The Goffstown Edge

GTV Committee May Report

Your Access TV station is looking for volunteers. I'm Barbara Doody and I volunteer at the Goffstown Television (GTV) studio. I am also a member of the Goffstown Cable Access Committee.

GTV operates channels 16 and 22 on the Comcast cable system where we facilitate the production of several local TV shows that are done by the public and we play regional shows of interest. GTV is also responsible for broadcasting the town’s public meetings. The station is located in the back of the Goffstown High School. Look for the sign over the door to the studio.

In 2004, I moved to town and knew no one. Watching the local news stations to get acquainted with my new area, I saw an ad on GTV’s bulletin board about volunteering to edit shows. The ad said you didn't need to know anything about video editing, that the station would teach you. The ad directed volunteers to contact Dick Gagnon, the station coordinator, at 497-5707. The studio hours were in the evenings and I thought it was just right for me as a volunteer. I would be able to choose the times I felt like working.

I learned how to edit shows using the studio’s computers and video editing software. I also learned how to video tape events using the studio’s field cameras and have recorded many town meetings and community activities. After editing, these shows air on GTV channels 16 & 22. With all aspects of TV production being new to me, I had a slow start, but now it’s easy and enjoyable. When you're enjoying yourself, you don't notice the time flying.

GTV is constantly updating its systems and uses the latest editing systems, recently moving to the Sony Vegas video editing platform. Learning new systems and improved methods is an interesting part of volunteering at GTV. My past editing experience helps me learn the new programs and use them effectively.

Getting to know the many people that come to the studio is one of the great benefits of volunteering. Also, being involved in the many community programs and meetings that GTV takes part in is fun.

The people who run the studio and that are responsible for recording the town meetings, are town employees (Dick, Dave, and Andrew). Some of our work overlaps. As a volunteer my schedule is very flexible and I come and go as I want. Part of my work now is to download from the Internet shows produced at other access TV station and prepare them for broadcast on GTV.

One of the nice things that our station does is to put people’s favorite photos on the GTV bulletin board that runs between scheduled shows. Anyone in town that submits a photo (or a noncommercial bulletin for that matter) can have it run for a month or so. The better quality the photo or slide, the better it displays on the TV.

Many times I have the studio to myself. I can work at my own pace while muttering to myself about the vagaries of the computer programs; I don't have to apologize to anyone. Volunteering at GTV is very interesting and quite the learning experience. You hardly need to know computers, but do have to be self motivated.

There are many aspects of studio operations that would benefit from having more volunteers. You are only limited by the amount of time and energy you bring to the studio. We would love to have you join us in any capacity.

Barbara Doody
GTV committee member and studio volunteer

Please note, the GTV Committee now meets the second Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm, in the Mildred Stark room (room 106) in Town Hall. Please log onto http://www.goffstown.com/gtv for more information.

GTV Committee April Report

Goffstown Cable Television Access Committee Column – April 2012 Although the importance of Community Access Television and the impact it can have on our lives is infinite, we don’t always have time to sit down and watch. So, you might be pleased to know that GTV offers a multitude of options to help you keep on top of what is happening in Goffstown, starting with our schedules that are posted on the home page of our website, www.goffstown.com/gtv.html. The schedules of our two channels, GTV16 and GTV22, are updated weekly and offer staggered scheduling to reflect the diversity of our viewers’ employment hours.

GTV16 is our public access channel with programs consisting of shows produced by local residents. Some of the shows are weekly such as religious; some are monthly such as political shows; some are seasonal, such as sports; and some are one-time special events such as the Lions Club Annual Meet the Candidates Night or Goffstown’s 250th Anniversary Celebration. GTV16 also broadcasts shows from other communities that might be of universal interest to local viewers. GTV22 is our governmental channel.

GTV22 broadcasts governmental meetings live (when able) and rebroadcast them throughout the month. Town Board meetings currently being recorded are: School, Planning, ZBA (Zoning Board of Adjustment) and Selectmen. Committee meetings currently being recorded are: Solid Waste, Cable Access TV, Budget, CIP (Community Improvement), Conservation, EDC (Economic Development Council) and Sewer Commission. Annual events such the Town and School Deliberative Sessions are also recorded and rebroadcast on GTV22. For a schedule of governmental meetings that may be airing live, log onto the Town of Goffstown’s calendar found atcwww.goffstown.com/calendar.html and tune into GTV22. Many governmental meetings are aired live if they are being held in room 106 where a live feed is located.

A compliment to our schedule is PEG on demand TV. Peg on demand TV was started in 2010 by Dick Gagnon as an affordable option to enable small towns, like Goffstown, NH, to have their Government meetings up on the web and available for on-demand watching by the public. This allows viewers, with diverse working hours or busy lives, to log onto PEG on demand TV, click on a committee link, scroll to the meeting they wish to watch and view it at their own leisure. PEG on demand TV also offers live stream viewing of Governmental meetings. To watch Goffstown Governmental meetings live or later, log onto www.goffstown.com/gtv and click on the “Watch it NOW!” link.

