WPAA-TV - Community Media Center in Wallingford, CT

WPAA-TV #YourTownYourStationYourVoice

PROUD Winner | National ‘Overall Excellence’ Award from Alliance for Community Media for Small Public Access Stations 2019 & 2021 and ACM New England 2013, 2014, Finalist Community Impact and Excellence Nor’easter Festival 2021

LIVE  ‘Celebration of Voices’ January 3, 2022 7:30 PM with a salute to Mike and Maddie Schleif, Andrew Horn, Riyad Lahnin, Frank Critelli & Lisa Catherine

WPAA-TV | On the Internet in HD around the clock. Click the blue Play TV button below to watch now

WATCH WPAA-TV
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Find today’s TV schedule HERE or scroll down to the blue area on this page.

 

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WPAA-TV and Community Media Center
28 So. Orchard St. Wallingford, CT 06492
(on-site parking available)
Tel: (203) 294-9722
Email: wpaatv at gmail dot com
Find us on Facebook    Twitter    Instagram
On TV: Comcast 18/1070 in Wallingford or Frontier 6091 anywhere in CT.
Executive Director: Susan Adele Huizenga

Freeman P Quinn 1st Free Speech Ambassador symbolizes our work together as a community supportive of free speech and creative engagement.  #AnyoneCanBeFreeman
Social Media posts and G-mail correspondence is handled by authorized volunteers under the name Freeman P Quinn.

Due to COVID-19, use of the facility remains limited to an approved use confirmed in advance via Email See our COVID Time Use Plan here.

Station Drop-in Hours: 
Sundays Noon –  2:00 pm (An option)
Most Weekdays between noon and 3 pm
If we know when you wish to stop by we will do our best to accommodate you.
Currently by appointment only.

Studio Hours of Operation StudioW – Make TV 
Weekday 6-9 PM with reservations. Email us to make a reservation. Click here to get started with reservations of the facility or other resources for TV projects. Some daytime and weekend opportunities are available!!!

Weekly or regular TV show productions are arranged quarterly. We schedule producers of weekly productions on Wednesday or Thursday evenings during StudioW – Make TV Hours. If you are interested in making just one program maybe our CommUnity Conversation format can work for you or you can be a guest on Local Lens. Details about how these 1/2 hour show is made can be found here.

Contact us at any time by telephone or email. Together we will see what is possible to accommodate your goals using our community resources. For complete information on who is a member, how to get access to resources and take a deep dive into our policy documents. For step-by-step on becoming a producer look this page over.

Reach out. We are here for you.

Can we help you Make TV? This is our reason for being. Once you make it and it plays on TV it is yours. You can share it on Social Media.
Does your organization need a place to meet? You can reserve our community room. (Comfortable for up to 18 people.) Send request to this Email

Do you have questions about what we do? Would you like a tour of the studio? Group tours are welcome (all ages). Send request to this Email

Are you in school? Do you want to do Community Service or complete a college Internship? We tailor these experiences to your goals. To chat about Internships send request to this Email

Free Resources, 1st Come, 1st Serve to all in good standing.

BEST TIMES
Studio: Monday – Thursday evenings and weekends.
Editing times: Most flexible. Anytime we are open.
Equipment pick-up/drop-off: Friday afternoons.
Walkins are welcome Monday through Friday: 11:00am to 5:00pm
See gallery, tour space, participate in drop-off for neighbors in need.

You can find us on cable TV, the Internet and more. Check out our program schedule!
  • Comcast in Wallingford (Channel 18/1070)
  • Frontier viewers across CT (Channel 6091)
  • Internet at the same time at TV (24 x 7 simulcast) here.
  • Roku (search WPAA)

WPAA-TV and citizens that produce shows at WPAA-TV have YouTube channels. Select videos made for WPAA-TV are on YouTube here.

Check out today’s schedule

Click the arrow on the left to see show details.

Here are a few thing you can plan to see.
  • Life-Long Learning STEaMc Mon-Fri begins at 5 AM
      (Science, technology, engineering, (arts & history), mathematics(experiential civics)

Our scheduling guidelines are shown below:

Put yourself on the map. Be a citizen Media Maker!

