Budgets, Politics, The Environment, & Shakespeare

Seven shoots took place in our studio this week beginning on Tuesday with Berkshire Middle District Register of Deeds, and former State Senator, Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr. sitting down with Joe Gochinski on the set of "The Western Mass Democrat" for a lively conversation. Immediately following their taping, the studio was prepped for that evening's live Ways & Means Committee meeting. The meeting went quite late as the councilors learned all they could about the budgets for the Franklin County Technical School and the Greenfield Public School System.

The following evening the committee wrapped up their sessions, spending three hours deliberating and making recommendations to the full council. Earlier that day, the crew of "We are the Ones" took some time to record a special anti-nuclear power roundtable discussion that will air on Cable Channel 15 sometime this summer.

On Thursday and Friday, actor and director Tom Roulston played to our cameras once again in order to begin recording "Macbeth" for his new series "Reading Shakespeare". We expect Tom's performance this morning to be followed by a "The Western Mass Democrat" interview this afternoon to finish out our busy week of shoots.

Two final notes:

The Greenfield Town Council will be voting on the town's 2012 Operating Budget when they meet at 6PM on Wednesday, June 8th. You can catch up on the budget process by watching the Ways & Means Committee Budget Hearings on our Video on Demand Player, in the "Local Government" Category.

Greenfield's Town Election will be June 14th and Massachusetts' legislative re-districting process is ongoing. Find out more about both of these by checking out the stories and links on our homepage.

Weekly Wrap-up #2

Tah dah! As promised, here is the second installment of our series informing you about the past week at GCTV:

Pleasant sounds filled our office this week. On Monday night "Valley Homegrown" showcased a talented singer/songwriter from Boston, Thea Hopkins, whose American Short Story Folk Music has earned praise from many---including the iconic group Peter, Paul, & Mary. If you missed it, when it aired live at 7PM, be sure to catch the re-run tonight at 9PM or next Saturday, April 3rd, at 10PM.

Thursday caught one of our independent producers pulling double duty. Beth Adams, host of "We Are the Ones" on Cable Channel 15 and "The Singing Wilderness" on WMCB 107.9FM, produced both of her shows back to back. She began in our radio studio where her guest, musician Helen Fortier, sang and played her guitar live for the listening audience. Afterward, the two made their way to our television studio. Helen performed several songs and then sat down with Beth for an in-depth interview.

In addition to our in-studio musical acts, there were two government related productions this week that GCTV Staff covered in the field. On Tuesday night, Owen took a couple of cameras over to Greenfield High School to document a presentation by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Then, on Thursday night, Philippe returned there for a Greenfield School Committee Meeting featuring three architectural Power Point Slideshows. The DOT Forum will be broadcast tonight at 5PM and the school committee will re-air tomorrow at 1PM.

Well, those are the highlights from this week. Be sure to check in next Friday for more. Oh, and don't forget that this coming Thursday is April 1st. Will we have some silliness on air and on this blog in honor of that special day? Perhaps. You'll have to see our TV schedule, and come back here, to find out.

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!

New show on GCTV!

Things are definitely hopping around here! Beth Adams has begun taping a new show, in our studio, called "We Are the Ones...". She describes the show as a "program to help increase Earth consciousness and to promote local solutions for helping to co-create a post-carbon, sustainable future for all Earth's children, grandchildren, and succeeding generations." It will be a one hour show, once a month, featuring interviews with state & local environmental activists, naturalists, & conservationists. The first episode of this new series will air on Tuesday, November 24th, at 7PM and features David Tallpine of the Nipmuck tribe.

Beth also recorded her thoughts on gratitude when she was here this morning: