2020 Facility Use

Plan & Protocol COVID-19 | 2020

What we did immediately in response to the shut-down of non-essential services in CT:

Beginning in March, WPAA-TV’s skeletal volunteer staff maintained our 24 x 7 cablecast schedule. Remote assignments were planned for our three Interns to enable them to meet their graduation requirements. Congrats to Evann, Mike, and Garrett. We discontinued all other work placements and scheduling of non-essential volunteer activity. Studio production ceased for all talk and performance shows (BG, CR, CM, MM, TK, MwP, Drums, HKB). Equipment loans were extended for individuals working on projects remotely. Our 3-Minute Movie Challenges was redesigned to include a coVIDEO Challenge. The Record-Journal shared this as a story.

Changes in support of Community

As spiritual communities began using remote platforms, we modified our support to them in our decades-old Same Day Sunday TV cablecasts. Welcomed Christ Presbyterian Church, Friday Prayers (Islam), and Resurrection (Catholic) Church to our program schedule.

We modified our program schedule to support MORE at-home learning activities in STEaMc beginning at 5 AM daily, our In2languages content was changed daily instead of weekly. After nap-time Story-time was added to the schedule 4:30 PM Weekdays as was Silver Sneakers Level fitness programs especially for seniors. The Fit’n 30, or other 30-minute fitness programing, is moving to 9:30 am weekdays in October

Corona Virus Specials with stories from around the world produced by DW were added to local news beginning at 5 or 6 PM.

We modified our 3-Minute Movie criteria to meet the social dynamics and resource limitations a 1-shot category and cloud editing. We have invested in WeVideo for cloud editing to support all citizen media project effective July 1st.

Answering questions about what is happening now:

Producing Content Options and Guidelines

Support for remote program production using Google Meets is available to any interested citizen producer. There is a meeting recording option for users with emails assigned within our Google Apps platform. This is the primary option for talk shows until further notice. Our full reopen with traditional studio use has a dependency on the overall health status of the community.

Individuals, or individuals who have shared quarantine, can use the studio with access to the building via 2nd-floor entrances only (Fire escape preferred). A Program Plan is required for the set-up of the studio in advance of the user’s arrival. This can include recording the interviewer and the guest independently and putting the segment together in post-production. This option requires pre-scripting and we called it the ’60-Minutes’ method.

Program Plan: You must attest to the following. No recent out of state travel. Compliance as best you can to social distancing and wearing a mask when in public (See State Guidance below.).

To be perfectly clear: Talk shows with hosts and guests sitting at or around a table are discontinued until further notice.

Podcast | Mac studio: 1 to 3 users. 6 ft distancing microphone options are available by app’t confirmed via email reserve@wpaa.tv Use 2nd-floor back entrance.

Goal: To balance service and health and comply with guidance derived from data, science, and best practices in our state and industry. To be intentional & clear in proceeding with community users.

Guidance from the State of CT

• • • Develop and implement practices for social distancing (avoiding large gatherings and maintaining distance) of at least 6 feet ( 2 meters ) distance from others.
    • Continue remote activities, if feasible.
    • Reduce common touchpoints, provide disposable wipes so that commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks, other work tools, and equipment) can be wiped down.
    • Decline admittance to anyone with a temperature of above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit and have this as criteria for stay home, no admittance.
    • Using soap and water or within available supplies, hand sanitizer at point of entry to the facility.
    • Use a mask, or other cloth material, that covers for mouth and nose while on-site. Make masks to all and persons on-site for times when not working in isolation.
    • Control access to external visitors including:
    1. Prohibiting entry into the facility for non-essential visitors.
    2. Interview approved visitors about their current health condition and recent travel history.

Health & cleaning practices at the facility:

We changed A/C filters, acquired hand sanitizer & wipes, we have a thermometer for verifying health status. We disassemble our public refreshments area, wiped down all surfaces after carpet installation & do so after all user visits. Dust masks available if a mask needed.

Industry standards can be found here.