Al I Al to the the United States of [Music] America na indivisible andice for all again welcome welcome to our new member and uh I'm sure you'll be a quick study and you'll catch up on everything we've done forever right something like that but our we're very proud to be the advisory committee um we're very proud that we completed a new contract with the charter we're very proud that they finally signed the contract at least we heard that and um so we're moving forward and tonight we're going to really focus on what John is planning for the next year we have a guest with us tonight Carrie kuna is here she's expressed um a lot of interest in how cable works and how for the town and how it helps the town communicate so I'm I'm going to give her a chance to talk a little bit about what she's doing specifically with social media and um she sat with shaa sheld and myself when we waited and waited and waited and waited some more election night and um learned that if people could email us and ask questions there was a lot of exchange and excitement and all of that so um uh we'll talk a little bit about that because because we all have uh you know to say engaged in how we can continue to improve the services to the community so um Carrie I didn't I thought we would talk you could talk a little later but if you want to come and sit up here and join us um so you don't have to get up John is recording and talking and doing it all so that might just be easier for Sight Lines John um I mean do you want to approve first yeah I want to get the minutes um have you all had a chance to study and read the minutes carefully and is anyone have to approve the meeting thank you second all in favor thank you um if you would like to have a copy of the minutes Jason if you don't have them I'll make sure you get a copy they did get email to me I review the um I think we're going to move on and talk a little bit um and let talk about John so we have enough time because people have tight schedules we have another member that has another meeting and then we'll go back um because I think it'll fit better so let's skip over we've done a brief introduction and then John um anything you want to add to the agenda that says discussion of new cable contract and request for HD channel as far as we know it's moving smoothly and everything has happened and we've had no complaints so far correct correct as far as I know correct in the HD channel no that's just a yeah yeah I actually suggested that we add that to the agenda so that's actually in the new contract however we have to formally requested um through either the select board or the Town Administrator so um the caveat is that we have to give up one of our standard definition channels so the way it's written in the contract and I don't have a copy of of the language I should have printed that out but um we give up one SD Channel and are given an HD channel in place of it that's how they worded it so there's no charge for it um there's just the the um decision that needs to be made um in terms of which channel are we going to give up um and I think I think it's a matter of you know we have three channels we have the educational Channel we have a government Channel and we have the public access channel in my mind you definitely don't want to give up the government Channel you do not want to give up the educational Channel Public Access Channel depending on on how active it is could that programming could be shifted onto those other two channels or even aired on the HD channel if if needed it sounds like there's some conversation involved and how best to do that right yeah that's good to know it's it's good to know so I'll pull the language uh out from the contract and again I apologize I have it here I'll dig it out yeah um it's in that section of of the channels um in our in the cable um in the public access end of it um yeah so I think we should probably think about that I already I already have thoughts on which would be the HD channel and if we decided to you want to share them with the committee about how you want to do that well I just think if we're going to one of the channels is going to be HD I think it should be the education Channel because that's more of like an action Channel compared to just meetings I mean meetings don't the picture looks good now it's fine we don't need high def meeting meting meetings I think with basketball and sport games and everything that goes on at the school I think that would look really awesome in high death more so than a meeting I would think we would need um to make an explanation if we were taking this to the SLP board why we been doing it now um I don't think it's upper most in their mind right now with town meeting so do you think we should move on this right now into May H or do you think we should wait till later um to make switches is there Staffing things involved well no Staffing is not going to have an issue I just let me mul it over for a little bit I I think yeah I agree I think the committee should kind of just think about the the whole aspect of it and I do think if we can at least initiate the letter maybe in the June meeting um so that the letter gets sent out we can always decide how to allocate the programming after because you know the way or we know the way cable works so far in terms of just getting things done I I think you know we'll wait probably another year before we see the channel uh if we don't ask for yeah and I I would like to have it um into the secondment in June before summer starts so if you would give me a draft that involves the things that you are thinking about which are the simple we're going to eliminate one that we have but we're going to maintain through high Commision um I'll make sure we get that done and I was going to suggest we meet in June again so I think we can maybe explore that I don't I haven't heard that St was not coming but we can also talk to him um about making sure that happens so we'll keep it moving forward I I agree with Renee I think I don't think this has anything to do with town meeting or how busy this Elman this is this is almost if they write the letter it's after that it's it's it's John doing it right so it doesn't it doesn't put work on their lab and their mind is full of town meeting right now and how that's all going to happen so we don't need to add to the confusion but I will I expect to have information so we can get a letter out and and begin the conversation and then the