 Hi, here we are welcome to the CCTV holiday party Richard Kemp. Can you believe the turnout? I'm very surprised and it's nice to see people that I don't don't even know It's nice to know that free speech is supported by so many people That's it's not a curiosity in our current society if you look around at the way the media is squeezing and pushing and Eliminating free speech all over the place and we're doing it here, but don't you think people aren't that happy about it? I mean, do you think that most people are okay with free speech being squeezed? I don't think people are very happy about it, but I would suspect people don't even really know what's happening to them Well as a as a person who is an active user of public access television, which you are you make the show near and far You've made almost I would say hundreds of episodes of that program. Isn't that true? I think that's true, and it's really a kind of a delight and I would also use this as a Commercial too It's something that people can do and it's available to you in the community Just come down here and talk to us about what you want to not what you want to put on or when you can put it on Because there's no really restriction. I think almost no restriction on what you can say in the content kind of material And that's very important. It really is and I wanted to switch everyone a merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah and a happy holidays Because we are here having our holiday party. It's the 20th anniversary of Channel 17. It's the 27th It will be anniversary of CCTV and public access in Vermont in Vermont And we have a number of folks from other access channels here Maybe we'll round them up, but first I'd like to give Richard a little certificate of appreciation Here we go Richard. Thank you so much for all of your work Well, thank you very much on the CCTV board and making television and standing tall and for you Well, I've been standing tall for some time But I just wanted to say there should be an award here for Lauren Glendavidian For what she's done over all of the years about making public access and make channels this channel available to people in the public So that's my I didn't bring an award for you, but that's my reward to you. Thank you Richard I really appreciate it and thanks We've got I've got Jonathan and Beth right over there and we're gonna bring them over because they are usually behind the camera And we don't usually get to see them. So we're gonna have Jonathan come over and Beth come over and Jonathan McCandless and Beth McMullen, how are you? Come on close to me. Come on over here. Let's get close Let's have a group hug. Come on. I'll give you this in a second. I'm gonna give you this in second You know the two of you have been volunteering for channel 17 youth in particular for ages and Beth also for a long time and you're usually behind the camera But why do you keep coming week after week to volunteer your time Jonathan? Because I like all the live shows and I like all the new and interesting people and I like the holiday Probably with all the food and the nice people and I've been here for seven years already And it's fun to volunteer here. Thank you for letting me volunteer and I'm gonna keep coming for as long as I can We're so I'm so honored I really am and Beth you have been involved with both Jonathan and Ivan and and then you step behind the camera at a certain time Yep And I love it What what for the in the last couple months what have been interesting shows that you've seen and been part of? Oh Gee, it's hard to I like to learn about this area and what people are doing I like to learn about the schools commissioners corner very much. I'm fascinated. I was a teacher once and I like his reading hearing about historical tours and and I like knowing what Politically is being planned by groups and Just I've never had A channel to the kind of Conversation that we get to listen to just because we're behind the camera and Then we make it available to the public which feels like something that's very important We're pretty happy this week in particular because we finalized a contract with Comcast So we have funding to go until 2016 so another six years, which is great news And it's important because the cable subscribers fund channel 17 But also we couldn't do it without the support of great volunteers like you yep And this July well this July 26 will be my eighth year of volunteering at the TV station Oh my gosh Well, let's give you a little certificate in advance of appreciation For all of your help and good work here at channel 17 and CCTV. Yep. Thank you so much. Yep, you're welcome Staff that helps us understand what what to do and how to get better Lotta from Jeff and Rob and Riber's fantastic Jeff Wyman. Yeah, they've been real pleasure working with everybody I just can't think of all the names at the moment, but I could go down a roster Nice nice place to be. Thank you so much Beth. I appreciate it. Okay. Thank you so much folks who are watching We're talking to some of our volunteers the folks that make channel 17 and CCTV a great place And we have Lee Terhune here with us Lee. Welcome. Hi. How are you really good? I'm really glad to be here and good food tonight. Yeah, it's a nice party. It's a good time You know you've been a community activist from even when you were lived in Colchester I remember and that was to the early years of channel 17 and before that when I lived in Williston Is that right? I cut my teeth on the pyramid mall in Williston with Ben and Jerry and Joan Knight of the whole group of us concerned citizens of Williston and then I moved to Colchester But I was close to Burlington and so I worked with the Peace and Justice Center That was how I got involved in activism in Burlington You know we made a video for the city of Burlington about the pyramid mall before There was any development in Williston and I and one of the things we did is we Went to Plattsburgh and we drove down the thoroughfares of Plattsburgh and videotaped it and then cut the fields of Williston intercut it with the with the Sprawl of Plattsburgh and the other day I was driving my daughter Stella Rose is 11 and I said, you know it used to be that the only thing that was here was skate land and The imported auto place and the state police and all the rest for farms and I looked around I realized it Just like that drive through Plattsburgh 25 years ago There's been a huge huge change in the community. Hasn't there do you think