Coverage of Can Fest, our seventh fundraiser, comprised the content of the very first show in a series of A4PG-sponsored programmming on Access 4. Making this show allowed board member/producers to investigate the exact steps required to produce a show and troubleshoot the process in preparation for workshops and tutorials to be provided for all Access producers to assist them in producing their own shows.

But since the producers for so long had their shows technically produced by Comcast employees (and before that, Insight and UIS/SSU employees) the learning curve and the lack of experience behind the camera rather than in front of it has made doing one’s own show seem too daunting and attendance at A4PG workshops and requests to set appointments for the editor and check out the remote camera kit our donations paid for have been scant at best. In order to combat this problem, we have begun work on a series of shows produced by a volunteer news team comprised of Access 4 staff at city hall, A4PG board member/producers, and members of the community who want to contribute to public access, the content of which other requestor/producers can use for their own shows as well.

Work on these shows allows the board to stay in touch with the latest videographic techniques to pass on to would be requestors as well as showing viewers of Channel 4 substantial results on the cablecast which has been almost completely non-stop re-runs for the last 3 years since Comcast shut the doors on the production studio. It also allows more people from the community to have access to the channel without taking on the responsibility of doing their own weekly show. It fosters cooperation by setting a concrete example. Producers could always have helped each other do their shows and many have had co-hosts and co-producers, but just as coming together as a group could have happened before and took a crisis to motivate, an environment of cooperation needs a solid avenue to grow and become the norm.

Most importantly, the content of the shows, which is derived entirely from what the community has to offer, will also stand as an example to others and perhaps encourage them to become public access producers themselves. Access Magazine will be a news magazine format that marries interviews with performances and news in a variety of shorts from 30 minutes to an hour, updated weekly, and cablecast Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights on Channel 4 at 11:00 p.M. (rerunning at 7:00 A.M. and 4 :00 P.M. the following days).

Work is also being done on Access Kids, Access Music, and Access Talk.

New Logo

Artist Matthew Schultz has been hired to create a vector logo us which you now see on the website. Matthew also donated his services on the can logo for Can Fest.

Studio 2 & 3

Although the IMac at Brian Crowdson’s studio at Crowdson & Co. Video has suffered kernel panic (and the other IMac from the Comcast studio has never functioned since we received it) and as a result the editing studio which was set up there has been suspended until repairs can be made, another studio has been made available and a third is on the way!

Studio 2 has been set up at 619 S. 4th St. here in Springfield. This is Ted Keylon’s painting studio and until recently there was not enough room to help with A4PG, but now he has moved into a new area with twice the space. This studio will be by appointment only, just like the editing studio at Crowdson & Co., but here Ted will provide assistance and has set up a small recording area as well, where ‘talking head’ style shows can be recorded. The money from the Can Fest fundraiser has gone to purchase a PC editing station with Sony Vegas 11 (consumer version) since the IMac went down and that is set up at studio 2 for editing as well.

The city has approved spending some of the subscriber money to set up an editing station in a private room in the Lincoln Public Library which will also have a PC with Sony Vegas (here they have purchased the pro version). This editing station will be available during library hours and will be called Studio 3.

Editing Station

A4PG Board Member Brian Crowdson of Crowdson and Company has the editing equipment set up along with the pieces that we needed to purchase: an external hard drive and an editing table for the computer and hard drive to be placed on. The station is set up in Brian’s office on 1999 Wabash Ave. Suite 203, Springfield, IL 62704.

(Website: http://www.IMakeTV.com)

Here is a word from Brian:

“For now, the editing station will be by appointment only, and there is no guarantee of availability. It will be available only when I or one of my employees is scheduled to be in my office. Email me for an appointment - brian[at]imaketv[dot]com.”

By-Laws Amended

Several details have been voted on regerding slight changes in our by-laws, namely that officers will hold their positions for three years before elections. Other details include issues regarding the Board and the Officers, membership dues, and how the elections are handled. Essentially, the membership nominates candidsates and the current Board elects the new Officers and they in turn appoint new Board Members.

A4PG Hour Long Show

Approval has been given by the city to schedule an hour long program produced by the A4PG. Portions of the content plus various PSAs will be available on the editing station hard drive for other producers to use.