Disks of Governmental meetings, recorded by GTV, are available at the Town Library where patrons are welcome to sign them out to view at home.  Disks of the meetings are kept at the Library for 30 days and then returned to the Town Administrator’s office where they are kept on hand and available for public reference.

Finally, the Goffstown Cable Television Community Access Committee meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm, in the Mildred Stark room (room 106) in Town Hall. Our meetings are open to the public and residents are welcome to attend. Our meetings are broadcast live from the Mildred Stark room; replayed on GTV; the disks of our meetings are sent to the Town Library for 30 days and are also posted on PEG on demand TV for your viewing convenience. Additionally, our committee meeting minutes can be found at www.goffstown.com/minutes.html.

Submitted by GCTCA Committee secretary, Pam Manney

Introducing GTV's Staff

Introducing GTV’s Staff
By Dick Gagnon

I’d like to introduce you to the people that make up GTV’s staff. GTV has a paid staff of three people, all combined to cover 50 hours at a total salary of $45,133. I will begin with Andrew White. Andrew is responsible for covering all of the meetings that are held in either of the two meeting rooms, and at times two meetings at once. He does his best to make sure the cameras are on the individuals talking so that you the viewer can see who it is that is talking. Andrew is also responsible for keeping notes concerning the times they change agenda items in order to place chapter markers in the video on demand files. Andrew who is originally from Yorkshire, England has been covering the meetings for two and a half years now

GTV is fortunate to also have Dave Suitor as a Studio Technician to help cover hours in the studio with the productions of many of our shows. Dave is also very good at graphics and has created many of the slides on our bulletin board. He is also a talented photographer which we also have taken advantage of when it comes to creating our Live-set backgrounds for many of the shows. Dave has been with us for at least 5 years. You may also see Dave out and around at various sports games. This past school year Dave began covering one sports game per week and does a great job.

As PEG Access Coordinator, I have been with GTV for the past 17 years doing everything at point or another. I have been responsible for the choosing and purchasing of our equipment for the studio and out in the field. I have been responsible for maintaining our playback servers, editing stations, and all other equipment. One of the things that I like the best about my position is the dealing with the public, and encouraging people to come into the studio and do their own show, or be a guest on someone’s show. Working with the public for me is what makes my job not a job, but an avocation. I have seen us grow from the beginning where we had deck to deck tape editing to our studio and editing stations all being digital. We are always striving to provide the best we can with the meager budget we have, and I think we have done well.

Now, I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention one of our most faithful volunteer, Barbara Doody. Barbara learned about GTV due to a bulletin board slide on GTV asking for people who would like to learn to edit shows. Barbara came in and we hooked her from that point on. Barbara now schedules our encoder so that the town meetings will be recorded live. She assists with recording shows when needed, as well as records the School Board meetings. She also downloads non-local shows and prepares them for airing. Over the 6 years she has been with us she has helped us in many ways. We just can’t get her to do make-up for our studio shows.

For more information about GTV you can go to our website; www.goffstowntv.com and see what might interest you. Also, if you want to really just see for yourself what is involved give us a call at 497-5707 and we can schedule some time with you one on one. Our email is goffstowntv@gmail.com.

February GTV Notes

Welcome to the first column of the Goffstown Cable Television Community Access Committee (GCTAC). We hope our monthly columns will enlighten folks to our programs and production opportunities.

A little bit about us. GTV started life in 1992 with the creation of the Goffstown Cable Television Community Access Committee. This group was charged with the task of writing by-laws and developing policy and procedure for a permanent committee to administer. The mission of GTV was to provide the citizens of the town with a means of self expression and information exchange. That mission still rings true today with the renewed invitation to all residents to join the exciting world of community television.
As residents of Goffstown, you automatically qualify to take advantage of the resources of the Goffstown Community Television center and cable channel 16. This means you may use professional, broadcast-quality video production equipment to write, shoot, and edit your own television shows and cablecast them to the entire town. In addition, the staff at the Community Television Center will fully train you in the technology and techniques of simple video production.

Currently, GTV has several resident-produced shows, including School Board Watch with Donna Pinard; Let’s Get Cooking with Charles Minnich and Book Circle with Earl Wajenberg. Additionally, GTV16 broadcast a variety of programs including political shows such as Rock, Paper, Hand Grenades with host, Rep. Gary Hopper of Weare, NH Politics with Rep. John Burt of Goffstown, Capitol Access with host Denis Goddard and the nationally syndicated, David Pakman Show. Other shows include local church sermons, health shows, cooking shows, children’s programming, public service shows and so much more. If you are interested in producing a show for GTV, call 497-5707, or email GTV at goffstowntv@gmail.com.

GTV16 also broadcasts local sporting events such as JV Hockey games, Varsity Hockey games, GHS Swim Meet, GHS Wrestling, Boys Varsity Basketball as well as other seasonal sporting events.
GTV22, our governmental channel, records live broadcasts of governmental meeting and then rebroadcast them the following weeks on GTV22. For a full schedule of GTV16 and GTV22 shows, log onto goffstowntv.com.

Public Service Announcements (PSA) are also part of GTV’s programming and run on our bulletin board. Non-profit or not-for-profit organizations, educational, and government agencies may place a PSA on the Community TV Bulletin Board. Please contact GTV if your organization is interested in learning how to have your notices placed on GTV.