that we got a better development by waiting for Maple tree place? I mean we got the same kind of sprawl development But think of what pyramid mall looked like and think of what maple tree place looks like we got a better deal I think I think either way you do it it's there's a kind of inevitability to the development of retail and It's a different time the interstate is going to bring it no matter what and now they're fighting over where they put another Interstate interchange in South Burlington And I saw Bill Stono here tonight and there's a whole contingent in in South Burlington that are fighting that Well, luckily at Channel 17 you can find out all about it Which is the neat thing is that you can sit through those meetings even if you're not there, right? And you know I do Well, I know you do because you really give us good feedback I call in when things are wrong like I found the it on on a clickable agenda on a meeting that I have to refer to Regularly because of something I'm writing and the clickable agenda is wrong. I'm so glad you do that now You've been very involved in the NPA in the New North End and tell us a little bit about what's going on out there And why that's an important area for you to be engaged in well I really love grassroots democracy and when I lived in Williston and in Colchester We had a town meeting and town meeting was wonderful I mean we voted on things that were controversial in the community and sometimes the votes were one or two or Three votes and then we'd revote and somebody would take their wife's hand and push it up and you know those were exciting times So then I came to Burlington and there was nothing and then I discovered this thing called the NPAs and I remember the first meeting that Chuck and I went to we couldn't find it and when we finally did find it after You know we're like we went to the Heineberg Center and we went to the St. Mark's Church and everybody said you know I think it's I think it's here I think it's there so we finally found it and it was in the library in Hunt School at these little tables and chairs and When we came in I remember people looked at us like who are these people? What are they doing here? but I saw the potential of NPAs to be like the town meetings in other Vermont towns and It is it really is I go to them all over the city now for one reason or another And it's just great watching people come alive with the spirit of democracy. Oh And what you do is such a big part of that such a big part of that you just the other day I heard somebody saying why doesn't the parks commission tape tape their meetings? Why can't we watch their meetings and so we did a resolution and asked them to please tape their meetings And then that discussion led to isn't the finance board tape their meetings We need the finance board to tape their meetings Well, you know Nancy Kaplan who's the Burlington rep for Channel 17 is here tonight So it would be good to get together with her and tell her about that. She's on your board. Yes on the channel 17 trustees Well, I think though that the people we have to move are the people on the parks commission for example And the finance board. I mean ultimately they're the ones aren't they that make that decision And we can we could organize to see if we could get that to happen if that's what people are interested in All right, good. So in the meantime, I'm going to give you a certificate of appreciation to thank you so much Thank you. It's a small token It's been my pleasure and tonight the food is great. Oh good. So we cook too and we make TV Thank you so much James Jereau You are a community producer par excellence meaning you are our most most Busiest and productive community producer. Well coming from you Coming from you that couldn't be a bigger compliment and I just like to tell you and thank everybody For letting me come in here every Monday almost feel like I'm one of the staff here But everybody watch the art for word at cctv.org Clicking Jero Gero and you'll see a lot of art openings history never know what's coming from the art for word I really don't know either But it's time to you know, thank everybody for letting me be a producer here and I really love that Well, we I was just watching the pomegranate Christmas party that you did we had that on today Yeah, here. I missed up to the light balance a little bit in there But I got good audio and I've got some good audio and a lot of noise from the kids But I can come away with something Usually I'm having to work on my light balances and things that are technical in the field besides being a producer I'm trying to get people to talk but I'm fairly lucky on and those regards but on the edit and like to thank Bill a lot for Fixing the linear edit system for me because I do have a sort of a little dyslexic and I have a hard time with computers So having that linear system available It's really helped me quite a bit and it's really put me back in the swing of things if you were to encourage anybody watching To make television. What would you say to them? I would say probably just take a camera and go I love the lake I love being near a swamp or anywhere where there's birds and take a video camera And this is just the way I would do it or the way that I got started and start doing things In nature and then putting them together and then see where you can take it from there That's inspiring. I have a certificate for you. I am once you hold the microphone While I find it because it's here and it's a small token of our appreciation Here it is So thank you for all your work your hours of programming that is really fine And really connects us in a way that meetings don't so we're really appreciative of the work you do So thank you so much. All right. Thank you and I really appreciate this and I'll always treasure this. Thank you James to row one of our great community producers. We um, we're gonna bring Elsie Elsie Heinz here. Elsie had one of the most popular programs this year. He's part of the next generation How are you Elsie? Nice to see you. Thanks for coming It's going good. So how did you get here to channel 17? Oh over the summer my mom wanted to Heinz most people probably heard of her she had a show here and They offered and I went with her and they offered me to do some kind of work and I liked it So I came back and you come every week now. Don't you? Yeah, and you're directing. Are you? Yeah, well not now but like Like for most shows I direct Do you think television is something