waiting is up to whomever John and the rest of us so okay and as far as we know the um contract we have signed contract but we have not um confirmed with the town Treasurer how the process is actually so we'll have that in June also we'll have an update on where we are with the reserves and with and and whether the payments are coming in if if we could get an update on the number of subscribers too John and we do we should be able to do that between now and June I can do that and then yeah by the time this meeting's over but I would like to just move along to your report because you're working on the next year and I think that's what's important for us so um I handed out I don't know if everyone got him Donald probably didn't get one um at the last meeting I was asked to pass it down to Donald please so Jay I don't know if you weren't here so I'm sure you didn't watch our last um different the board's been asking me to and now that we may don't need a full public Channel probably anymore so um they' wanted to see a lot of new content on the public Channel more things around Westport and I totally agree with that and um I have a former student we've been going out to in stories we're banking four or five stories already and I'd like to build that Channel with local stories and um I mean that's my background was doing like news segments and news stories like that um the teaching at the high school I made a proposal I'm down to one class and um what I wanted what I proposed to the board last time and they liked it they just wanted um updated job descriptions that's what I just passed out was to see and this of course this would have to go before Laura the principal and probably the school committee too but is for us to pay someone to teach my class for the year it's only 180 hours a year cuz it's 1 hour day um and that would relieve me of teaching at the school I still want a presence in the school um I think I'd be better served having interns that want to do this that want to get into TV and media I can help them directly one or two each term doing it that way as opposed to getting a classroom of 10 15 kids nine or 10 who don't want to be there um I think that better have served my time um so the proposal would be me getting out of teaching if it's okay with the school School uh me retaining the the uh TV stud at the school to work with my interns to have the place for where my reporter can my reporter can come in we can finish up our stories and just make that a full-fledged TV studio as opposed to what I'm doing now um I'd still like I said still have a presence in the school I'd still be seen I'd still be there for any kids that wanted to do this and um and at the last meeting like some of the members just asked me can you get two job descriptions so the director position that's me it's pretty much what I I was excuse me I just altered a few things and the news reporter production assistant position um we have an increase in the town uh in our budget for the proposed the proposed budget for next year is on a town meeting warrant and we increase the pay um for a position the pay is actually going to be added to what my camera kids get now and that position would be filled by this kids would still do it but we would hire a new either news reporter production assistant position and the duties are are right there on the on the on the sheet so I don't know if this is something we have to vote on or or if this is just your increase will show on the town warrant it's already built in as a line item it's in addition to what we are paying currently for the student interns that do the meetings and the games and so they're not the kids aren't going to lose anything we're just going to hire a little just so we're clear there is a cable Reserve fund that comes out of the money that's been um accumulated from Charter we haven't spent every money every year all the amount so we're not asking the town for more funding this is no exactly so if the town's watching right now this not one cent comes out of the Town budget this is all cable money that contractually has to be used for the peg the three peg channels we have so even if I wasn't here the town couldn't dip into that and take it it's got to be used for this and I think that it's very important that that we're prepared to speak to that issue at town meeting because I do think that there's you know constant concern about any increase but this increase is is coming directly out of reserves that are for the funds that you're asking it's for us legally it has to be spent on this department yeah go ahead so so I'm I'm in favor of all of this but I think it's it's really important to um set the Optics right for this right because in essence it's an expansion of of the program you're expanding the program because as people like myself who who have been in the industry know you really can't run a television station with just one person and even a high school program you need to have somebody in the classroom sometimes you know you have reporters out in the in the hallways doing stories you have field trips that you want to go on to do the types of programs that you want to do so I I think it's important to almost not say you're getting out of the teaching role you're actually mentoring somebody else into that role of teaching and you're almost the if you will executive producer or the producer that's in charge of of working with students in the field right so leaving the position yeah yeah yeah um and that's my only thought with it I think you know right I'm not it's a matter of perception how people perceive this yeah I think we we need to be prepared to speak at town meeting if it comes up I think that's really important um because it is very confusing because the information about how cable is funded is sort of in the vapor somewhere um I also think the comment you made John about expanding local program programming is really important and if anybody wants to reinforce that we'll talk a little when we talk with Carrie but um that we we really need the community to know these are Westport programs um and some are more interesting than others but they are all important information about how the community is doing its business um John is there anything that you really want to add to your report about how things are changing or all the concerns you had last year about equip equipment as things caught up to date you're able to do the work you want to do yeah yeah equipment's