Paul Jermain Celebrates 100th Episode of “Smart Boating”

We at Cape Ann TV would like to congratulate one of our members, Paul Jermain, for the soon to be released 100th episode of his show Smart Boating here on Cape Ann TV! The informative weekly program is centered around the premise for boaters to be more knowledgeable while out at sea. The program has also covered the topics of purchasing new and used boats, components-propellers, electrical systems and upholstery. Other topics include comparing boat types and talks about safety when out on the water.

The Start

The show began in August 2006 after Paul had a lunchtime conversation with a marine surveyor friend where they discussed how Paul could potentially run a better boating show than a well-known syndicated boating show that was airing at the time. Paul’s story is particularly fascinating because he had no idea how to produce a television program at the time or what type of time commitment it would involve, but he never the less he decided to go for it. Jermain’s skills in an Entrepreneurial Training Program and training at Cape Ann TV, gave him skills that helped him to get the show started and three weeks after the idea was brought forth.

The show’s format, which is informal and conversational, features Jermain and a guest, who is typically an expert on the specific form of boating, discussing that subject. Using Cape Ann Television resources, Paul is able to produce his own show. He usually puts about 15 hours of videotaping and editing work into what you see in each episode of “Smart Boating.” Without the ability to use Cape Ann Television community access television equipment and resources, Paul might not otherwise be able to produce his own show — it would likely be cost prohibitive. All of you also have an opportunity to produce your own shows.

Cape Ann TV’s Comment

Everyone at Cape Ann TV is proud to have supported Jermain throughout the show creation and to give him and other Cape Ann Television members the ability to cablecast a show on your local public access community television channels.  “Smart Boating” is an ideal example of what members can achieve when they join as a member of Cape Ann Television. We hope that the 100th episode is one of many milestones to come for the show. The show highlights the purpose of public access and our  local access channels — to give all residents “access” to the equipment and training they can use to create shows about topics of interest to them and about their community — and the ability to show their programs on our local channels.

You can check out “Smart Boating” which is cablecast weekly on CATV Channel 12 on Tuesday evenings at 8 p.m., Friday afternoons at 2 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m.. It is also shown on 30 other local public access cable TV station channels on the North Shore and across the United States. Also see a special interview with Paul on ” Cape Ann Report,” that will be cablecast on Wednesday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. and replayed on

We Hope You’re Ready For… Greasy Pole 2011!

Best time of the year here in Gloucester, Fiesta Time is finally upon us! That means celebration for the the masses in Gloucester.

To get everyone charged up for the Greasy Pole, our friends at “Good Morning Gloucester” will provide you with highlights of last year’s winning trek across the pole.

We, the Cape Ann TV interns and volunteers, will be there to tape the essence of the Greasy Pole 2011 and hopefully we will see you there as well!

An Intern’s Perspective at Cape Ann Television

Hello everyone, I’m Trevor Levine, a summer intern here at Cape Ann TV.  I’m currently completing internship hours to graduate from St. Bonaventure University so I have signed up for a lot of hours at Cape Ann TV. Originally from Beverly, I currently travel to Gloucester four times a week and assist with studio production work and help with the day-to-day operations at the studio.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

After my first month here, I am beginning to understand that the cool thing about the Cape Ann Television is that the content and product that we air to the viewers at home truly is a reflection of the people that we are surrounded by! Now not to sound “corny” or anything, but there truly is no place like Cape Ann! I first became involved in community television when I was in high school and I volunteered at Beverly Access (BevCam),  the local station in my hometown of Beverly. When I was there, it was always a very quiet environment with no more than 5 people in the studio at any given time, and despite only being a public access station, I never got the feeling that I was in a television atmosphere. I can’t say the same about Cape Ann Television. Not a day that passes by here in which where there are less than 20 different people in the studio! Although technically we are a small studio, I feel like I am working in a much larger station. The people from Cape Ann are the ones who make this station special. I have observed the taping of 5 different shows and each and every one has been done by a unique person that I could only imagine being a part of Cape Ann.

CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Since working here, I have gotten experience covering Gloucester City Council and School Board Meetings. Despite the length of the meetings, sometimes being a bit lengthier than what the average college student would expect, watching these meetings gives me a sense of the type of people that can only be found at Cape Ann. At these meetings, I am in charge of running the robotic camera system which then sends a live feed from City Hall to the station and then to your television sets at home. Although I am learning to handle this work as part of my internship,  prior to attending the meetings, I really had no idea how the government functioned on a city level. So while I am able to learn the use of a unique type of camera system,  I am also fortunate to see a small government in action and have learned so much about what people on the citywide level want from their government — which is something you rarely have the chance to learn in television unless its through the cable access channel.

