Inside This Issue:

Crew Connect ......................Page 3 Youth Video Clubs ..............Page 4 Technical Corner .................Page 6 Programming News ............Page 7

The Producer
Public Educational Government

Fall 2011 Issue

430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821

BATV Was Haunted

By Sam Schauerman
While the days were getting shorter, temperatures becoming cooler and leaves transcending to various shades of yellow and orange, preparations within the walls of BATV were well underway for its 4th consecutive BATV Is Haunted event. This years event occurred on Monday, October 24 from 5 7:30 pm. BATV closed its doors to the membership and general public at 2 pm on October 24, although facility alterations for the event began October 20. The event has grown over the years; Dianne Bone from the initial haunted studio at BATV to participation by many surrounding businesses with activities including crafts, costume contests, storytelling and more. The very first haunted studio was attended by approximately 100 children, while this years event brought over 500 individuals; parents accompanied by their elementary school-aged children. Prior to the night of the event, the Billerica Building and Fire Departments inspected the facility insuring that BATV met Paul Abrego all ordinances to carry out the event. As for the actual function, there were approximately thirty individuals positioned throughout the facility keeping the event running smoothly. All were committed and versed in safety and exit strategies to keep attendees safe. While there are many who were responsible for making this such a memorable event for children, we are especially grateful to the Lloyd family. Without their generous Continued on page 3 Nancy Albertson The Producer 1

Mary Peacock Photography

BATV closings and limited hours:

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011at 2:00pm thru Thursday, November 24th Closed for Thanksgiving Saturday, December 24th thru Monday December 26th, 2011 Closed for Christmas

Mary Peacock Photography

The next regularly scheduled BATV Board of Directors meeting is Wednesday, December 14th, 2011, 7:00 p.m. at BATV. You are welcome to attend!

Mary Peacock Photography

BATV Hours of Operation

Mon. Thurs. . 10:00 am - 9:30 pm Friday .............. 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday .......... 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday..................................Closed

Board of Directors
President ............................... David Fournier Vice President .................... Barbara Flaherty Secretary ......................................John Coyne Treasurer ..................................Jim Woodside Asst. Treasurer ....................Pamela Anastasi Board Member ............................... Jen Casco Board Member .........................Ronald Fusco Board Member .............................Gerry Goss Board Member ................... William Haddad Board Member ................... Anthony LaRosa Board Member ......................... Greg McClay Board Member .....................James McFeeley Board Member .............................Paul Overy Board Member .......................Donna Popkin Board Member .......................... Helen Potter

Has Your E-mail Address Changed?

If your e-mail address has changed, make sure you let us know so that you can continue to receive e-mail from BATV about events, special classes, new equipment and other information wed like to share with you. E-mail is a fast and easy way to communicate with our membership, so if you have a new email address, please send Jason an e-mail at jbazinet.batv@comcast.net with your full name and new/preferred e-mail address, or go to www.batvinc.org/emailupdate on the BATV web site and fill out the form. If you havent already given us your e-mail address, you can give it to Jason at any time or fill in your information on the membership renewal form coming to your mailbox soon.

BATV Tidbits

UPCOMING ARTISTS
November - Lions Club Peace Posters December - Helen Potter January - Denise Warren February - Alex Shure (Underwater Photography)

The Producer 2011

Billerica Access TV 430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821 Phone: 978-663-2284 Fax: 978-667-4969 batv.batvinc@comcast.net www.batvinc.org Editor & Layout Jason Bazinet Contributing Writers: Paul Abrego Nancy Albertson Jason Bazinet Sam Schauerman Karen Sennott Alex Shure

PRODUCER SHOW PAGES

Take advantage of the perfect opportunity to promote your show! Let others know about your show topics, air times, and any other useful information youd like to add! If you are a producer and would like to have your own show page on the BATV web site, contact Jason at 978-663-2284 or e-mail jbazinet.batv@comcast.net

BATV Staff:

