Providing Access in Many Ways

Empowering citizens to make their voices heard, and keeping the public informed about local government and community events, is the cornerstone of what we do here at GCTV. This was a banner week for that beginning on Monday morning with a special episode of "The Dukes of Sports". Russ & Mike's guest, Carrie Togneri, filled the guys in on her upcoming fundraiser "Ice Stars for Wounded Warriors". They talked about local skating events in general and how she became involved with this one.

On Monday evening the Greenfield Town Council held a Special Meeting in our studio to debate sending a proposal to the state legislature that would allow the town to skip a preliminary election and put all three certified candidates for Town Councilor At Large on the June 14th ballot. This was democracy in action. Voices from all sides were heard and you can watch the discussion for yourself on our Video on Demand Player in the "Local Government" category.

Wednesday afternoon brought Atty. David Roulston and five guests into our studio to record two episodes of "Franklin County Matters". First, Western Mass. ARC Executive Director Ed Porter sat down with Dave for a one-on-one about the resources available to people with disabilities and an upcoming fundraiser. Afterward, Genevieve Fraser, John Waite, and two local farmers joined the host for a roundtable discussion about the Farm to Schools program which puts local food into the hands (and mouths) of area youth.

On Thursday and Friday our back room and studio were shut down during construction as part of a series of ongoing facility improvements. Many of these projects are geared toward allowing more producers to work at the same time without disturbing each other. The next time you're in our office, be sure to poke your head back there to check out the new digs.

Finally, we've created a new space on our "GCTV/WMCB Notices Only" bulletin board (on your right when you walk in our front door). A "Coverage Opportunities" folder has joined "Show Sponsors Requested" and "Guest Possibilities" hanging from the bottom of the board. Not everyone who has an event or show idea is willing, or able, to produce it. If you're looking for a project, make sure to check out this collection of press releases for great local events and emails from people who have ideas for shows.