EXPERIENCE IS KEY

The cool thing about being here is that I have been able to work on so many different projects and am learning about how a studio runs on a daily basis. I can now say that I have worked with broadcast level equipment, learned how to use the Final Cut video editing software, and met many people who can help me launch my career into the field of mass media. I look forward to, hopefully one day, creating my own show here as well as, using the experiences that I got here for a paying job in television some day!

Cape Ann TV students produce: “Bad Day at Good Harbor”

Here at Cape Ann Television, we enjoy having younger Cape Ann residents join as members and learn to use our studio! Recently, we taped “Bad Day at Good Harbor,” a hilarious story of a group of kids who get themselves into a bit of a pickle when they travel to the famous Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester. We hope you enjoy this program and we look forward to encouraging more local kids (like yours) to join in our summer video programs – one session from 1-3 p.m. on July 12-15 and another session from 1-3 p.m. on August 1-4 – and become part of Cape Ann TV!

St. Peter’s Feista coming soon! Cape Ann TV will be there!

Look for Cape Ann TV interns Trevor Levine and Andrew Uhmeyer as they take to the streets at different venues to capture some of the sights and sounds of this year’s St. Peter’s Fiesta that takes place from Wednesday, June 22 and continues through Sunday, June 26. The Fiesta honors the patron saint of the fisherman, St. Peter and is orchestrated by the Italian American community in Gloucester.  

Cape Ann TV Youth Video Students Win Gloucester Education Foundation Award

The Gloucester Education Foundation recently awarded the Cape Ann TV Spring Video Students a special award for best program at the middle/high school level for their show, “Bad Day at Good Harbor.” The talented students who produced the program, under the guidance of Andrew Love and Lisa Smith, were: Sadie Backstrom, Liam Dyer, Laura Kennedy, Enzo Paganetti, Roman Gadbois, Dylan and Greer Viau. The Gloucester Education Foundation also encouraged the students to “keep on creating!” Consider having your child enroll in one of our upcoming summer programs so they can start creating too!

Join our team! Donate to Cape Ann TV during our Annual Appeal!

As Cape Ann TV celebrates its fourth successful year as a nonprofit public access community television station, we ask that you consider donating to our annual appeal. When you support Cape Ann TV, you support your local community access center that works with all of you and our nonprofit service organizations, schools, the city and towns to share valuable information and celebrate all that is wonderful and unique about Cape Ann! With your support, we can continue to build the services and resources we offer to the Cape Ann communities.

You may be asked to contribute to many different causes during the year to very worthwhile organizations. We would like to be one of them. We work diligently to offer you the best possible services and resources that will enrich your local community. If you wonder what we do, you can tune in to our local channels and see the programs produced by our members — some of whom are middle and high school students. We provide training to residents of all ages groups and walks of life. We’ve trained students from all three Cape Ann high schools, hosted Gordon College interns and initiated a weekly youth video club. In addition to our established series programming, we are now cablecasting new exciting and engaging shows such as “The Local Music Seen,” and “Cape Ann Profiles.”  We also held a special collaborative community event honoring Virginia Lee Burton and cablecast a special tribute to beloved sports hero John “Doc” Enos in a program produced by Bob Drohan. We empower you — the residents of Cape Ann — to become local correspondents and tell the world what is so special about Cape Ann!

One of our biggest challenges is to keep up with the demand for more public access programming as we require equipment maintenance, replacement and upgrades. Our team of three staff people and many volunteers cover four communities in Cape Ann in multiple capacities. As we expand programming and opportunities for community members of all ages to produce their own shows, one malfunctioning camera can really impact member’s abilities to cover important events. Cape Ann TV is quite unique in that we cover four distinct geographical areas, yet receive the minimum amount of public access support through the cable license agreement. Most of the access centers in individual cities and towns in Massachusetts receive the full 5% public access funding.  This fiscal challenge substantially affects our ability to grow, yet we have maintained full staffing and a balanced budget for every year of operation. This is why we need your support!

The value of our channels and resources is almost immeasurable. Local public access television provides educational and learning experiences, builds knowledge and understanding of our communities, contributes to local economic development through the free flow of information, news and community dialogue that enriches our city and towns. The nonprofit service organizations that serve each Cape Ann community has a valuable means to publicize their services to you. Residents from students to senior citizens not only build media and video skills but work together side-by-side documenting events and “history in the making” by chronicling what is most important to them about Cape Ann. In exchange for the minimal amount of the access fee franchise dollars we receive, we are proud to offer a much higher rate of return in the value of the services and resources we offer to your community. We hope that you will join in supporting us and helping us to build the resources that benefit all of you!

