitably phased out; they also involve more staff time to process, which is why there are increased fees to make up for this. Imported programs are, by definition, the lowest priority and the higher fees for these reflect this.

All of us at RVTV want to make sure that these small increases do not create barriers to local residents getting their programs on Channel 15 (and don’t forget that new, local programs still get uploaded to our Public Access Archive for free too). That’s why we held back this Fee Schedule until our new Underwriting Policy was developed and released, to give producers the tools they need to garner community support for their series.

We’ve heard some feedback that producers who’ve never made underwriting spots before may need that extra bit of training to make full use of the policy. RVTV staff will release a ‘how to’ step-by-step set of ‘best practices’ at the upcoming Digital Media Center Open House next Wednesday, July 31 in conjunction with the free seminar offered by DMC Academic Coordinator Erik Palmer. All of us at RVTV hope to see you there!

ASHLAND CITY BAND NOW IN PRODUCTION

One of our favorite traditions here at RVTV is taking out the full compliment of field gear and filming the performances of Ashland City Band at Lithia Park as part of our partnership with the city where we live.

Our first recording of the summer is already up on the Public Access Archive for you to enjoy at http://archive.org/details/PA776177 and is also airing on our channels (including every Sunday at 10 a.m. on RVTV Community Access Channel 15).

This is a mostly volunteer effort with crewmembers drawn from the diverse ranks of our field producers. If you would like to get involved and enjoy a sunny summer evening with us at the bandshell, please write Charles at douglasc@sou.edu or call (541) 552-6898. We will be there every Thursday (crew call at 5:30 p.m.) through August 15.

PUBLIC ACCESS ADVISORY BOARD WORKS TO PROTECT RVTV FUNDING

The RVTV Public Access Advisory Board, which represents your interests in preserving and protecting public access media in the Rogue Valley, represented you all in a statement read by member Joyce Segers at a recent Jackson County Board of Commissioners meeting, which you can view here: http://cvp.telvue.com/player?id=T01550&chapter=46455

Thanks in part to the good work of Joyce and the PAAB in advocating on your behalf, RVTV has been granted a six-month extension in its contract with Jackson County, which includes funding for public access on Channel 15 as well as for the cablecast, webcast and on-demand streaming of all Jackson County government meetings on Channel 14 (not to mention the Ask The Commissioners and Jackson County Close Up studio shows broadcast live on Channel 9).

While the news is a relief, this is only a temporary reprieve and RVTV is not out of the woods yet, as Commissioners are looking to put an item on the November ballot to levy a fee to pay for certain county services. If this fee fails, so might county funding for public, education and government access TV services, and your Public Access Advisory Board is planning accordingly.

This includes making Public Access a more self-sustaining initiative with updated user fees, as well as seeking grant funding opportunities as they arise. A new Visioning and Branding Committee has also formed thanks to RVTV Mentor Dean Walker to provide community access with a future focus.

YOUR input is needed if the important work of the Public Access Advisory Board is to succeed – we have a vacancy open to any resident of Southern Oregon who wishes to contribute their efforts. Contact Brandon (givensb@sou.edu) or Charles (douglasc@sou.edu) for an application.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE NOTES

Our normal weekly equipment checkout time is on Wednesday between 3-6 p.m. Producers are highly encouraged to reserve the equipment they need IN ADVANCE. To do so, please e-mail Charles Douglas at douglasc@sou.edu or call (541) 552-6898.

Fri.              5pm-8pm          Jason Houk – On The Media
Aug. 2       LIVE at 6:30

Sat.            8am-11am        Therese Swenson – Tough Times
Aug. 3       11am-2pm        Michael D. Fox – The Mickey Balloonman Show
2pm-5pm          Nica Vano – Yoga

Sat.            8am-11am        Denise Ross – Your Web Presence
Aug. 10     11am-2pm        Peggy Siders – Southern Oregon Music
2pm-5pm          Sheral Graham – Rogue Valley Musicians Spotlight

Fri.              5pm-8pm          Oscar Rodriguez – One Way
Aug. 16     LIVE at 6:30

Sat.            8am-11am        Therese Swenson – Tough Times
Aug. 17     11am-2pm        Britt Ivy – Passion
2pm-5pm          Bob Schropp – Staying Connected

Sat.            8am-11am        Biome – Constitutional Republic Now!
Aug. 24     11am-2pm        Kumud Gokani – Cooking With Kumud
2pm-5pm          Craig Comstock – Like, Wow!

Sat.                                       STUDIO CLOSED – NO PRODUCTIONS
Aug. 31                                (Labor Day Weekend)

Fri.              5pm-8pm          Jason Houk – On The Media
Sep. 6        LIVE at 6:30

Sat.            8am-11am        Therese Swenson – Tough Times
Sep. 7        11am-2pm        Michael D. Fox – The Mickey Balloonman Show
2pm-5pm          Kumud Gokani – Meditation, The Art Of Loving

Sat.            8am-11am        Britt Ivy – Passion
Sep. 14      11am-2pm        Oscar Rodriguez – One Way
2pm-5pm          Dean Walker – Presence

Fri.              5pm-8pm          Gokul Gokani – Art & Awareness Of Happy Health
Sep. 20      LIVE at 6:30

Sat.            8am-11am        Oscar Rodriguez – One Way
Sep. 21      11am-2pm        Angie Christianson – Talking Points
2pm-5pm          Dean Walker – Presence

Sat.            8am-11am        Nica Vano – (show title TBA)
Sep. 28      11am-2pm        Nancy Bloom – Life Passages
2pm-5pm          Craig Comstock – Like, Wow!

News & schedules for studio production

Sneak peak of the following weekend:

Fri. 8/2/13:          5-8 pm – On The Media

Producer: Jason Houk

Director: Dean Walker

Graphics Manager: Denise Ross

Audio Engineer: Don Wertheimer

Floor Manager: Bob Schropp

Camera Operator: Joseph Kauth

Sat. 8/3/13:                  8-11 am – Tough Times

Producer: Therese Swenson

Director: Michael Rhoades

Graphics Manager: Don Wertheimer

Floor Manager: Joseph Kauth

Sat. 8/3/13:                  11 am-2 pm – The Mickey Balloonman Show

Producer: Michael D. Fox

Director: Denise Ross

Graphics Manager: Bob Schropp

Audio Engineer: Michael Rhoades

Floor Manager: Joseph Kauth

Sat. 8/3/13:                  2-5 pm – Yoga

Producer: Nica Vano

Director: Dean Walker

Graphics Manager: Bob Schropp

As you may have noticed, we are expanding our advance listing of crewmembers to make sure producers have lined up sufficient support from our RVTV Public Access crew pool; if you are having trouble finding volunteers, that probably means you need to be volunteering more yourself on other people’s shows!

If you would like to be contacted to Direct or crew for any programs, please contact Charles (douglasc@sou.edu) so that we can put Producers in contact with you. We always need capable Directors and crewmembers wanting to hone their skills!