Technical Coordinator .............................................Paul Abrego Youth Coordinator ...........................................Nancy Albertson Access Coordinator .................................................Jason Bazinet Production/Staff Assistant........................Matthew Macomber Executive Director ............................................Sam Schauerman Marketing & Outreach Coordinator ................ Karen Sennott Programming Coordinator ........................................ Alex Shure Board of Director Clerk .................................... Madeline Stone Production/Staff Assistant........................................ Tom Violet
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BATV Was Haunted Continued from Page 1

contribution of props and general love for Halloween, I sincerely doubt BATV Is Haunted would ever have been so successful. As a BATV member, you may ask yourself why have I not been aware of this event? BATV Is Haunted was planned and implemented by the BATV Open House Ad-Hoc Committee for community awareness. The event was originally designed for, and remains designed exclusively for elementary school-aged children. Consequently, for those who have attended, or attempted to attend, discovered that all parents must be accompanied by an elementary schoolaged child, no exceptions. And primary advertising for the event occurs from flyers distributed in Billerica elementary school classrooms. Since its inception, BATV Is Haunted has grown into a community event. Each year, we have experienced increased generosity and participation from surrounding businesses, which in turn, provides the children of Billerica a safe and memorable Halloween. This years participants included Liberty Bell Restaurant, Colleen Sgroi Gallery & Art Classes, Frederick A. Ciampa CPA, Mary Peacock Photography, MTM Brainerd Insurance, Burns & Egan Reality and Mangia Mangia Italian Kitchen. For the fourth consecutive year, BATVs Ad Hoc Committee, board members, staff and numerous volunteers worked diligently to plan and implement another safe and enjoyable BATV is Haunted; kudos to all!

Membership Renewals and BATV Volunteer Database

By Jason Bazinet
In the coming weeks, BATV will be sending out membership renewal forms to individuals, families and organizations. When you receive a renewal form, please take time to complete it in its entirety so we can update our database with accurate information. On your membership renewal form this year, look for the Volunteer database section. If you are interested in being listed as a volunteer in the Crew Connect section of the BATV web site, just fill out the appropriate information and you will be added to a searchable list on the BATV web site. As with any volunteering oopportunities, you must be certified on a piece of equipment before you can use it. Make sure you check off what areas you are certified and interested in volunteering along with your skill level for each. If youre interested in volunteering on other projects, fill out only the information you would like to have shared. If your preferred contact is e-mail, only add your e-mail address; if its by phone, just list that. If you are certified in editing and field cameras but would only like to volunteer as a camera person, then only list that skill. Remember this will be a public database on the BATV web site. If you would like to add your name to the database either before or after the membership renewal forms are sent out, contact Jason at 978-663-2284 and I would be happy to add your information. The Producer 3

FALL YOUTH ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Video Clubs are now in session!
Throughout the school year students in the 5th-12th grades are invited to be a part of BATVs video clubs. In three separate age groups, students learn advanced video production skills, editing, scripting, storyboarding, acting and improvisation. The following times have been scheduled for the different age groups and students are welcome to join at any time throughout the year:

Mondays 4:30 - 6:00pm: 9th - 12th grade group Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:30pm: 7th - 8th grade group Wednesdays 5:00 - 6:30pm: 5th - 6th grade group New Youth Club Orientations!
BATV offers Youth Orientations on the second Tuesday of each month. This gives anyone looking to join our youth clubs the chance to ask questions, take a tour of the facility and catch up on youth happenings at the station. Know any classmates interested in BATV? Tell them to attend our next Youth Orientation on December 13th at 6:30pm.

Check out BATV Youth Programs Online!

The Youth page on BATVs website has recently received an overhaul. Be sure to visit www.batvinc.org/youth for updated info on video clubs, upcoming workshops, and other youth events at BATV. While youre there, take a gander at some creative and entertaining youth produced videos! Short clips are now available through the new BATV Youth Programs Vimeo account and are posted on our website and on Facebook. Click on the Videos link under the Youth tab of BATVs website to view them all or visit: www.vimeo.com/batvyouthvideos. Like BATV Youth Programs on Facebook and receive status updates, event invites, and view the latest photos and videos posted from youth activities.

