Greater Ossining TV - Operating Plan

GO-TV Operating Plan for 2004 - 2006

GO-TV Background and Services

GO-TV, Greater Ossining Television, is a 501-3C not-for-profit corporation that has been serving the greater Ossining community with local programming on Channels 18 and 78 for the past seven years. Following an initial cable operator investment of $100,000 to start-up the studio seven years ago, GO-TV has survived until this time on a combination of remaining start-up funds and an annual cable operator stipend of approximately $43,000.

GO-TV currently operates a tiny studio with limited hours at Room 204 at Ossining High School. The location has zero visibility to the community, our limited funds prohibit a full time studio manager, and as a result, the station is not fully accessible to the public.

GO-TV is now in the process of working with the Town and Village of Ossining to garner at least some of the cable operator’s franchise fees, which are fees paid by cable subscribers, then passed through to local municipalities, with the intent of going back into the operation of the local public access station.

In terms of programming GO-TV provides the community with more than 40 local programs including: town and village board meetings, Westchester County Board of Legislator’s meetings (which run on both public access channel 18 and government access channel 78), local shows produced by Ossining residents, and several special events such as the annual Halloween party at the Community Center, the Ossining Village Fair, and the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

In addition, GO-TV provides FREE Public Service Announcements from local community groups and not-for-profit organizations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and FREE training on all aspects of TV production, including:

q Videography (both in-house and on-location)

q Directing

q Digital editing

q Audio

q Graphics

q Guidance in show development and production

Comparison with Other Westchester Public Access TV Stations

LMC-TV

Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Television (LMC-TV) was founded in 1983 as a 501-3C non-profit corporation serving the communities Larchmont and Mamaroneck.

Major funding for LMC-TV comes from the Larchmont - Mamaroneck Tri-Municipal Cable TV Board of Control, organized by the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck to administer the franchise agreement between the municipalities and Cablevision. The Board of Control consists of one representative from each municipality plus a Treasurer and Administrator.

The Board of Control is responsible for collection and disbursement of Franchise Fees from Cablevision. The Franchise Fees support the operations of The Board of Control that in turn provides the main budget for LMC-TV - approximately 85% of LMC-TV’s operations budget.

Additional information on LMC-TV can be obtained from its website at www.lmc-tv.org.

RC-TV

Rye City TV (RC-TV) is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization serving the City and Town of Rye, and the Village of Rye Brooke.

Major funding for RC-TV is provided by the City and Town of Rye though Cablevision’s Franchise Fees and stipend. RC-TV receives 90 percent of its funding from the Franchise Fees.

Additional information on RC-TV can be obtained from its website at www.ryeny.gov.

NCC-TV

New Castle Community TV (NCC-TV) is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization serving the community of New Castle.

Major funding for NCC-TV is provided by the Town of New Castle though the cable operator’s Franchise Fees and the Cablevision stipend. NCC-TV receives 60 percent of its funding from the Franchise Fees.

NCC-TV ‘s website is under construction.

GO-TV Proposed Services with Franchise Fees

With the Cablevision franchise fees, GO-TV would be able to relocate to a downtown location, purchase new equipment, offer expanded hours and make a 100% improvement in the way it currently serves the community.

For our first year of operations, we would require the entire amount of the Franchise Fee towards relocating and purchasing new equipment. The second year, we would require only half of the Franchise Fee. In addition to the Franchise Fee, we will embark on a major fundraising campaign, which we plan to kick on in February 2004. Our financial goal will be based on the outcome of the Town’s and Village’s decision on the Franchise Fee amount.

With an infusion of funds from the Franchise Fees and fundraising, we will be able to provide the community with:

Visibility

With a new downtown location, GO-TV will finally be visible to the entire community, making everyone aware of their local public access station. A new downtown location will add life to the community and will be an instant draw for new volunteers and show producers. It will also add to the economic stability of the community, helping to attract new businesses to the area.