you might want to do when you as you get older? Yeah, sure. Maybe um, I Think that I'm probably gonna go into Something with technology maybe maybe not television as a way to go but definitely something involving a lot of Something I want technology maybe designing websites. This is fine for now I mean this is probably gonna look good on a college application. So like it brings some options for me Well, and it's all media. I mean, it's all digital and you're talking about whether it's computers or video It's all part of the same mix. Isn't it now? Indeed it is so if you were to encourage other young people to get involved and Channel 17 what would you say to them? Joins joins and I'll tell you sorry Joins channel 17. It's a lot of fun It teaches you some valuable skills and you meet a lot of smart people and It's a good educational experience along with us on something to keep you occupied. It's a good time here It's a very friendly environment. It's good Well, thanks, and here's a certificate of appreciation for you Thank you, and you know one of the things I was saying before you came on is that the show you did on technology is one Of the most watch programs that we have on on the web So thanks for bringing the viewers to us. Cool. Thank you. Thanks a lot So I won't keep you from your responsibilities, but I'll let you get back to work. Thanks so much Elsie Heinz is one of our star Community producers and I'm gonna ask Nancy Kaplan actually to join me now because she is a trustee from channel 17 Nancy welcome. Thanks so much. I'll see talk to you soon. Thanks. All right, great. How are you? I'm good. Thanks. Thank you for joining us at the party. Oh, you're welcome. It's a great party once again good food I see the mayor has walked in It's always fun people and my son is behind the camera today. That's excellent Yeah, so we have some good news to share which is that we are about to ink a deal with Comcast for channel 17 I have to say I have not seen Staff and a board work harder on a contract you guys really it was an immense amount of work And I'm really proud to have been a part of it and you guys sealed the deal nice work And I think it I think Comcast also deserves a lot of credit for being a good negotiating partner. Absolutely This is it's it was a good collaborative process they were polite and easy to deal with more or less and I think the outcome was good for both sides So we have funding secured till 2016. It's great That's when Comcast contract with the state and so presumably we'll renew it then but we couldn't do it without the cable subscribers Right, right. Absolutely, and it's good to keep public access TV on the air and that's the point, right? We appreciate you're being a trustee and you're going to continue on even though you're not running for reelection I hope so I think if I can talk the rest of the city counselors into reappointing me I'd be happy to stay on as a trustee. It's been a great job Why do you think why is this something you want to continue doing, you know? I knew zero about public access TV when I started and the learning curve was pretty steep And I just think it's really interesting I never thought about the issues that you guys bring up about free speech and public media and Just getting the word out In a way that people don't have to pay for it really it's a community service and I think it's terrific And I just like being a part you're a fun crew Thank you so much Nancy. We appreciate it and I want to thank all of our viewers We are having a great time here at the CCTV party. I want to welcome the mayor. How are you? Nice to see you here Thanks for joining. Yes, 27 years. Oh, no It can't be that long and it's 20 years for channel 17 this year, too Yeah, that's a real celebration and you're a vital service to the people of Burlington no doubt about it You know Peter Clevelle was just in in Afghanistan and he he called and he said we're I'm wondering if we can get public access going in Kabul And I thought well, that's a very interesting idea I wonder I wonder if that would be the key service then, you know It'd be public access would probably provide most of the information if it if you were able to do that Yeah, and you know, there's so many other ways of communicating with the public to with texting and you know different devices that I think Supplement the whole principle of public access. No, I agree. So as I understand it There are five million people in Kabul. It was a city sort of built for a million So everybody's pretty close to each other and this would be a great way to share information And I think they have a municipal budget of 35 million. How does that compare with the cities? Much less than ours. We're probably at about 260 million. So and we're a very very small city I would say it's a small city with big ideas But our budget is bigger than Kabul's and that's a that's amazing Well, congratulations on that award from the Home Depot Foundation Yeah, so we were but Home Depot declared us the sustainable small city of the year and she've been awarded I was endeavor to be able to pick up that award with Jen Green our sustainability director At the National League of Cities and Towns Congress of Cities and it was definitely a proud moment I think for Burlington, but really for Vermont because I think as a state More than a lot of states on the issue of sustainability Well, I appreciate you coming tonight and if you were going to say anything about why CCTV and free speech is important to you. What would you say? Well, I think we need critical thinking and to really do that you need information that matters And I think you're able to bring that information to the people of Burlington and and I think in an Unadulterated way, and I always respect that. Thank you so much. Nice to see you. Thanks for stopping by It's great to see you so I want to thank everybody here for coming and and celebrating with us and I want to remind you that we appreciate the support of CCTV of The cable subscribers of CCTV and channel 17 and we want to encourage you to be a contributor to CCTV and a member and we're in the midst of our holiday party and also our holiday campaign So you can always go to cctv.org and donate We certainly would appreciate that because it will help us to guarantee the future of free speech And I think with that we're going to wrap up tonight's show But maybe let's just have a look at the audience and see what's going on out there and without further ado I'm going to thank you very much