10/16/08

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said Robert Kelly, a consultant to MPEG, addressing school officials Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Around $70,000 will be spent on the new equipment, said Kelly. He said the goal is to raise the standard for quality in the town’s public programming, which has been plagued by recent audio and video problems.
Several public meetings recently have been hampered by poor microphone quality and inconsistent video feeds. The Sept. 2 School Committee meeting – which involved important budget discussions with Selectmen Chair Kathy Fagan and members of the Warrant Committee – went on for over an hour before it was discovered the sound equipment wasn’t working.
Marvin Gordon, MPEG’s secretary, said that Annual Town Meeting back in May also “wasn’t being covered properly” by cable access.
The town’s license with Comcast expired in the summer of 2007 but Comcast has continued to provide access under the terms of the license.
Town Administrator Kevin Mearn said a new contract has been reached but that Comcast doesn’t want to continue operating the public access system. The Selectmen could sign the contract on Thursday, Oct. 16, if details are finalized in time for their meeting.
“Our intention is to take this over immediately and jack up the quality,” said Gordon.
MPEG has also discussed with school officials the possibility of developing curriculum on video and using the studio “as a center for this curriculum,” according to a press release.
The new public access will target middle and high school students, as well as senior volunteers, to work in cable access, and will attempt to make scholarships available to students who volunteer.
MPEG also wants to be a part of developing media clubs at Milton High, such as the film club, and hopes to provide facilities and equipment for the school’s elective courses.
School Committee Chair Beirne Lovely praised MPEG but made it clear the schools don’t have funds to support it.
“Frankly we just don’t have any money for it,” he said.
Superintendent Mary Gormley also wants to make cable access doesn’t drain on an already-tight school budget.
Kelly said the goal is to “absolve the cost” so that school programming can be covered “at no cost” to the school department.
Open houses will be scheduled to “showcase any new innovations, major equipment upgrades or to simply inform anyone new to the town what the access facilities have to offer.”

- Scott MacKeen