More at the next meeting . . .

STAy tUNed!

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United for the Arts

Three words describe the reason our fundraiser went so well: Mandy Saia Magill. She was the best person to pick for curator of the photography exhibit. Jeremy of Norb Andy’s suggested a photography show to spotlight the artists who too often take a back seat to painters and sculptors at shows. Mandy is a recently juried member of the Prairie Art Alliance and her photography plus that of her peers graced the show that many attended in spite of the car show blocking off traffic and parking space.

We made $223, half of which came from 40% of the photography sales. Everyone had a great time and there were people in and out all night.

Plans are underway for the next fundraiser and the discussion turns on the question of whether or not to have another one before the end of the year.

Equipment Update

The equipment was turned over to Brian Crowdson who is storing it for us until we can get it set up in some studio space that will be available for the producers. Brian’s help has been invaluable and his background with Access both techinically and as a tireless advocate is a true asset to our cause. It is for this reason he is being nominated for board member at the next meeting.

There were enough pieces missing from the equipment to render it incapable of being useful for production until they are replaced such as a tripod, batteries, and power supply for all three cameras, a DV tape deck, and several other odds and ends but nothing impossible to replace with enough time and support.

Full Group Meeting

The next full group meeting is planned for Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30 P.M. at the Bicentennial Room in Lincoln Public Library in downtown Springfield. We would like to see all the producers there to get back on board now that things have been done. We will answer questions, take contact info and nominate more Board members.

Channel 4 and the City

Last Monday the 4th of this month, Secretary Lisa Hensley, Treasurer Ted Keylon, and Municiple Delegation member Brian Crowdson all went to speak with Ernie Slottag at the city. He said that requirements such as how soon to update shows before the slot would be given to someone else or what format to give them will be as lenient as possible due to the confusion of the change-over to their management. Ernie assured us that they plan to be as understanding and compassionate as possible while we try to organize and help all the producers figure out a way to keep doing their shows.

The delegation also asked about the missing pieces of the studio equipment and Ernie said they have not found any pieces that may have been misplaced and does not suspect that what CACC gave us would be any different than what they gave them and what Comcast have given them in the first place. We agreed to pursue the matter with Comcast and Brian agreed to contact them via his associates there.

STAy tUNed!

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Fundraiser Review

The Access 4 Producers Group Fundraiser 3 raised over $550 before expenses and the total after is unclear until the board decides how much to absorb in advertising costs that were incurred during the promotion when a meeting could not be scheduled. The treasurer has agreed to cover the difference and proceeded with the necessary promotions. It is likely that we made at least $300.

But we were the only ones to come out on top. We regret to say that Broadway Nites did not do so well in spite of the huge numbers of people there due to the fact that drink sales were down. We appreciate their working with us and hope to remedy that for any future events to take place there.

Equipment Update

The Capital Area Career Center Board of Directors has agreed that the producers should have the equipment from the former studio since we cannot take them up on their offer for services. Perhaps in the future, as A4PG grows with Access, we can work with them. We are working on transporting the equipment into storage where it may be possible to set it up for limited use.

Next Fundriaser

The Group Board is looking to continue raising money to acquire a lease on a physical space. The next fundraiser will be at Norb Andy’s on September 24th, 2010, featuring the work of local photographers. DJ MsLisa qwill be playing electro and there may even be some more surprises in the works so stay tuned for more info. (If you have FaceBook, check this page out.)

Channel 4 and the City

Thanks a MILLION!!! to the City, to Ernie, Kerri, the Council, our donors, the FaceBook Cause Members and followers of our Fan Page and everyone and anyone else who helped or wanted to help. Access 4 is BACK!

STAy tUNed!

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As a representative of the Access 4 Producers Group, I have received a number of reports from our committee chairs regarding the current state of Access 4. As I tell everyone, since Comcast dropped the studio this has to be looked at as a three-pronged effort: transmission (the city), production (CACC, Crowdson, Moore, and others both professional, independent, or as in the case with CACC—free), and advocacy (the producers group).