Expanded Hours

We plan on operating the studio from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturdays. (Current hours are Wednesday through Friday 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) Expanded hours will make it possible for senior citizens, local college students, homemakers, and other members of the community to access the studio during the day, while those returning from work can use the studio in the evening.

This will eliminate the current scheduling problems with show production and editing. It will also allow the Studio Manager and Assistant manager to cover local events and spot news.

Full Time Studio Manager – Two Part-time Assistant Managers

We anticipate the Studio Manger’s hours to be Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00. p.m., while Assistant Mangers will work Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Assistant Mangers will each work an average of 15 hours.

GO-TV personnel will be now able to take on addition responsibilities, listed under “Additional Workshops” and “New Shows”.

Additional Workshops

With a full time Studio Manager and two part-time Assistant Managers, GO-TV will now be able to offer additional TV production workshops to the public. (Currently, workshops are offered only on Saturdays). These workshops include camera operation, audio controls, graphics, directing, and digital editing. The more workshops we can offer, the more volunteers we will have, and the more new shows we can produce.

New Shows

With a full time Studio Manager and two part-time Assistant Managers, GO-TV will now be able to assist more local producers with their own shows, as well as create some GO-TV produced shows. For example:

“Spotlight on Ossining” - featuring a different community group or non-profit organization each week, such as OVAC, Open Door, Ossining Library, Senior Citizens Groups, etc.

“Ossining Speaks Out – featuring weekly “Man in the Street” interviews on various topics of interest to the community.

“Municipal Week” – featuring weekly interviews with elected officials, and members of various Ossining departments – police, fire, building, public works, etc.

Coverage of Local Events

Expanded personnel will allow for the coverage of local events, such as press conferences, ground breakings, ribbon-cuttings, library events, Historical Society events, etc.

Spot News Coverage

Spot news coverage such as fires, storms, accidents, drug raids, etc. will be covered whenever it happens in the greater Ossining area (during regular studio hours).

Week in Review Newscasts

GO-TV will now be able to provide “Week in Review” newscasts, which will highlight all the local activities of the week.

Community Outreach

GO-TV will also provide community outreach services, such as conducting studio tours for local schools, and reaching out to non-profit and religious groups in the area to encourage them to produce their own shows.

Public Relations Services

Currently, the Town and Village of Ossining have no public relations services. In providing publicity for GO-TV, we will also be highlighting all of the local community groups in Ossining. We will stage photo ops with local elected officials and community leaders for distribution to local newspapers. Any GO-TV publicity also means publicity for the Town and Village of Ossining.

Fundraising

In addition to the Franchise Fees, GO-TV plans to conduct its own fundraising, which will go toward setting up a new studio, rent, electricity, purchase of new equipment, payroll, maintenance on existing equipment, and general studio operations.

Our fundraising efforts will consist of the following:

1. GIVE-TV - As outlined by Town Supervisor John Chervokas – to be rolled out in February

2. Fundraising Kick-Off Press Release – to be distributed to all local media

3. Subsequent Press Releases and photo cutlines following substantial donations

4. Letter-writing campaign to all local businesses and individuals – to be followed up with phone calls and/or visits

5. Fundraising events, such as dinners, T-shirt sales, etc.

6. Networking at various local events, such as Chamber of Commerce dinners, etc.

7. “How to Help” section on GO-TV website (www.greaterossiningtv.org)

8. Production of GO-TV video for presentations to major corporations

9. In-studio signage about donations

10. Hiring of part-time grant writer

Conclusion

In conclusion, GO-TV will be able to offer a myriad of services to the community, if it receives the Cablevision franchise fees from the Town and the Village of Ossining. While fundraising will be a major part GO-TV’s future, it should not be the sole means of support for GO-TV’s operation. We sincerely hope that the Town and Village of Ossining will look to Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Castle, Rye, Pleasantville and the other municipalities as a model for distribution of the franchise fees.

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