Saying Goodbye to Blogger

This will be our last weekly wrap-up post on this blog because next week we'll be launching our new website. Though we loved using Blogger to write these weekly updates for our community, one benefit of our new site is a blogging feature. From here on out, you can check gctv.org on Fridays to find out what we've been up to---simply click on the blog link near the top of our homepage. We won't take down this blog, however, so if you're feeling nostalgic you can always come back here and read our older posts.

This week we were very busy helping to disseminate information about storm damage, putting the finishing touches on our new site, planning for the Franklin County Fair Parade, and assisting a multitude of producers with their shows.

As you can imagine, our producers were busy too. The highlight of the week was when Dave Roulston, host of "Franklin County Matters", interviewed 2nd Berkshire District State Representative Paul Mark. You'll be able to watch that interview on Cable Channel 15 soon and we took advantage of Representative Mark being in our studio to get his thoughts on redistricting (check out the story on our homepage for more). Other new shows to look for soon include episodes of "Reading Shakespeare" (Tom Roulston takes on the Scottish play) and two classes from the Greenfield YMCA.

That's it for now, make sure to check out our new website next week (the launch is set to coincide with the fair parade on Thursday but we'll announce it on our Facebook Page, and in the local forums we post to, when it's up) and let us know what you think about it.

Soft Reveal of Website Going Well

So far the feedback we've been getting about our new website has been positive. The producers and board members who've been testing it out like the design and content. Hopefully, over the weekend, more of them will try creating new user accounts and posting on our forums. (Yup! We're going to have new functionality on the site.) Next week will be all about tweaking the site before our public launch the week of the Franklin County Fair Parade. We'll be telling you more about that grand reveal in next week's blog post.

When we're not working on the new site, we're busy getting ready to film the Franklin County Fair Parade, which is coming up on Thursday, September 8th, at 5pm. If you can't get a good spot on Main Street, from which to watch the parade, don't worry. We'll be broadcasting it live on Cable Channel 15. Keep checking gctv.org for more information on the parade, and the fair itself, because we'll be doing some news stories on it over the next two weeks.

Government Meetings & New Website

We had a large audience for Wednesday night's Greenfield Town Council Meeting. Residents gathered to watch their councilors debate changes to the solar farm contract, disposition of the town farm, repairs to the middle school roof, and funding for additional student transportation. You can watch the whole meeting for yourself tonight at midnight on Cable Channel 15 or look for it as part of our Video on Demand Player early next week.

The Greenfield School Committee has changed their meetings from the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of each month to the 1st & 3rd Thursdays so we recorded their short meeting at the high school this week and there won't be a meeting on the 25th. You can watch the latest session on Cable Channel 15 tomorrow at 1pm and again at midnight on the 24th. It will also be available as part of our Video on Demand Player early next week.

Finally, our new website is getting closer to launch. We'll be doing a soft reveal of it to our board members and some of our producers next week and we've planned the grand opening to coincide with the Franklin County Fair Parade on September 8th. We'll be telling you more about all of that in next week's blog post so be sure to check back.

Franklin County Fair Parade and Election Preparation

As you can probably imagine, most of our focus this week was on yesterday's parade. We have not forgotten, however, that there are Primary Elections coming up on Tuesday.

Alicia spent part of this week communicating with town clerks in the 2nd Franklin District in order to receive preliminary results soon after the polls close. GCTV encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote on September 14th and take advantage of all the resources on gctv.org to help with that process. Tuesday night we will post the Greenfield results on our website, around 9PM, and hope to announce the winner of the 2nd Franklin District State Representative Democratic Primary race not long after.

Speaking of getting things up on our website, due to technical difficulties, the Franklin County Fair Parade will not be available to view online until Monday. In the meantime, you can enjoy the slideshow below of photos we took during the event. The shoot was awesome, btw! Staff, crew, and viewers all enjoyed our coverage and many people told us that this was our best effort yet. Big thank you's go out to our Sponsors (Sandri Oil Company, The Hammond Family, Greenfield Savings Bank, The Bank of Western Massachusetts, Foster's Supermarket, Greenfield Farmers Cooperative Exchange, Greenfield Garden Cinemas, The Longe Family, New Fortune Chinese Restaurant & Sushi Bar, and Tire Warehouse), hosts (Russ Brown of "Dukes of Sports" and Tom Dillon of Dillon Chevrolet), and volunteers (Jimmie Bailey, Shawn Cromack, Faith, Susan Laing, and Sam Pyfrom). Also, the entire crew would like to thank everyone who threw us candy. :)

Election Season is in Full Swing!

As you probably know, two debates took place in our studio on Tuesday night. The Franklin County Democratic League hosted both forums, one for the 2nd Franklin District State Representative seat and one for the Northwest District Attorney position. While the debate was going on inside, several candidates had supporters out on the street holding signs and waving to passersby. Both formal events were well attended and you can watch them for yourself at gctv.org.

We're very pleased that our recording of recent debates, including those discussed above, piqued the interest of two other media outlets. Masslive.com and Northamptonmedia.com both asked for links to our event footage, which we happily provided.

In other election news, many of you know that we updated our State Primaries page several times this week to include more video candidate statements and greater Franklin County races. If you haven't checked it out yet, now is a good time to do so. In addition, Maureen Winseck, Greenfield's Town Clerk, would like us to remind you that the last day to register to vote, change your political party, or address, for the State Primary Elections to be held on Tuesday, September 14th, is Wednesday, August 25th. The Town Clerk’s Office will be open from 8:30AM to 8PM that day. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30AM to 5PM. If you have any questions regarding voter registration, please contact the Greenfield Town Clerk's Office at 772-1555 x112.

One final note that has nothing to do with politics: The Franklin County Fair Parade will be here before you know it. If you would like to help us record the event on September 9th please email alicia@gctv.org and let us know.

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.

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.

Franklin County Fair Parade Info.

We hope you enjoyed our live coverage of the 2008 Fair Parade on Thursday evening. If you missed it, you can catch it again today at 1:30PM, 12AM on Monday, and 6PM on Tuesday. You can also purchase a DVD copy from us ($16) to enjoy at home or come into our office to watch it for free. In addition, at 2PM on Monday you can catch the archival footage of the 1957 Franklin County Fair.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made our 2008 Fair Parade coverage possible: Camera Operators Jimmie Bailey, Shawn Cromack, & Sam Pyfrom; Hosts Russ Brown & Tom Dillon; Koch's Automotive Incorporated (413-773-9043) which donated the use of a flatbed tow truck with a driver; and all the people who did prep work or got us information we needed in the two weeks leading up to the parade.

We would also like to extend a hearty thank you to the following businesses and community members whose financial support enabled us to broadcast live from the parade route.