Plymouth Community Channel 3
1999 Annual Report
Plymouth Community Channel 3 (PCC3) is the public, educational, and governmental access channel for Adelphia Cable's subscribers in Plymouth and several adjoining towns. The PCC3 Committee, inactive for a number of years, reports to the Plymouth Board of Selectmen. PCC3's Cablecasting Center is located at Pease Public Library. The Center has an Amiga computer for generating a continuously repeating, electronic bulletin board with accompanying radio programming. There is equipment for automated airing of prerecorded video programs submitted by members of the Plymouth public, schools/college, and governments. The Center also has an S-VHS video camcorder and mic for taping governmental and other programming for cablecast on Channel 3. The channel has no set operating budget. However, the Plymouth Board of Selectmen did cover the cost of purchasing some replacement hardware and other miscellaneous items needed by the Channel in 1999. PCC3 depends totally on volunteers to create and run its programming. By stipulation of the franchise agreement with FrontierVision Partners, PCC3 is non-commercial.
In the past year, December 1, 1998 - November 30, 1999, 231 new messages were run on PCC3's bulletin board. This is down 13% from the 265 run in 1998. While this is a drop, the decrease is less than last year's. This year's 231 messages is down 32% from the 339 run in 1997. This year's moderation in the rate of decrease can be attributed to the increase in the number of volunteers entering messages on the PCC3 computer. However, the channel needs even more volunteers. 373 additional messages were received in 1999, but were never run.
Over the same twelve months, prerecorded video programming totaled 143 shows. While this is a decrease from 1998's 169 programs (15% drop), 1999's figure is significantly more than 1997's 107 programs. The numbers of program contributions from each of the three categories of access users were: Public -- 43, Educational -- 96, and Governmental -- 4. For the third year in a row, the access user submitting the greatest number of taped programs was PSC's Meteorology Department. Their six-minute PSC PM Weather local forecasts ran on 95 evenings. The program producer who submitted the second largest number of programs was Public Access User Jerry Larson. Jerry contributed 39 Sunday services of the Plymouth Congregational Church UCC. The Plymouth Chamber of Commerce produced two consecutive evenings of live programming in December. These shows were the Chamber's TV/Radio auction, their major annual fundraiser. Other video program contributors were Speare Memorial Hospital, NH Electric Cooperative, Plymouth Assembly of God Church, Pemi Baker Regional School District, Town of Plymouth, NH General Court, and NH Department of Transportation.
PCC3 Volunteers who deserve many thanks are John B. Bowen, Jr., Jamie Cadorette, Corie Collier, Lou Alice Irving, Glory Kidger, James Mitchell, and Matthew Perloff. The staffs of Pease Public Library, Plymouth Selectmen's Office and Adelphia Cable were always most helpful.
Submitted by,
Wallace Stuart
Access Manager