Shelburne Falls Bridge Dinner Video on Youtube

Thanks to independent producer Don Wheeler you can get a glimpse of what it takes to feed a large number of people on a historic iron bridge.

2009 Franklin County Fair Parade Photos are Up!

Check out the right hand side of this blog (below the volunteer opportunities and our schedule) to see some nice pictures that volunteer camera operator Sam Pyfrom took while he was helping to record the parade. Sam got some good shots that take the viewer from set up to take down, with a good feel for the parade in between.

Thanks for Participating!

Thank you to everyone who attended the GCTV/WMCB fundraiser last night. We really appreciate the support of everyone who saw the film. In addition, we would once again like to thank Greenfield Garden Cinemas and the producers of "Touchstone: Dancing with Angels" for making this event possible.

Come to our FUNdraiser & bring your friends!

To raise money for GCTV & WMCB there will be a benefit screening of "Touchstone: Dancing with Angels" at Greenfield Garden Cinemas on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 7PM.
The suggested donation is $7, but no one will be turned away. You may also call 413-774-4288 for more information.

Special thanks to Greenfield Garden Cinemas and www.touchstonemovie.org for making this possible.

Were you watching the parade or was the parade watching you?

The new Fair content is up! Our coverage of the fair parade as well as a video shot by one of our producers who was marching is now available only at GCTV.org. Check it out by clicking the watch link at the top of the page, see if you made it in the video. (posted by Scott)

Franklin County Fair Parade Coverage

Don't forget to tune in on Thursday, September 10th, at 5:30PM for LIVE coverage of this year's Franklin County Fair Parade. Our usual hosts, Russ Brown ("Dukes of Sports") & Tom Dillon (Dillon Chevrolet), will be joined this year by Russ' new co-host on "Dukes of Sports", Marisa Dalmaso-Rode. Marisa adds her winning personality to the great commentary by Russ & Tom.

NEW THIS YEAR! Check back here tomorrow for EXCLUSIVE, WEB ONLY, CONTENT from the fair parade. "Local Bias" producer & host, Drew Hutchison, will be walking the parade route and bringing us interesting stories and pictures from inside the parade itself.

Finally, once the parade has concluded we will join the Greenfield School Committee Meeting, which starts at 6PM, live---already in progress.

At last, THE BIG REVEAL!

So, in less than one week, our control room went from this

to this

to this!

And of course, some close ups:
(For some reason the new switcher (above) reminds me of Darth Vader, but in a good way. The new control decks for the cameras are below.)

I Know You've all Been Waiting for Today's Post with Bated Breath

We were pretty busy in here so this is not the control room "before and after pictures with the amazing reveal" post I had planned. That will be up soon, never fear. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pics from the "Local Bias" shoot this morning. Richard Roy took the switcher and new monitors for a spin while Jimmie Bailey operated the new cameras. They gave us good feedback that helped Scott to make some changes this afternoon. We'll be open to more comments from the rest of you as you begin to use the new equipment.

All the Equipment is in...

now we just have to clean up! :)

The "Local Bias" crew will be the first to be trained on, and use, the new equipment. Independent producers Jimmie Bailey and Elijah Rottenberg, however, got a sneak peak at, and some information about, the cameras when they stopped by our studio late yesterday afternoon.
More photos will be posted tomorrow after "Local Bias" finishes.

Day 2 of the Upgrade

By the end of the day yesterday we had three new cameras installed in the studio and large program and preview monitors mounted in the control room.








Special thanks go to producer Jimmie Bailey who assisted Scott during the late afternoon and early evening. Scott said that, without the benefit of Jimmie's expertise, installing the monitors would have been very difficult.
This morning, Jal & Scott put together our new control desk and began placing equipment on it.
















Several volunteers, including "Local Bias" & "Homegrown" director Richard Roy, stopped by to check out our progress. Their comments echoed the ones some of you have left on prior posts; sentiments of being impressed and grateful. We appreciate all the compliments and good wishes. Keep 'em coming!

Work on the Upgrade has Begun!

Yay! Within minutes of the "Dukes of Sports" wrapping their shoot this afternoon, Scott, Jal, & Philippe began taking apart the old studio cameras and removing outdated equipment from the control room.

For those of you who don't know, during the last few weeks, Scott spent a lot of time in the back room testing the new equipment. Here is what his work area looked like:

Keep checking back for more upgrade updates!

The New Control Room Is Almost Here!

Our TV studio and control room will be closed from 1:30PM on Monday, August 31st to 1:30PM on Wenesday, September 2nd so that Scott & Jal can install all of our new equipment. The rest of our office and facilities, including WMCB, will be open normal hours next week. "Fat Guys on Film" & "Local Bias" will be the first two shows to record after the upgrade. They have graciously agreed to be guinea pigs, *ahem*, I mean they are eagerly looking forward to testing out our new cameras and switcher. GCTV staff will be on hand for all productions in the near future to train you and you can always catch us with a question or two via phone or email. In addition, as part of this upgrade the background music on our televised bulletin board will now be a real time feed from WMCB. Keep checking this blog for more details about what this upgrade will allow you to do when you record your shows in our studio.

In other news, "Fat Guys on Film" has been added to our Video On Demand offerings. You can actually see tonight's episode now online BEFORE it airs on GCTV at 8PM.

Interesting Volunteer Opportunities Abound

Have you ever wondered how a live television show comes together? Do you have a yen to get behind a camera? Would you like to learn how to run a soundboard? Then volunteer for GCTV! We have several interesting shoots scheduled during the next two months and we would really appreciate your help. Please check the volunteer opportunities above and email alicia@gctv.org to get involved. Thanks!

Nuclear Free Future Panel held at GCTV

(In the picture, from left to right: front row---Hattie Nestle, Kathleen Krevetski, Frances Crowe; back row---Beth Adams, Susan Laing, Mari Roulston)

Activists Frances Crowe, Hattie Nestle, & Kathleen Krevetski joined "We Are the Ones" host Beth Adams for an interesting discussion on Tuesday night. The four women participated in a roundtable about all aspects of weaning ourselves from nuclear power. From shutting Vermont Yankee to steps individuals can take to protect themselves at home, everything you've ever wanted to know about understanding the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons is in this show. "Nuclear-Free!" will air on Friday, August 21st, at 5PM. Don't miss it!

Tina Collins & Jenny Bird on WMCB!

(In the picture, from left to right: Tina's Mom, Coyote, Jenny, Tina)

Up & coming musical duo Tina Collins & Jenny Bird made a guest appearance today on Coyote's WMCB show, "Hopi Visions". The two did an acoustic set and an interview on the show, which will be rebroadcast on Sunday, August 23rd, from 8PM to 10PM. Coyote says, "they are as wonderful a musical experience as one can have". The two were on to promote their concert in Greenfield this Thursday, August 20th, at 7PM at Unity Pioneer Valley. For more information check out www.jennybird.com.