Please consider making a contribution of $50-$100, or any amount you can afford, to help us continue our efforts to serve the communities of Cape Ann! This is truly is a place united by community, and together, we can celebrate community! Send your donation to Cape Ann TV, 38 Blackburn Center, Gloucester, MA 01930. Thank you!

“No Pretty Prayer: A Film About the Fort” Filmmaker Sal Zerilli to Appear on Cape Ann Report

Filmmaker Looks at Gloucester

Cape Ann TV will welcome Sal Zerilli as a guest on Cape Ann Report later in the month.  The film “No Pretty Prayer: A Film About the Fort,” produced by Barbara Burton, Jim Wehmeyer and Sal Zerilli, explores how people in our community have sustained a deep and compelling passion for the Cape Ann area. The film is follows residents  of the Fort as they share their experiences from the place that they call home. The film also covers some of the unique traditions of this area. “No Pretty Prayer” will be screened seven times over the course of St. Peter’s Fiesta later this month here in Gloucester.

The group has released a trailer and clips from his documentary, and we hope you will enjoy them and screening of the movie during the Fiesta.

90 Second Spot

Trailer

Also be sure again to check out Sal on Cape Ann Report and follow us on Twitter to get the exact dates the moment they are announced!

10 Reasons to Take Pride in Cape Ann Television

Cape Ann TV is a unique local public access community television station that provides an open forum for free speech, community dialogue, cultural exchange and artistic expression. Community Television reaches people who live at Cape Ann. CATV cablecasts locally on Channels 12, 20, and 67 (Comcast), television for the community, by the community.

Through your local Cape Ann Television Channels…

• You have access to the media to make your voice heard on television.
• You can value the debates and the intelligent, refreshing discussion of complicated issues that allow you to become educated and engaged in local government.
• You can listen to local town meetings and listen to critical information that can be distributed to the people of your town.
• A simple story can be told right away about the need for food in the food pantry can help rally residents to help fill the shelves.
• You can watch locally produced programs, sometimes produced by your neighbors, that encourage you to think about your town in a different way.
• You can speak with a staff person who can answer a technical question or help you to find an answer.
• A positive voice is given to the community by providing a healthy outlet to youth through our student programs such as the “Teen Productions” with the Healthy Gloucester Collaborative.
• You have the opportunity to document meetings concerts, graduation ceremonies and town events and help to chronicle the history of your town.
• You can be one of the more than one hundred  nonprofits throughout Cape Ann who have been able to educate the community about their services.
• You can hear from and see people and the places you know from your own neighborhood.

Summer Update from Cape Ann TV

What’s New at CATV

Cape Ann TV is now in its fourth year operating as a public access nonprofit organization. As a community service organization, we are always looking for ways to grow and to keep our operations running smoothly.

Just this past month, we hosted our Annual Members meeting, which served as a forum to show the supporters of CATV all that our organization has accomplished during this past year. We showed members highlights of  the programs created by local middle and high school students that gave them experience in producing a program and was an extra curricular activity for them. We have also trained interns from three local area high schools, hosted Gordon College interns and initiated a weekly youth video club.

New Twitter Page!

CATV has also found its way onto Twitter, where we set up an account last month. Be sure to follow us for programming and in studio updates for what is coming your way on your local cable access channel.

We Also Are Looking for your Support

As a local nonprofit community access station, it is sometimes difficult for us to keep up with the demand for more public access programming with equipment upgrades, maintenance and repairs. Our team of volunteers and staff are dedicated to covering the four communities in Cape Ann in multiple capacities. We are a unique station in covering such a large geographical area with such limited support from the cable access contract. Most area access stations — serving just one city or town — receive the full 4-5% through their cable license contracts whereas we currently receive a much smaller percentage. This fiscal challenge does impact our ability to grow, yet we have maintained full staffing and a balanced budget for every year of operation.

Most people enjoy certain broadcast television shows and public television programs. But what could be more important that supporting your local access channels? These channels are devoted to the people who live and work in Cape Ann. We ask your support of local cable access by donating to our annual appeal! If you can make a contribution of $25-$100 or any amount that you can afford, you will help us to continue to bring the best technology, resources and training to the community.  This is truly a place united by community! With your help and support, we can offer more services and resources to you that will help all of us to take pride and celebrate all that is wonderful area about this place we live in.

If you would like to support Cape Ann TV, your local community television station,  you may contact us at:

Cape Ann TV
38 Blackburn Center
Gloucester, MA 01930
(978) 281.2443
Fax: (978) 281.8679