By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — West Windsor’s Cable Channel 27 could be seeing increased resources in the future, after members of the Cable TV Advisory Board proposed additional funding for the channel to Township Council on Tuesday.
Board officials Michael Huey and Joe Conlon told the council that additional funding would improve both quality of the recordings and increase coverage of township events, which have increased in number since the start of redevelopment planning in West Windsor.
”With $10,000 we could make a giant leap forward,” said Mr. Conlon, who works as the station manager of New Jersey Network’s Newark station.
He said the cost of recording equipment has continued to decrease, meaning the township could significantly upgrade its equipment with an investment of that size.
Mr. Huey said that it was difficult to entice volunteers to spend hours recording and then editing township meetings. He suggested some of the funding could go to paying college students and other workers to fill in for township volunteers allowing more meetings and events to be televised.
”For $100 an event, we should be able to get more volunteers, from Mercer or the high school,” Mr. Huey said.
Currently recording duties are split by only a handful of volunteers — including Mr. Huey and West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District’s station manager, Jamie Watson.
Mr. Watson can usually be seen at meetings popping out of a door behind the dais in Room A, usually when public speakers neglect to use one of the room’s microphones.
Funding could also go to procuring better camera equipment for television workers, improving their ability to record events outside of the municipal building’s Room A, which is already wired with cameras and video editing equipment.
A recent Parking Authority meeting cost the township more than $3,000 to record because it happened off-site at a township firehouse, council members said.
The presentation from Cable TV Advisory Board members received a positive response from both Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh and Township Council.
”We have to support more resources for our cable channel,” said Mayor Hsueh. “You cannot squeeze blood from a stone.”
Mr. Huey suggested that the township attempt to hold as many meetings as possible in Room A because of the presence of cameras and editing equipment.
But council said the number of meetings involving the community and redevelopment meant that additional funds were necessary, for additional camera equipment and to pay more workers.
”We have done nothing to fix the resource issue faced by Channel 27,” said Councilman Charles Morgan, who also serves as council liaison to the Cable TV Advisory Board. “I am a huge proponent of giving our cable channel resources.”
Councilwoman Linda Geevers also voiced support for more funding in order to attract more people to work the cameras.
”The reality is we have added so many meetings, so we will have to look at hiring or training more people to tape all these meetings,” Ms. Geevers said.
Mr. Huey gave a brief overview of the channel’s history prior to his presentation to council.
He said that West Windsor first obtained the slot for Channel 27 after renewing a franchise agreement with Comcast Cable in 2002.
He said the township launched its own township-managed programming in December of 2004, with the programming split between a half-day of township programming and a half-day of school district programming.
The school district and township have an interlocal services agreement for the channel, with the township contributing money to the station manager’s salary.
Under that agreement, Mr. Watson works as the district-hired station manager, instructing high school students and working with the Cable TV Advisory Board to work out programming and content.
In theory, Mr. Watson is supposed to split his time equally working on West Windsor’s cable channel, Plainsboro’s cable channel, and his high school work, according to Mr. Morgan.
Council members said administration officials should include additional moneys in the upcoming municipal budget for the channel.
