Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I get my message on the Bulletin board?
A. Direct access to Carousel, the program that creates slides for the bulletin board, can be obtained by any eligible community organization ("community" being defined as the towns that receive broadcasts from LCTV) by requesting a user name and password. Please send an email to lctv1@lctv.org with a brief description of your organization. Be sure to include the address of the organization. LCTV will email you a user name and password and instructions on how to use the Carousel program. If you do not plan on posting more than two slides a year, you may request that LCTV post your slide for you. You may email us a jpeg (800x600, dpi 72 is optimal) of a PowerPoint slide or the exact text you want on the slide. Please let us know the beginning and ending dates for the posting. Please be aware that events are posted no earlier than 30 days from the beginning day of the event. You may also send text requests to us by snail mail.
For more information, click on Policies and scroll down to "Electronic Bulletin Board Policy and Access".
Q. How do I get a video I or my organization owns or has access to, broadcast on LCTV?
A. Print out and complete a Request for Airtime form and drop it off or mail it to us along with your DVD or VHS tape. Please check Policies for eligibility requirements and content guidelines. Please be advised that it can take as long as two weeks to schedule a new show.
Q. Can I use your studio to make a show?
A. Absolutely - that's what it's there for! Please check Policies to make sure you or your organization meet the eligibility requirements. You must take classes in order to become proficient in the use of the studio equipment, but once you become a certified producer, the LCTV facility and equipment is yours to use. Please refer to Policies for details on show requirements and restrictions.
Q. Will LCTV produce a show for us?
A. Because we are available to everyone in our viewing community (whether they subscribe to cable or not), LCTV does not operate like a newspaper or commercial or public broadcast station which picks and chooses what to write or produce. We do not have camera people available to cover events or editors to edit video tape or crew to produce studio shows.
What we do have are a few volunteers that will teach you, free of charge, how to use camcorders and mics, edit tape and produce studio shows. Once you are certified, we provide, free of charge, continued use of the equipment and facilities to produce television. We encourage individuals and organizations to take advantage of our classes to learn these skills for themselves and to help others produce shows.
If you can't find anyone in your organization that is interested in learning the craft of television production, LCTV will inform other producers of what you would like produced. If they are interested in the project, they will contact you to work out the details.
Q. Can people or companies sponsor my show?
A. Yes. See Policies for more information on how to acknowledge a financial sponsor.
Q. How can I get involved with LCTV?
A. LCTV is always looking for volunteers to help with studio operations and to assist individuals and organizations in producing shows or videos of specific events.You must take classes to become a certified producer if you wish to borrow equipment, use the editing suites or produce shows in the studio. Certification is not required if you use your own equipment or facilities to produce your own or others videos. LCTV also needs volunteers to help maintain the building and the grounds, provide community outreach, create press releases, write grants and update content for the website. LCTV encourages residents within the LCTV viewing community to consider becoming a member of the board of LCTV. Please contact us or your town selectmen or manager to see if a board position is vacant. Board members provide a vital role by directing policy, concentrating on making sure LCTV is properly funded and ensuring that LCTV is fulfilling and will continue to fulfill it's mission.
Q. How is LCTV funded?
A. LCTV is funded primarily by the towns we service. Franchise fees paid to the towns by the cable operator for use of public space to run their cable have traditionally been used to support community access stations, but the decision to pass on those funds to the community access stations is up to the individual towns. LCTV assesses each town in our service area a proportion of our yearly operating budget (based on population and number of cable subscribers); it is up to the voters at their yearly town meetings to approve or vote down the amount requested.