When it was first proposed back in July, we said we liked the idea of moving Schenectady’s public access cable TV operation to Proctors. And now that there’s a more fleshed-out plan (presented by Proctors CEO Philip Morris at a SACC membership meeting Thursday), we like it even better. The plan has the kind of vision and creativity Morris is known for, and could lead to a bigger, better public access operation, with increased quality, offerings, educational opportunities and community support — not only from Schenectady but around the region. Still, questions remain, such as: What role, if any, will SACC play? and, where will the money come from? Morris says his proposal doesn’t answer the first question, because that is up to SACC. It will decide whether to continue as a membership organization with its own board of directors. He says he would welcome the involvement of members on three advisory committees he plans to create, one for public access, one for education, and one for government. He also says he would like to see SACC focus on production, which is its strength. In fact the move would allow SACC to do more in that area by eliminating all the management headaches, including the considerable time and expense of maintaining its own studio in the old Goldstock’s building. As for the source of operating money — particularly with the more ambitious operation Morris is talking about — that’s still not clear. SACC has had chronic financial problems because its only guaranteed source of income is $80,000 from Time Warner, via a special pass-through fee charged to subscribers in the city of Schenectady, and it has a budget of around $140,000. But the city is in the midst of negotiations with Time Warner for a new franchise agreement, which should bring significantly more money from an expanded definition of gross revenues. Perhaps the city can designate some of this small windfall for public access. ............>>>>.....................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r03601&AppName=1
But the city is in the midst of negotiations with Time Warner for a new franchise agreement, which should bring significantly more money from an expanded definition of gross revenues. Perhaps the city can designate some of this small windfall for public access.
Time Warner, which has worked closely with Proctors on many shows and events, might also be inclined to be more generous with a higherprofile, higher-quality cable operation at Proctors. The same goes for other municipalities in the county — Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Glenville and Scotia — whose cable subscribers currently get the feed from Channel 16, which includes such things as county Legislature and Metroplex meetings, but don’t pay anything for it. And for individual and corporate donors and sponsors, as well.
The anonymous author of this editorial advocates that the governments of the City of Schenectady, Towns of Niskayuna, Rotterdam, and Glenville, and Village of Scotia contribute revenues to the operating budget of Proctors Theater. I believe that in past years (and I presume in 2010 as well) the annual county budget has included hundreds of thousands of dollars of public (i.e., tax) revenues for Proctors. This is in addition to the millions of tax dollars that Proctors received from the Metroplex.
As our friends and neighbors continue to lose their jobs, infrastructure decays, property taxes force businesses and residents to leave the county and state, and the lines at the Department of Social Services grow, the "champagne and caviar elitists" ask those who are struggling to subsidize the arts district.
It is (past) time that Proctors Theater becomes self funded. If the leadership and the business model cannot achieve self sustenance, then one or both should be replaced. Perhaps a lesson in private enterprise is warranted.
Lastly, the takeover SACC of TV16 by Proctors Theater CEO Phillip Morris and the Board that includes Democrat Legislator and former Schenectady Mayor Karen Johnson politicizes the public access television station as it has the not-for-profit Proctors Theater. I suspect the three member government advisory committee will be political appointments by the Democrat majority in Schenectady County government. This will result in taxpayer funded censorship and one party control. Are there no private citizens in our communities without political ties who are qualified and have the interest to support the arts?
Are there no private citizens in our communities without political ties who are qualified and have the interest to support the arts?
Uh.....nope!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Re Nov. 15 article, “Move SACC to Proctors”: Rest in peace, SACC-TV, Channel 16. It was the incompetent leadership of city politicians that killed you, and the losers are the people of Schenectady.
It was the incompetent Sad/Sacc Bored that killed it. The interconnections between those that also killed the City and County are obvious.
Another case of political correctness gone awry? Aside from the Rotterdam and Schenectady meetings totally unwatchable. Two comedies cannot sustain a station.
SCHENECTADY Council to vote on Proctors TV deal BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.