In regard to the transmission, being managed by the city (which simply means the city is going to use their equipment to put the shows onto channel 4 with their fiber optic block and the log computer given to them by Comcast), the reason given by Ernie Slottag, Communications Director for the City of Springfield, for the fact that the channel is still down (now going on three months) is that the log computer/server has a bad sound card and the “fix” done by Comcast employees in trying to use the equipment they were given can no longer work and the entire server needs to be replaced.

The money for the new server is already available in the city funds for this type of repair and the Communications Office simply needs to have appropriation approval from the City Council to use it, which is a formality and will be given according to all accounts, by mid March, in about two weeks from this writing.

All the data has been preserved from the several years of backlogged shows that had been encoded into the log computer/server, however, it is likely the new server will end up containing mostly new material.

Ernie also agreed that since the new system for managing shows and the intake of new producers is completely web-based, there is a need to provide assistance to those producers and prospective producers who do not have Internet access. The Access 4 Producers Group has decided to help with that need by providing hard copies of the forms on request as well as at Brian Crowdson’s office at 1999 Wabash Ave. Suite 102 Springfield, IL 62704. Brian is not only an independent professional television producer who has provided services such as dubbing for Access producers for years, but he was also a Comcast employee during the best days of Access under that regime as well as during Insight’s reign. He now also serves as a member of our Municipal Delegation and Production Committees as a consultant and fee-based resource provider.

Ernie also pointed out that there will be a drop box available at the Municipal Buildingfrom 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. business days for those who cannot electronically send their shows in mp2 format, which is now the preferred method of getting your shows to Access. He also reminded us that Access 4 will also be transmitted on AT&T’s Universe channel 99 starting March 10th (let’s hope the shows are running by then).

In regard to production, producers have run to a variety of options, mostly costing money, since CACC ceased production due to the need for their legal team to provide a producer’s agreement. Originally it was my understanding that this agreement would be between CACC and each individual producer, however, the legal team decided to draw up an agreement with the city which was immediately denied due to the fact that the city has nothing to do with production, only transmission. Ernie said in our meeting that they need to make the agreement with the individual producers (just as I originally thought). I am still trying to find out how much longer this will cause CACC TV to have to wait if at all before resuming the free production services they offered last January at the City Council meetings.

In regard to advocacy, you may already have read on this website and on the FaceBook Fan Page that the Donation/Finance Committee raised $386 at the fundraiser at Broadway Nites on February 19th.  There is a Full Group meeting scheduled for this Saturday, March 6^th at the Lincoln Public Library at 6:00 P.M. at a room to be announced by Steering Committee Chair Alyce Lyle where most of this information will be presented and comments will be heard and new ideas entertained.

-Ted Keylon 

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Deb Antoine and Ernie Slottag have informed me that they each have websites up now. The City Access site is at http://www.access4springfield.org and deals with the scheduling of your shows and has PDF documents for new producers and various other related information on the *broadcast end.*

Deb Antoine has put up a Ning Network to facilitate the production schedule and to allow producers to upload their own content here http://accessspringfield.ning.com

The Municipal Delegation is meeting with Ernie next Wednesday at 2:00 P.M. and will report the results to the Steering Committee at their meeting later at the Public Library, Carnegie Room South at 6:00 P.M.

This message is from Ernie Slottag from Janurary 5th:

Just to give you an update on where Access 4 stands.  We have moved the first portion of equipment and are testing it to be sure everything is working properly.  We hope to have calendar of events information up in the next day or two.  We are targeting sometime next week to have programming up and running.

Again, we are targeting running the same program schedule as before.  We have no reason to change it.

We will soon have a webpage up and running.  Within it will be some forms.  The one I would like to have producers fill out is an information form, which will give us updated contact information about each producer, and a short description of the program.  This will help us identify which programs are which and get them on the air properly.

The update will also allow me to make an email list so that we can contact each other, and set up a method for producers to tell me which programs should run when.  That way we get the proper episode on during the proper week.

Thank you for your assistance in helping us make this transition a smooth one.  We still have a short learning curve to go through, but hopefully things will get sorted out soon.

Also, for your information, we are getting hooked up with AT&T later this month so that Access 4 will be on their U-Verse system.  They put all the PEG channels within the channel 99 menu.

 -  Ernie Slottag