ELCAT moves toward expansion in programming

Date: 8/16/2011

Aug. 15, 2011

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Community Access Television (ELCAT) network is moving closer to an expansion project that would increase the station’s physical space as well as programming.

In addition to the current channels 5 and 19, which broadcast town programming and government programming, respectively, a third will be added, which will focus on educational content.

“Activating a third channel was always in the plan,” Don Maki, director and senior producer of ELCAT said. “When we negotiated our license with Charter [Communications], we planned to use the third channel for educational content.”

With the direction of the third channel being for learning purposes, ELCAT has been working to make all aspects of the expansion educational, including the production of the programming.

“These kinds of stations are typically operated by the schools and we are going to do the same,” Maki said. “The goal is to integrate the creation of content with the educational projects at the high school so that students and teachers are using the resources available at the station to create content for the third channel.

“Say, for example, that students have a project in U.S. history and one of the accepted presentations is a video. Now instead of relying on whatever student might have a video camera, they have every resource we have at the studio available to them and then what they create could also be used as programming for the channel.”

With the expansion, Maki feels the school district will be continuing to embrace the use of modern technology and media as an educational tool.

The Board of Selectmen recently voted to approve Courtney Llewellyn as the full time project coordinator.

“This provides a way for students to become proficient with media technology,” he said. “These are the people who are going to design the future of technology and media. This offers a hyper-integration of everything they will be doing. I figure they are the ones who will be driving this technology in the future, so give them the keys.”

In order to facilitate the expansion in programming, the ELCAT studio will undergo a large physical expansion as well, which will include the renovation of part of the former auto shop in the high school’s annex. A portion of that space will be used for storage, while the rest will be equipped with studio equipment, as well as a computer lab and office space.

Maki is in the midst of working with a committee on a preliminary proposal for the studio expansion and the criteria that will be used to select an architect and engineer for the project. Once those tasks are completed, the work will be put out to bid.

“We are looking at doing that over the next five months and if all goes well we will be presenting a project proposal at the next town meeting in May,” Maki said.

None of the money spent on this project comes from the town’s tax revenue, Maki stressed. The funding comes from money already agreed upon in the license agreement the town has with Charter. That money, according to state and federal law, can only be used for public access purposes and cannot be put into the general fund.