Public access television will leap into the 21st century next week if the City Council votes to allow Proctors to take over the SACCTV channel. The project, which began in May when SACC asked Proctors to begin managing the station’s fi - nances, is expected to be approved by the council Monday. Council members approved it in committee this week. For channel 16, the change promises to lead to a better product with better equipment, more channels and high-definition video. The educational channel run by the city school district would benefit as well, with much-needed upgrades that would allow it to tape programs and run them later. “The school district doesn’t have a server. It has a switch that turns things on live,” Proctors CEO Philip Morris said. “We’re proposing a server so they can upload it, schedule it, have things on an announced schedule.” With the switch, public access may also add a third channel, for government. Committees will govern each channel separately. Proctors is interested in the project as way to enhance its educational programs, and Morris plans to shift SACC’s focus to training amateur videographers to produce stellar public access shows. ..........................>>>>............................>>>>.......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01401&AppName=1
Wonder how McCarthy and Blanchard can vote if they are on the Board at SACC? Anyone catch the meeting to see how they voted or if they excused themselves.
Wonder how McCarthy and Blanchard can vote if they are on the Board at SACC? Anyone catch the meeting to see how they voted or if they excused themselves.
Most on the city council to the county leg to the metroplex, are on boards or somehow intermingled on just about everything in schenectady. Talk about a conflict of interest. They have created a nice little empire for themselves. Who will make the decisions on what will be aired and edited on SACC TV now?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Proctors getting cable-ready First published in print: Sunday, February 14, 2010
SCHENECTADY -- Proctors Theatre has officially taken over the city's cable access station.
But the theater's State Street building has no cable infrastructure to support broadcasting, said City Councilman Gary McCarthy, who is chairman of the station's board of directors. It will likely be a few months before Time Warner Cable can install the necessary lines.
Meanwhile, McCarthy said an auction last month of the station's Broadway building attracted no serious offers. The city recently valued the property at $2 million -- many times more than its old assessment. McCarthy said he couldn't comment on how that might impact the sale..............>>>>.........>>>>...........Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=900634&category=SCHENECTADY#ixzz0fWFuERrO
You would think that b4 SACC moved the cable would have been put in place so they would be ready to transmit their programs. Raising the assessment on their old building by a factor of 3 was a brilliant move as well, it should help to persuade some idiot to buy a building in the wasteland, with extremely high taxes, that is the city of Schenectady.
This was a great idea according to the Gazetto? LOL!
So what if no one bid on the old SACC-TV? So what if Proctor's has no cable facilities? These people are so caught up in their own cheer leading they have lost contact with reality. Yes-blame the assessor and the other politicos that have taken over every community board. BTW, didn't the Gazetto call for the removal of the political hacks from the SACC-TV board before this latest disaster?
SCHENECTADY Public TV out of Proctors offers new look BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.
Forget about SACC-TV, this is Open Stage Media. Born out of the new agreement between the city of Schenectady and Time Warner Cable, Open Stage Media will feature three channels of public access television, internet streaming and eventually video on demand. There are discussions in progress about airing sports at Union College and even airing Schenectady Today five days per week. The idea is to bring public access television to the next level, said Philip Morris, Proctors CEO. While public access television is waning in other areas of the country, Schenectady will be setting an example of how to bring it into the future, he said. “This is on a whole different level,” he said during a community outreach event at Proctors Wednesday. “We’re on the reverse end of the trend.” Public access television’s new look was even given a new slogan: Be heard. Nearly two dozen marketing students from the University at Albany have been working with Proctors to rebrand public access television as part of a semester-long project. “We’re really trying to raise awareness and encourage people to participate,” said Chelsea Norton, a senior from Clifton Park. Starting next week, all of Open Stage Media’s programming will be piped out of Proctors. The State Street complex will feature studios in the GE Theater, the Education Center in Proctors’ basement and an area dubbed the “digital soapbox.” This smaller studio will feature easy-to-use production equipment that will allow people to produce their own videos, provided they receive some basic training. In addition, Open Stage Media now has the ability to accept video submitted online. Open Stage Media began broadcasting some programs from Proctors about two weeks ago. Schenectady Today finished fi lming at SACC-TV’s studios on Broadway this week and will start filming in the Education Center next week. Within two months, Open Stage Media will move all of its government programming to Channel 18. Channel 16 will be reserved for public access programming, while Channel 17 will be used for education programming. In January, the city reached a decade-long agreement for cable services and providing $100,000 to Open Stage Media, a Proctors’ operated entity aimed at modernizing SACC-TV. ................>>>>..............>>>>..............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r02101&AppName=1
Logged
It was the incompetent Sad/Sacc Bored that killed it. The interconnections between those that also killed the City and County are obvious. 
