News

Local Cable access from local cable guys
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray --The hot headed citizens who storm the Council meetings full of angry words and rude gestures may not be thinking much about their actions being broadcast all over town, nor may they be thinking about the youngsters downstairs who make it all happen, but the good natured techs who bring government meetings to you via local cable access television sure do work hard to broadcast them, warts and all. Above, Left, Will Robinson and right John Murray.

On Monday night, Gray-New Gloucester High School Seniors Will Robinson and John Murray were in control of the control booth, though there are four other techs that cover the School Board meetings, rotating every half hour, Will said.

Originally volunteering from the High School's Video Tech Club, the two had begun their work broadcasting on volunteer projects. Will had videotaped the High School graduation last year, and John had filmed the Gray Business Association Auction in October.

"Last year, Bradley Fogg (Gray Cable Committee Chair) had come to our class and asked if there were any volunteers to video events in town like graduations," John said. John tried it and he liked it, and eventually was offered a full time job at GCTV2 over the summer, helping edit and offering general tech support. The job is paid through the Town of Gray, and both boys said they like the work.

"I learn about transitions and how to keep the speaker in focus," said Will. It's a particular challenge he enjoys. "It's a fun experience. I get to meet Town officials, and it get to sit down here and be quiet." He said that he also likes using the technology. Below, The Council was in executive session to review the performance of the Manager, which is a closed meeting, so the cameras were static and the sound was turned off.

Asked if he ever has a chance to listen to the events occurring upstairs, Will said that if one person speaks for a long time, "I click out of edit mode and into listening mode. But then if there is a different voice or change in tone, then I click back into editing mode again."

Asked what he likes best about the work, Will said, "Getting out of the house."

John said, "We come here to do serious work but it's a relaxed, creative and collaborative atmosphere, that's basically why I jumped on."

John said that he likes realizing what goes on behind the broadcast. "You sit down to watch TV but you never think about what it takes to produce it, " he said.

The Council recently moved the center of operations from the stage down to the floor, creating broadcast challenges for the team. The lighting installed on the ceiling is aimed at the stage, so the Cable Committee is buying additional lighting to illuminate the floor, where the Council sits. The School Board still uses the stage. They are planning audio upgrades to better reflect the recent layout transitions, too.

The talk went to new technology, and John noted that the meetings are taped on VHS, and that is a longer-lasting medium than homemade CDs or DVD's. John explained that the digital media would last about 10 years and then data would start disappearing from the disks. VHS could last about 100 years, as long as there was technology around to play it.

John said he likes to train new recruits. "I like teaching kids," he said. The boys noticed that if they train an adult, as John said, "It takes an adult about 2-3 weeks for them to learn something new, but a kid can learn it in about half a day. Kids become productive people pretty fast."

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