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Frink Island
Cars and trucks roll by daily, traffic lights flash commands, pedestrians cross cautiously and an occasional horn honks bidding attention of a pondering driver. Nearby, trees, shrubbery and flowers on Frink Island wave in unison as the breeze gently blows. Frink Island, located at the south end of Billerica Common, nestled between Boston and Concord Roads, has been if you will, BATVs adopted child for the past ten years. In 2001 and through Billericas Adopt-An-Island Program, BATV eagerly agreed to maintain and care for Frink Island. Over the years, many BATV volunteers and landscaping companies have provided countless hours of service to keep Frink Island groomed; each season requiring different tasks. While the experience has been rewarding, the time has come for BATV to set the Island free; to give others an opportunity to adopt and provide for the Island. BATVs last day of guardianship was November 1, 2011. BATV is thankful to have participated in the Adopt-An-Island Program. We hope the new caretaker will have a rewarding experience. Next time youre passing Frink Island or stopped at the traffic light, take time to smell the roses! Or simply, note all the vegetation and detail that Frink Island has to offer!

Become a BATV Community Partner

Do you own a business? Are you looking to increase your customer base? Are you looking for alternative methods to disseminate information about your business? BATV now offers opportunities for businesses to connect with Billerica citizens thru its newly adapted Community Partner Program. Simply put, the Program is a business / corporate sponsorship program designed to build partnerships with local businesses, provide awareness of local businesses and support BATVs mission. BATV encourages and enables open extensive communication through BATV while promoting diversity and responsibility. As Billericas Public, Educational and Government Access Media Center, BATV has become an integral part of the Billerica community. Whether it is citizens offering their point of view, children participating in after-school enrichment programs, elected officials at a government meeting, a local church service, sporting events, or use of the community bulletin board by hundreds of nonprofit organizations annually, not a day goes by that BATV does not touch the lives of Billerica in a positive way. Almost 80% of Billericas households subscribe to cable services offered by Comcast and Verizon. That means that programs produced by BATV members as well as programs presented by Billerica residents that entertain, inform and educate the local community, can be viewed by almost 12,500 households. As a BATV The Producer 5

Community Partner, you have the potential to reach the same 12,500 households. Why become a BATV Community Partner? o Its easy and affordable. o It creates awareness of your business. o It supports BATV as Billericas First Amendment Forum. o Its an investment in your business. o Its an investment in your community. o Its an investment in your future. BATV has been connecting the Billerica Community for twenty four years; let BATV help you get connected. Become a BATV Community Partner today. For more information, please visit www.batvinc.org or contact Sam Schauerman at 978-663-2284.

As a father with a school-aged youngster, autumn and the start of a new school year is always a reminder of the learning and growth we see in our children and their continuing development as individuals. As the Technical Coordinator at Billerica Access Television, Im also acutely aware of the concept of providing opportunities for the development of Billericas youth throughout the year. This fall, our Youth Coordinator Nancy Albertson will once again lead our elementary school, middle school and high school Youth Video Clubs and enrichment programs. The Youth Video Clubs provide an avenue for Billericas youth to be creative, develop teamwork skills and above all have fun while finding their own unique voices. Nancy describes the clubs as an alternative creative outlet which allows children to Make TV, not just watch it. It is this concept of the active vs. passive television experience that our video clubs provide. Thats also one of the many reasons why access television is an important part of each community that allows it to thrive. Luckily for Billerica, BATV is allowed to do just that. With regards to the Youth Clubs in particular, BATV allows kids to be kids while giving them the power of television to share their stories, ideas and feelings during a time when, lets face it, its a rough patch in everyones life. The kids in the clubs learn field production in order to produce short videos, some of which will be submitted to local and national video contests. Other aspects of the clubs curriculum include: video camera techniques; audio and graphics; television studio production and studio program creation; proper audio and microphone use; digital editing; acting for the camera and improvisation; stop motion animation; scriptwriting and media literacy. For more information on BATVs Youth Clubs log on to our website batvinc.org and click on the Youth tab. Or contact Nancy Albertson directly at nancy.batv@comcast.net. In other news, Alex Shure and I curated a scary Halloween double-feature movie night on Thursday October 27th. The night was an ode to classic Horror of the past in 1931s Frankenstein as well as a truly scary modern classic, 1982s Poltergeist. We also showed some of our horror/comedy skits and one of the first films ever made: Thomas Edison studios version of Frankenstein from, believe it or not, 1910! Everyone who attended had a great time watching the Halloween Spooktacular. If you missed out, dont forget to mark your calendars for the next movie night taking place right after the BATV Holiday Party on Thursday, December 22nd. More details and movie information will follow. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me @ pabrego.batvinc@comcast.net