#YourTownYourStationYourVoice

Mission

Facilitating creation and distribution of meaningful noncommercial Community Access TV as stewards of Wallingford CT’s media making resources in fulfillment of Cable Access Provider responsibilities and as a local arts nonprofit.
#wpaatv #BeTheMedia #MoreThanTV #YourTownYourStationYourVoice #SocialActionArt #CelebrateWallingfordEveryday

Goals

  • To operate a community-based media center inclusive of a television studio with community meeting, performance space and gallery
  • To provide (free or low cost) tools & stage to the public for creating and distributing media
  • To foster awareness of the First Amendment and Free Speech (with gratitude for the 14th Amendment)
  • To sustain Community Access TV resources on behalf of the people of Wallingford
  • To enable transparency in government; especially, locally and globally

WPAA-TV is a volunteer-run nonprofit that supports citizen-produced media, individuals and civic groups making their own videos for TV distribution 1st on WPAA-TV.

WPAA-TV is your alternative to commercial media. Fundamental Community Access principles embedded in production and distribution policy are at the core of our First Amendment advocacy. These principles include but are not limited to:

  • Enabling informed Free Speech and transparency in government
  • Dissemination of diverse points-of-view
  • Sharing hyper-local stories
  • Fostering global awareness; and
  • Being an alternative to commercial media.

Transparency

To locate on policies and compliance report check out our Deep Dive Page.
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We maintain a full profile on giveGreater.org which is a public documents repository managed by the Greater New Haven Community Foundation.

Common Questions Answered Here

Who owns WPAA-TV?  Wallingford Public Access Association Inc. a CT non-profit with a local volunteer governance board. Board elections are annual between May – June. 
Is it funded by tax-payer? No
What is the source of your funding? The primary funding source is cable TV subscribers that pay an annual fee. Wallingford residents pay about $8 annually of which WPAA-TV gets about $6.50? Other sources are grassroots donations, grants and in-kind services.
How do I become a producer? See details on this page > > Be A Citizen Media Producer

Do you cover Town-Sponsored events?

No. Town sponsored events fall under the auspices of Wallingford Government TV (WGTV) Channel. WGTV staff reports directly to the Mayor. It is underwritten by our local taxes.

What does it cost to use WPAA-TV | Do you rent?

Individuals must be registered with us with a local address (photo ID proof). If taking out more than $1,000 worth of equipment credit card info must be provided at the time of the equipment loan. If unfamiliar with the equipment, you must make an appointment to go over equipment operations. Usually Friday afternoons. Some evening options are available.
Do Producers pay fees? Not at this time
Is there paperwork involved in getting content on TV? Yes, Set up a meeting to get a process overview for program plan and media release.
Are your meeting rooms FREE? Yes
Is there a limit to how often meeting rooms are used?  No. Scheduling is 1st come, 1st serve using the email reserve@wpaa.tv
If I want to do a commercial project can I rent the facility? No
How early or late can the facility be used? This is determined on a project-by-project basis. The facility is most often open between 11 AM to 9 PM.

Who can put content on WPAA-TV

Is residency in Wallingford a requirement to use WPAA-TV? Residency gives prospective Users priority. Users can be any of the following:

  • Producers in the following Towns: No. Branford, No. Haven, East Haven, Madison, Guilford, Branford. These are the towns served by our Cable provider Comcast.
  • Representatives of nonprofits providing services to an area that includes Wallingford?
  • Individuals that own businesses in Wallingford.
  • Individuals employed by businesses that do business in Wallingford (i.e. State of CT)
  • CT college students.
  • CT Filmmakers
  • Members of organizations that we host such as theater companies.

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How do you support nonprofits or civic groups?

Yes, we have a Mission Continues Initiative
Our volunteer team supports up to 5 civic projects with full-production capabilities yearly at no cost. Tell us what you want to do. We will review quickly and advice if resources are available. 
How are Public Service Announcements (PSA) handled?
Do you play Public Service Announcements (PSA)? Yes
Is there paperwork involved in getting them on TV? No
How do we give you a PSA? PSA can be sent given to us in person, via email or file transfer such as DropBox.
Is there a required video format for a PSA? No, Give us the best quality you have in any format.
Are there length requirements? No. We have played PSA as short as 6 seconds and as long as 12 minutes.
How often is PSA content played? PSAs are scheduled between programs and when possible near related content. If locally sourced, they are also played with local news and short video stories weekdays beginning and 5 PM.