The Athens Public Access Channel 23 headquarters has moved locations and has changed ownership, but it will soon be ready to air public productions.
Matt Green, director of Athens Community Television, said he is nearly finished setting up at the new 507 Richland Ave. location of the Public Access Channel and will have a slideshow on the air soon to get general information out to the public.
During the transition, ACT has aired public service announcements and government information.
ACT assumed ownership of the station in early December and has been working to move equipment from the station's original home at 50 S. Court St., where it was under Appalachian Media Access Channel's control.
The station will use city equipment at first, but Green said he would like to begin purchasing new equipment by the end of the year.
Some of the equipment was in bad shape (when I got it)
he said.
Once it's up and running, things shouldn't be too different from the way they were before with AMAC said Ray Hazlett, assistant city-service safety director.
The only real difference in the station is its physical location, said Jim Sands, D-at-large. The new location offers one major advantage - a handicap-accessible entrance. The previous location didn't offer this, Sands said.
Green said he wants to get things running as soon as he can without making it difficult for producers, all of whom worked under AMAC before. There will be training, orientation and information courses to standardize all employees. Those with AMAC experience will only need to demonstrate competency after these training courses to begin producing with ACT.
I'm just trying to take everything step-by-step Green said.
Once everything is in order and production has started, Green said he would like to implement educational programs. These might include training for Photoshop photo-editing software and other programs.
These classes will be free as long as there is no fee to ACT
Green said.
The channel's programming is open to submissions from the public, which the city does not regulate, Hazlett said.
The whole idea is that the city government isn't in control of the process
he said. As long as they are staying in legal bounds
they are supposed to be able to do what the public wants.
17
Archives
Meghan Nicholson
