ELCAT ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2004

 

To the Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Residents of East Longmeadow,

 

The East Longmeadow Cable Access Television, channel 5, has experienced a successful rebuilding year, beginning with the hiring of our first full-time employee, Gerri Gagnon.  Ms. Gagnon’s responsibilities have been numerous:  studio manager, programming director, volunteer trainer, and teacher.  

 

Due to Ms. Gagnon’s experience in TV production, two new courses offered at the East Longmeadow High School, through a partnership with the School Dept., using the state of the art facility at Birchland Park.  TV Production I  (fall semester) and TV Production II (spring semester) are courses allowing the extensions of skills students initially learned at Birchland Park Middle School. Students will be incorporating both field and studio production:  providing overview and hands-on experience in pre-production, production, post-production; the proper set-up/usage of camera, lights, sound equipment; and an exploration of how perception can be manipulated both by camera placement, angles, and editing.  Students will also learn to analyze advertising and marketing techniques and media literacy.   

 

One of our goals over the next few months is to purchase new equipment:  three professional standard digital field cameras, Apple editing computers, and necessary scopes/test equipment to standardize and improve signal processing.  Classes on the new equipment will be offered to all interested community members: town business, civic organization, or other community members who would like to create programs cablecast on ELCAT. 

 

We would like to thanks our student volunteers, Matt Atwater and Andrew Clark, who have faithfully volunteered their time to tape Selectman and School Committee meetings, as well as the Fourth of July Parade.

 

Finally, we would like to thank our past members, Leon A. Gaumond, Jr., former Executive Secretary, and John Kasparian for their time and talents over the past few years.  We wish them both success and happiness in their future activities.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Judy Croci, Chair

Gerri Gagnon, Studio Manager

Steve Morissette

Lloyd Oaks