BCTV Program director’s Report

Equipment and Facilities: the boathouse attic has been quite comfortable as we continue to tighten up the uninsulated areas. We have rearranged the computer area to accommodate the new computer that will as our server. The server computer was installed this week and we will be doing some system tests and hopefully begin using it in the first part of 2007. We have been successfully able to download public domain films and short subjects into our editing PC and are able to share those files through a local network with the server computer. This is really efficient and convenient. We purchased a 300gig hard drive to store programming material. It can hold about 150 hours of video, and cost about $100.
Our signal now reaches Searsport! It did take some regular contact with the Time Warner government relations department, but we have finally succeeded.
The Canopus editing software that we recently purchased has some really useful features.
particularly when it comes to editing DVDs. This is important as we move forward in putting more programming on the server.

Programming: We have begun showing Belfast High School Basketball games. Nine games are schedule to be recorded this season. Six of those games originally will be televised live on the educational access channel 5.
We are also hoping to go live from the boathouse on New Years eve, and show not only events taking place live at the boathouse, but also show tapes of events happening at other local venues. Sooner tha that, Belfast's first Congregational church will be submitting a video of their live nativity scene taking place this Saturday in front of the church.
We have not had many other local program submissions, and may wish to brainstorm on how to get more local folks to create programming. I have been in conversation with Maynard Stanley, an experienced I-Movie editor about the possibility of offering a workshop on editing with I movie, which is the editing software that comes with new macintosh computers. The idea being, that more people editing video, might make for more local programming.
We recently hosted the Rockland public access board of directors (MCCT-7). They were very impressed with our community bulletin board and our impressive views out our office windows. We also discussed having similar underwriting guidelines so that it would be easier to share programming. We both felt very positive about working together to create a midcoast network of sorts.
At today's advisory group meeting, we discussed the possibility of doing a survey of local viewership. We thought it would be useful to have some kind of a feel to whether anyone watches our channel that could be quantified. If there is anyone reading this blogg who has some experience with surveys, we would love to hear from you, in order to develop the best survey and methodology possible.

Respectfully submitted by Ned Lightner