not an issue um one thing that we are going to I don't know if we're going to talk about it later with Gary but um we want to get this room here in the annex where Valerie works out of to be more of a uh open space if um there's any volunteers that want to come in and either you know edit their stories or work on program because we always need volunteers and um that would mean just giving equipment loaning equip equipment out if needed to people in the town and then having them come in here if they needed to edit so I want to set up a small little work space workstation in there and um so that's my plan for that room we're going to hopefully clean out the room there's a recycle day this Saturday I'm going to see what they can take so you need help yeah I mean I'm going to ask um I'm going to ask a couple of people that work for me but it's no guarantee that they'll show up so carry down a few it's just to carry down a couple of Valerie's been out for surgery now for a couple weeks yeah she can't so she'll be back um next week um I haven't spoke to her on it was she thought maybe next week but that you know how that works at pending cuz that has made you do double duty and and um I'm yeah that's where this other position would come in that person could kind of be in a fill in when um you know there were two meetings last night it was kind of hard to be in two place I once I did one and and this again is the next 3 months it's the rest of April May June and then the fiscal year begins so you're really looking to get this to start absolutely y any more questions for John about his what he's trying to do so would the next step me if we're all in favor of this would the next step be me talk to the principal this week or whenever she's available and run this by her and see what she thinks about that okay I hope you have no push back on it I'm hoping that if you do you'll ask for our support I will thank you okay great that's good um the just one thing I wonder if maybe it's it's positioned that this is an idea obviously that the cable advisory committee supports right that should be one of the lines that you say to the principal um that was my only comment anyone else Bob anybody El okay great um thank you folks I want to um John has been thinking and working at this for a while and I think it's really important that we get behind and make sure that this happens um I wanted talk a little with Carrie Carrie had approached me um because I was watching the responses she was making on Facebook to people that were really upset about life in Westport and they were not not very um uh friendly in the way that they were asking questions or being involved and I do not spend my life on Facebook um I just happen to look once in a while at the Westport sites and so I asked her why she was doing this and and complimented her and she asked me about cable and what cable does and the um outshoot of that is that we talked about the possibility of expanding her role by sitting on this board and what I learned is that our cable Advisory board has designated membership it has representative planning board representative school committee representative the selman's office and so at this time those are all filled and there's no um way that that can be changed um but we all have um a one-year term which I also thought was interesting so you have to be reappointed in June and I think that you know that's a an interesting um time to think about people's continuation I certainly am thinking about mine but I want to talk more about what you've learned working with talking with John because we had a wonderful interview with John and this is Carrie really wasn't how can I say this it involved with cable until we started this conversation yes and then you we sat together and we did a a coverage for election night and and shaa was getting emails and you were getting emails and and it was a very 10:30 evening who cut you guys off at 10:30 say that again who cut you guys off at 10:30 and what your night we I had I've had a number of conversations there is a remote that had been set um Public Access had set it because there was no assumption on anybody's part that we would all be up at 10:30 at night let alone halfway through the election and I talked you you took a break and you came back and the buing board came right on she had it was I did not understand that anything we did not understand so I think the whole thing about public access there's a lot more steps to be known but the reality was we were turned off the air at 10:30 because nobody expected us to be on and um I'm I'm every day learning how complicated it is even though YouTube is a wonderful resource for us I can't get access to it things are unavailable and I can get access to social media morning noon and night I don't want to so that's why I think we have I'm going to look at that with you there we'll look at your YouTube issue after the meeting because there's yeah yeah well you maybe it is an issue just with my computer but I if it's me it's probably somebody else and what people wanted were information we could not that night um provide them with election results and it's it's a really complicated thing because people were telling me I did get to about 5 5 or 12 your results was close to Mid that they were coming in as we were talking and people were saying that I could run around to all the precincts and gather all the in well the town clerk's responsible for that so Cable's responsibility if we sponsor a public program is to not run it ourselves but to be part of the Town how could we post results that we got from some Precinct without talking to the town clerk it was a lot more complicated than it had been it was fun if you went out to the town website it was 1155 we gave the results we gave the results they gave the they gave the results to Valerie and I think she actually stayed there we decided that the people listening to our conversation probably had gone to bed I don't know if that's true or not but um you know at 11:00 at night there's other things to think about then you know if you're not running for office but I just I just want to give Carrie a little bit of time to talk about what you've been doing with with um social media because where where we are right now is we're talking with the technology program that the council and agent is doing and beginning to see if we can weave way to expand the ways for people to have quicker access to information and I don't really