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