Technical Corner

Paul Abrego

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Hello Members, Please enjoy this information on free sights and sounds from your programming coordinator. First, a reminder about the TED Lecture Series: TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. If you havent watched this series on BATVs educational channel, and even if you have, I encourage you to go to TED.com, right this second and check some out. There are hundreds of talks that can be easily accessed and searched for. Those of you who love watching our TED cablecasts, Im issuing a call for help. Ive currently been scooping up random talks of interest and assembling them in hour-ish blocks. If others take an active interest in finding and editing (very little actual editing required) these talks we can get a bunch more of them on TV. There are lots of reasons to like TED. I love these talks because in a time of gloom and doom projected by the media, TED is one of the few outlets that promotes and spreads inspiring and hopeful ideas. It is lovely to see that people who are out there problem solving and thinking of innovative ideas to help improve social and environmental problems. Please let me know if you would like to become more involved in getting TED talks cablecast on TV. I will gladly teach members how to properly download and assemble these files into cable-ready DVDs. For years now, everyone has heard me singing the praises to Archive.org and the like for being powerful resources for acquiring public domain and creative commons licensed materials for cablecast. Im happy to say that I found a new site, specifically for music, that is incredibly easy to browse and download mp3s from. freemusicarchive.org has thousands of creative commons licensed tunes to sample from almost every genre of music. Not only can you borrow, use and re-mix some of the materials on the site, if you are a music creator, you can become a member of the site and upload your own works for others to use. On a similar note, BATV has purchased a comprehensive new set of our own copyright free materials. You will be pleased to find over two dozen new CDs loaded with sound FXs and music available for use at any time; no hunting, no downloading necessary. You need it, we got it punk, hip hop, country, cinematic themes, animal sounds, rips and breaks, ambience, etc. This massive influx of new materials will give everyone no excuse to use copyrighted material. Dont be afraid to check out the new collection, theres good stuff in there, its not all cheesy or campy either. PS if you want cheesy and campy we still have our Canary Productions CDs from 1991 Tom, please dont be mad at me for outing your secret music source. As always let me know if you have any programming questions, comments, or concerns.

Programming

Alex Shure

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Billerica Access Television, Inc. 430 Boston Road Billerica, MA 01821 (978)663-2284

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 134 No. Billerica, MA

BATV Community Partner Membership Renewals Youth Video Club And much more...

In This Issue:

Senior Speed Dating Wins 1st Place at ACM Northeast Fall Video Festival
The Alliance for Community Media Northeast Region recently awarded the short, Senior Speed Dating first place for the Professional Comedy and Drama category. The video was produced by BATVs very own Nancy Albertson and aired on the public channel earlier this year. Starring members of Bostons Naughty Nanas and New Tricks improv troupes; this video is a funny take on the formalized matchmaking process known as speed dating. As part of a local Council on Aging event, eight single senior citizens looking for love are rotated to meet each other over a series of short dates. The content was mostly improvised by the cast with some acting direction by Nancy herself. The award will be presented at Alliance for Community Media Northeast Regions Fall Video Festival on November 12th in Springfield, MA. Watch the video online through the BATV Video On Demand feature. Just visit www.batvinc.org/vod and search Senior Speed Dating.

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