totally know what I'm talking about so I think it's really important that other people speak to the issues okay sure um I started my groups just to get people involved we because like this department it's to you and Valerie so I hope I can help in some way I'm very technical um I think it needs it's time to merge the two a little bit find a way but what's actually happening when you're talking about merging you and John are you know running totally you're you're responding to what social media is you you you have Westport site that people can go on and say whatever they want to say what you've been doing is linking to the YouTube channel so people can actually have access yes to the programs you know there all the questions about planning or or whatever because a lot of people don't realize that they can actually use YouTube to have access to that information so this is kind of a in between bridge and that's the important part of this yeah I'm trying to get to the younger Generations um the potential voters like my thing said you you told me you did some of this work in New Bedford I computer class teaching I did I worked for a nonprofit and taught um basic computer courses how to use the computer resume writing interviewing and things like that so teaching Facebook and social media privacy and safety it won't be an issue Renee you probably are the best translator year because you understand how little I understand and how you're doing great you're doing great and I think you know what it comes down to and and I think you know Carrie and John are operating um different on different platforms obviously but it's all about content it's all about the message it's all about education and information and getting that out to the people that should have have it um I.E Our Town residents um so I think it's you know it's a good idea to to have a presence on social media I think I've talked to you about that before having you know the the community channels on on Facebook there's nothing wrong with sharing um you know content across the board um it's another Avenue um and there may be more it may not just be Facebook I know a lot of the younger generation I mean my daughter's 24 years old and she's not on Facebook anymore so there are other there other avenues Twitter or X or whatever you want snap um yeah so so but there are that communication and they wanted this instantaneously but it's like having a library book nobody wants to open a book and it's all there if you want it or you know how to find it my experience is sometimes I can't get access to it the doors are closed so there's there's a number of steps and I think the first step you were talking about is helping to educate people about the pitfalls of yes getting involved in all of this yes uh security so people they don't their data is safe their personal data and maybe just something about trolls and how to not engage with other people just being safe in general do you do you see a way that I mean we talked you talked with Carrie so you've heard her ideas but do you see a way that that as we reach out to see um broaden the audience of people that that will use social media to get information that we can coordinate with cable do you think that's a has a possibility for you yeah I mean there's always a way to to like Renee said to merge the two somehow yeah I mean you know even you know Carrie maybe coming in to speak to your students about responsible use right how to you know and using the terms that you said like you know security and and trolls and what are what and I'm sure some of these kids probably know what that stuff is already but they don't necessarily know the right from the wrong correct yeah and so they can go down either path they can actually be it's adults in town that are really taking advantage you're all you just ran for office you ran for office everybody is you know responding to people you just were on a a committee that was pushed back a little bit and yeah it it um I I sort of two I think getting facts out but you understand that that once you enter that field it's just full of garbage it's just full of Absolute Total nonsense people make up stuff they just say oh this is you know they're doing the zoning to you know to you do you know what whatever you know they have all these kind of things and the idea of no one sits down and says listen these are the economic trends no one there there's no there's no peaceful conversation about these are the economic trends and directions in the town the town every single year the town meeting faces a budget crisis and how proposition two and a half how that cap works and that uh if you if you look at as as badly as the town needs money to do things um last year I tax rate was $816 a th000 which is extraordinarily low I know this is all heresy like taxes you know my God taxes you know and it's just like as soon as you say that word the the Facebook is filled with you know you know what are they doing and no one sees um taxes are the purchase of services that you can't do on your own that is an individual cannot clean up the Westport River the an individual cannot take uh treat the p pasas in the drinking water and and only a community solution can can do those kinds of things and no one that conversation doesn't exist would when I first joined this committee Bob um the every meeting was filled with the complaints that people had for for their subscription and it was about which programs they couldn't didn't get there was just it was an ongoing saga of complaints and I began to think why did I get involved in this I can find complaints you know I don't have to look very hard to find complaints in my life I it took us it took us a while to recognize and you were a leader in articulating that that we provide amazing service to the community we allow people to communicate what's going on and that's I think the over the bridge that I'm talking about how can we find better ways for people to communicate Beyond this inbred anger that if we if we didn't have the I'm sorry if we didn't have the government Channel during Co we would not have been able to conduct the people's business or it or or it would have been done essentially in in in private that is you know I I guess the the planning board could actually have you know everyone get on a loop and V but how you see there there are some boards in this town that that have the Conservation Commission the Board of Health the planning board we actually get