JULY 2007

Over the past 8 years PAC 14 has been recognized numerous times for its service to community and programming achievements. While we certainly love a pat on the back we find it equally satisfying when our local producers are recognized for their efforts. One such example is “Working Together for Children”, produced by the Wicomico Board of Education. “Working Together for Children” just received top honors in the Alliance for Community Media’s annual “Hometown Video Contest”.

To be more specific - the series which is now entering it’s fourth season, premiered June 2004 and is produced by Faye Wilson, Ed.D. and Tracy Sahler. Faye Wilson is the Coordinator of Communications and Parent/Community Outreach for the Wicomico Board of Education, has a rich background in print journalism, and served as script writer and video shoot coordinator for a project that featured projects in several African countries. Tracy Sahler received a journalism degree from the University of Maryland College Park in 1988 and moved to the Eastern Shore the following year, working first as a reporter for The Daily Banner in Cambridge and then as a reporter, photographer, feature writer, columnist and bureau chief during eight years at The Daily Times in Salisbury. Tracy  joined the Wicomico County school system in November 1998 as the public information liaison, a position that involves writing news releases, fielding media requests, planning communications initiatives, taking photographs and co-producing the monthly cable program "Working Together for Children" on PAC 14.

When asked about the educational series Faye offers the following description. “Working Together for Children is a half-hour program, aired on PAC 14, which features the Wicomico County Public Schools. It helps to keep parents, community members, educators, and students informed - whether it is celebrating achievements and awards or wrestling with challenges”. When asked about the success of the program

Tracy states “The best feedback comes through our regular co-host, Aaron Deal, who hears through his daily contacts with students and parents and people in the community what they enjoy about the show.” She also adds, “Michael Ann Yiannouris, one of our co-hosts, told me that she receives an enormous amount of feedback about the shows that people are watching the program.”

As manager of PAC 14 I can report that these types of comments are ‘not’ unusual. Over the years I have received countless emails, letters, and personal sentiments of support from the community. Our viewers report loving PAC 14’s ‘local’ programming, and our local producers and hosts continually report being stopped when out in the community. These scenarios lead me to establish the term, “Grocery Store Nielsen’s”.  Public Access, as a non-profit television operation, does not live and die on ‘ratings’ as typical commercial stations do. But these public sentiments help us gauge how well our ‘messages’ are getting out.

Most Public Access shows vary greatly in quality due to the fact that most operations are tragically under-funded and are of course open for local citizen use; novices. Public Access places greater emphasis on ‘content’ as opposed to quality. However, here at PAC 14, we ask each of our local producers to shoot for quality as well. “Working Together for Children” falls in the upper range of the novice production spectrum. As Tracy Sahler states, “each monthly episode takes many hours to produce….more time to produce than many of PAC 14's shows because of the type of show that we decided to do”. “With more than 14,000 students, 25 schools, more than 1,000 teachers and thousands of others with a stake in Wicomico County Public Schools, we wanted to show the events, activities and people involved in the school system on an ongoing basis… All of this makes the show more watchable and entertaining, allowing us to attract an audience for the show's informational sections as well”. “We believe that makes the time invested in preparing "Working Together" time well invested.”

Job one for Public Access is engaging community and fostering use of our services. This requires personal attention and instruction as novices learn to shoot and edit their own programs. Given the fact that Faye and Tracy are, admitted video novices, but just received national honors - PAC 14 must be doing something right.  As Faye offers, “Personally and professionally, I am quite excited. Becoming a producer (and a digital editor) for the school system is an honor in and of itself. To be recognized by a panel of peers - folks who've seen the gamut of community programming - is quite uplifting”. “I would say this to anyone who is looking for additional venues to share their message…go to PAC 14 and sign up for the class. Get credentialed so that you can use the cameras and then bug the staff at PAC 14 to death so that you can learn more and more as you use the equipment…Do not let fear of failure hold you back; you will make mistakes but 99% of them can be fixed. You will find that you know more than you think and that your creativity will just go off the charts as you push yourself to create programming that is engaging”.

It would be an understatement to say PAC 14 was proud of Faye and Tracy and their Hometown Video Contest award. Their efforts demonstrate the best of ‘community access TV’ and serves as a definitive answer to the question, why is it important. In these days of mass media, giant media consolidations, and special interest dominated television, Community Access Television stands alone as the only true source of community information in towns and cities across America. We are the only ‘community’ place left on the dial – the only media service that strips away typical economic and other barriers – and the last line of ‘local media’ defense – period.

For citizens, civic – non-profit – and community service organizations, Public Access stations are simply the only real answer. Please consider using Public Access services here in Salisbury, or wherever you may live. Please let your local and state representatives know you support Public Access. Public, Educational and Government Access Stations are in danger. New legislation, and recent rulings by the FCC, prompted by wealthy media companies, seeks to strip away local municipal franchising rights and de-fund Community Access TV nationwide. Help protect programs like “Working Together for Children” – help protect PAC 14.

Become a PAC 14 member, the simple act of adding your name to our list of supporters will make a difference and will help us move forward to provide new and greater services.

Faye and Tracy – Congratulations from everyone at PAC 14! Also, a special thanks to the Alliance for Community Media and all the volunteers who make the Hometown Contest possible.

Mike Goodson,
Manager PAC 14

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