 
The Making of Community TV
Islanders Share Experiences and View
Points through Public Access Television
Staten Island Advance - Sunday, February 03, 2008
 At the end of a dead end street, in a room without windows, Dr. Alan
Benimoff sits in front of a dog-eared backdrop of Manhattan. Small,
friendly, and hesitant to predict the exact date of Staten Island's
next assault from mother nature, the doctor waits calmly behind a
desk, surrounded by a neatly-arranged bouquet of fake plants and
large books, with titles like "Natural Hazards and Disasters." He is
resolute.
"Most scientists will agree, it's not a question of if, but when,"
says the 60-year-old professor from Willowbrook. "We're just trying
to get the word out to the public, and keep them informed."
Dr. Benimoff, who, it should be noted, is wearing a tie with a
weather map on it, is the host of a show on Staten Island Community
Television (SICTV), the local public access company inhabiting
channels 34, 35, 56, and 57. His show, "Geology Forum," or "The Show
That Rocks," covers hurricanes, evacuation routes on Staten Island,
and projected local storm surge. It's one of more than 150 programs
aired every week on SICTV that both reflect the diversity of the
local community and offer evidence of what the stations' producers
say is an important aspect in local freedom of speech.
"The real definition of public access television is in it's title,"
says Matthew Pantaleno, the company's executive director since June
2005. "It gives the public access to media, and in a true democracy,
having access to media like that is crucial."
Those who are subscribers to Time Warner Cable, the company that
currently provides most of the funding for SICTV as part of a
franchise agreement with Staten Island, can witness just how that
democracy manifests nearly 24 hours, seven days a week on all four
channels.
While the stations don't have a rating system or an ability to gauge
hard viewership numbers, Time Warner's 108,000 subscribers are all
potential viewers. Game shows, explorations of spirituality, polka
dancing instruction, wedding footage, and even previews for
soft-core adult films from the 60's and 70's can be seen on the
channels of the 501(c)3 corporation, depending on when you flip on
the tube.
"It's not a channel like NBC, where we're saying 'this is what we're
putting out there,'" says Pantaleno, 32, who worked for Time Warner
before moving to SICTV, and still teaches a production course for
St. Johns University at the facility. "It's a reflection of what the
people of Staten Island are producing. If people look at our
channels, and think they can do better, then it's up to them to do
so. These channels are for everyone."
Some shows reflect the developed professionalism of long-time
volunteer producers, directors, and hosts, while others are put
together by people who have just taken one of several orientation
and training courses offered at the facility, which is adjacent to
Time Warner's Staten Island headquarters in Mariner's Harbor.
Scheduling shows is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
One of the stations' longest running shows, "Industrial Television,"
is also one of the most controversial, due to it's adult-themed
content. But it's aired during "safe harbor" hours between 10 p.m.
and 5 a.m., when most kids are asleep. You never know what will
raise the viewers' blood, though. Another of the most controversial
shows aired since the SICTV's founding in 1983 was "The Athiest's
Perspective," which drew a large volume of complaint calls from
religious watchers.
Thanks to annual funding from the cable provider, the support of
nine full-time employees, an 11-member board of directors appointed
by the borough president, and over 400 active volunteers, 34, 35,
and 57 are usually buzzing with series and single-episode programs,
while 56 is used mostly for public announcements.
You must be either a resident of Staten Island, a local student, or
closely involved with an Island-based not-for-profit to take part,
and advertising on air is prohibited, but eligible members pay an
annual fee of just $40. Courses, which are requisites for using the
facilities, cost $75, but qualified volunteers are not charged to
use the station's equipment, which includes two full-production
studios, six-digital and analogue-editing suites, a electronic field
production (a mobile unit that's currently being rebuilt), and
countless cameras, monitors, and other equipment.
"I really consider myself a tool for people who want to learn this
stuff," says Kenneth Graham, 41, of Mariner's Harbor, the studio
operations manager who has been working at SICTV for 12 years. "It's
really an amazing resource for people with all kinds of interests
who want to say something to the public, whether they're young or
old."
One of the station's youngest promising producers is Artie Davis,
16, of Willowbrook. The Petrides High School junior, who started out
as an intern two years ago but now is also one of the station's
employees, produces a monthly game show called GamePlay, a live
interactive show where Staten Island viewers can call in and answer
pop culture questions on air.
"We attract kids, adults, and anyone who wants to call," says Davis.
"There are no prizes, it's all for fun. I've always had an interest
in production, and CTV has given me a great opportunity to do this
kind of work. Thanks to them, I'll be able to take that experience
into college with me."
Anyone 18-years-old or under must be accompanied by an adult, but
sometimes the family gets involved no matter what the ages. JohnCarl
Ziegler, 21, the effervescent, smartly-suited personality that
co-hosts a fast-moving bi-weekly topical sports talk show on Fridays
at 8 called "The Sports Lounge" with Robert DeVito, 21, tapped his
father, Walter, as the set director. And Fred Crisson, who puts
together a guitar tutorial called "Music & Scenes," gets his wife to
videotape his performances.
"We're a family here," says David Marcus, 55, of Arden Heights, a
retired MTA worker who is perhaps SICTV's busiest volunteer, working
on an especially large number of shows in the past 12 years. "We all
help each other. This is a community, with programming from people
who want to say something, get information out. It's a lot of work,
but it's something I've wanted to do my whole life. I had to retire
to get my break in television production."
By Ben Johnson
Reprinted here with permission
from the
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