applications we actually do the people's business applications come in we have to review them we have Consultants that review them we get these materials so we we have to work and and and but for having the government channel on which we were able to broadcast that work um you know the government would have essentially done in you talk about people this want nothing done I told you about Charter about two years ago I got a call from them their proactive group they call do I want my house go all over checked everything the C cables the con is free and I said okay I got an email cool same thing two days later guy spent 3 hours at the house replaced all the connectors all the cables gave me a new modem your wir is old upgraded me from 100 MHz to 350 no problem I said how people have people don't we call and they don't follow they don't want us to be bother that's the one problem we have here we have not had people call and say joh you're the one for three hours you're you're the spok approve the service and people turnning adult they're complaining to get back service they they don't know that's where I'll come in and I'll you're the one thise and really watches that we do get service if things are happening but I think a lot of people spend their time talking about these services as some kind of a pain that they have put up with for some reason I think the government services are the same way what I'm looking for we have to take some time to do it happened to people in this community that are trying to expand positive communication I would think the schools should want to be part of it I I certainly think this committee has to be very much in the leadership of saying you know we're not just taking a video so you can see who's playing football we're showing you what the school is all about we're showing you what volunteers are doing and there has to be some way for people to feedback most people don't watch they don't pay attention in the age groups that we're talking about we're saying what 40 to 16 18 to 16 yeah and how do we capture them in a way that understands because there's a lot of wonderful I mean I I have entertained myself watching local Westport Community TV it provides calm but interesting entertainment some evenings so and we're glad that it's done so that's why I invited Carrie to come tonight and I think this conversation needs to be continued yeah to to Bob's point I think it's it's about transparency um to the residents of what their government is is doing and also you know the what's going on in the schools I mean you know and I think that's that's an education as well for for parents and for people that are footing the bill for that brand new building to understand exactly what's what's happening in that building every every government meeting and every committee meeting is is actually televised and there's creative programming going on Steve Forest the moderator is doing a series of uh broadcast conversations it was at his initiative and um it looks a little Bleak the little bit I saw two serious people sitting at a serious table talking serious business but you know we can add some flowers or do something to soften it a little bit but they might really be heard and they'll be on YouTube and you could put them on others social media and I'll avoid that one group that one page that just is angry yeah yeah so that so that's that's where we're at and I think there's ways um so I don't I don't really want to take a long time on this but I want this to be a continuing conversation and that leads me into um did you were you given any directions when you were offered the opportunity to join this happy group um not much besides the fact of the first meeting being tonight and then I did receive the email with the minutes um that we approved earlier and the agenda for tonight so um you know just my first meeting kind of taking it all in um and I do like the idea obviously of kind of bridging that Gap with social media and Carrie and John and um the Outreach obviously to you know the younger population I think you might be an interesting connection because uh Carrie doesn't have kids in school but you know about the schools and John is there all the time and there might be a way to have more conversation I'm taking to the Council on agent because that's an exciting place in town too teaching technology and people are taking advantage of that that that leads me to the fact that our um appointments end in June we are given only one year to be spectacular and we have done that so if you want to be reappointed or if your committee reappoints you um you have to uh send a letter I would think even the school committee has to do that um and I've been chair forever and two days I think so I think we need to think about maybe a different person being chair um and all of that I think should come together in June so if you would look at your calendars maybe we can pick a date we've been meeting on Sharon the second Wednesday second Wednesday yeah the 12 19th my a holiday June 19's a holiday Jun special holiday now so we should move it up one week June 12 7 and 9 is 26 June 12 is the second Wednesday okay so is June 12th a possible date check your calendars June 12th same place same time John we'll want to be ready to have a letter for the selectman we'll want to have a report on what you've done to get another person in place because we if we can at least get a letter out about high definition that'll be a step forward I'll help you with that Renee I think you and then Carrie if you and Josh and John could talk once more maybe you'll have some ideas on there uh Irene Irene I have uh subscriber numbers the subscriber numbers real quick um did you have them now that's yep right here 2023 we were 4121 and a year before 4520 so we lost 400 from 22 to 23 yeah be interesting which is almost 10% right and I think that's expected but I think it'd be interesting to know the use on YouTube for your channel yeah I can get that as well yeah cuz I I think that's become people are more aware of it than they've ever been before um and you can add that M okay that's all I have any other questions it's been an interesting year and I think we've got lots of fun ahead I think the programming part is very exciting what you can do creatively yeah I do too we we pick the 12th is okay is that good for you good no complaints everybody's on super maybe we'll have cookies the next time I have a motion to ad Jour motion toj all in favor d