GTV Studios are located in Goffstown High School, 27 Wallace Road, Goffstown, NH 03045 Phone: 497-5707; email: goffstowntv@gmail.com; Coordinator: Dick Gagnon, 345-4004

GTV Studio Hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 6:00-10:00 pm; Wednesday 1:00-6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Please call first to make sure someone is there and not elsewhere taping an event. The GTV Committee consists of seven members and three alternates appointed by the Board of Selectmen for three year terms. The Selectmen post Committee vacancies in the local media and fill vacancies from qualified Goffstown residents expressing interest in writing. Log onto goffstown.com and click on “Volunteer Opportunities” tab for more information.

Meetings are the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm, at Town Hall (16 Main Street) in room 106 (Mildred Stark Room) and are broadcasts live on GTV22.

Submitted by Pam Manney, secretary, GCTAC

GV To Air New Show About Music Scene

Triple Edge Entertainmnet LLC of Goffstown has completed production of the initial episode for the television series, "Play On!"

Play On! is a half-hour show focusing on the local music scene.  Hosted by Rob Slocum, Play On's production team spent the past eight-months filming and interviewing various bands, singer and musicians as well as entertainment attorneys, on-air disc jockeys, children's songwriters and musical playwrights.

"When someone says the local music scene, most people just think bands, and musicians, " said Slocum.  "But music encompasses many other aspects, including the people behind the scenes as well as the DJ's who play the music on the radio, attorneys who are well versed in music copyright law and people who write other forms of music and songs for children and for the stage."

In addition to interviewing some of the area's most popular and well-known entertainers, Play On's in-field reporters were also able to speak with numerous nationally known recording artists, including Jim Riley or Rascal Flatts and Livingston Taylor.  This first episode includes both Riely and Gardner Berry of Mama Kicks.

Play On will air on GTV channel 16 on Comcast cable in Goffstown at the following dates and times: Monday, October 24, 10 am; Tuesday, October 25, 3pm; Wednesday, October 26, 5pm; Thursday, October 27, 8pm; Friday, October 28, 11am; Saturday, October 29, 10pm; and Sunday, October 30, 6pm.

Goffstown Cable Franchise Public Hearing

There will be a public hearing to discuss the Goffstown Cable Franchise Renewal

Tuesday August 2

7:00 pm

Goffstown High School Auditorium

The Cable Franchise Renewal Committee will hold a public hearing at the Dr. Craig Hieber Auditorium at the Goffstown High School, 27 Wallace Road, on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7:00 pm in response to a request by Comcast, the current cable operator, for a cable television franchise renewal agreement. This hearing will be held pursuant to the requirements of the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1934, as amended; and RSA 53-C:3-a.

The purpose of this hearing is to ascertain the future cable-related needs and interests of the community.

In addition, the Town is required by NH RSA 53-C:3-a to consider:

1. The financial ability of the franchise applicant to perform.
2. The ability of the applicant to provide adequate and technically sound facilities, equipment and signal quality.
3. Adequate channel capacity and appropriate facilities for public, educational, or governmental use, taking into account available technology, subscriber interest, and cost.
4. The prohibition of discrimination among customers of basic service.
5. Reasonable service quality in terms of available technology, subscriber interest, and cost.
6. Construction and installation which conforms to all applicable state and federal laws and regulations and the National Electric Safety Code.
7. A competent staff able to provide prompt, adequate service and to respond comprehensively to customer complaints or problems.
8. Reasonable rules and policies for line extensions and disconnects, customer deposits, and billing practices.

Copies of the existing cable television franchise agreement are available at the Selectmen’s Office and on the Town’s website (Click Here). Any interested person may present testimony related thereto and/or attend this public hearing. Testimony is restricted to items that are negotiable which means topics such as programming and Comcast service costs are not subjects for discussion.

GTV to Stream NH Republican Senatorial Debate Live

Dick Gagnon, Fearless Leader of Goffstown Community Television and PegOnDemand.tv, will be at St. Anselm College on Saturday, May 1st to stream live the NH Republican Senatorial Debate.  The Debate will be held at the NH Institute of Politics from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Dick will be streaming it live on his www.pegondemand.tv website, and also broadcasting it live on GTV's Public channel 16 in Goffstown.  He is doing this by using the Tricaster system in the field and streaming out to the web.  Then in the studio he is using the VT5 system and the IVGA feature to capture the audio and video from the live feed over the internet and sending it out to a Knox router which will then send it out over GTV's Public channel 16.  He is looking forward to seeing how it all works in real life since this is his first venture into the live streaming world.  It will open up a whole new world for GTV. 

Dick has a few tickets available if anyone is interested in attending.  It is tickets only admission and limited to 200 people.  He can be contacted at dickg56@gmail.com.

 

GTV Presents...

Now you can access any community meeting that was filmed by GTV simply by visiting PegOnDemand.tv and clicking on the meeting you wish to view.  The meeting will play right on your computer, courtesy of the brilliant minds at Goffstown Television. There are currently 64 meetings listed, going all the way back to September 2009.