Earlier this month during The Great Give, five-hundred eighty people made 800 ‘Be The Seed’ gifts to seventeen (17) #greatgive06492 nonprofits raising $100,000. The Great Give is an annual community giving day hosted by the Community Foundation For Greater New Haven. The annual opportunity returns May 6-7, 2026!
The seeds you helped us plant will blossom for many to reap… The Sisters’ Project
The GreatGive raised 4.4 million for 574 nonprofits. Twenty-four (24) of the nonprofits have a Wallingford footprint. Seventeen (17) were part #greatGive06492.#greatGive06492 has involved 20 nonprofits since 2022, starting with 12 in 2022.
What is the difference between The Great Give and #greatGIVE06492
The short answer is #greatGIVE06492 happens within ‘The GreatGive’. It is a collaborative effort among local nonprofits with a Wallingford footprint. On behalf of people connected to their mission, these nonprofits formally agree to work together for this annual fundraising event. Each commit to asking for gifts as little as $5. WPAA-TV commits to supporting all nonprofits with video story production for the event and their mission.
Why as little as $5? – The Power of Connection
Sometimes Thank you feels inadequate. Often the bar to ‘giving back’ or ‘giving toward something” is too high. Sometimes you have already given and wonder if one more gift can make a difference. In the ‘Be The Seed’ campaign, a gratitude, or ‘I believe in you’ gift of $5 has the same ‘Be The Seed’ potential as all other gifts. This campaign puts being part of the solution in reach for nearly everyone. Matching is based on connections, not the amount given. Thirteen people gave $5 to all seventeen nonprofits. Three will be rewarded for this community commitment with swag that will show off their support all year long at Gratitude Event later in June.
Why do we call donating during The GreatGive: Be The Seed?
A gift received during the 36-hour window is a ‘seed’ to more revenue for participating nonprofits. There are connection-matching dollars, mission-centric matches, and random grant prizes. This year, The Wallingford Family YMCA and SCOW each received a random gift during TheGreatGive. The library’s gifts grew with a New Alliance Literacy match. WPAA-TV and the Wallingford Chorus received a boost for gifts received during ‘Raising the Curtain on The Arts’ Power Hour. This match was for Greater New Haven Arts Organizations receiving gifts in a designated hour. The Konopacke Fund added to the dollars raised by Friends of Wallingford Animal Shelter and Progreso Latino Fund amplified gifts to SCOW.
Be The Seed – A Greater Local Connection? THANK YOU
In response to the collaborative effort, the connection-matches of the Community Foundation For Greater New Haven have been amplified further with commitments of local sponsors. Annually since 2022, the James H Napier Foundation Trustees have approved a $5000 match to #greatgive06492. This gift has been the backbone of our success. Similarly, the foundation of the Wallingford Rotary provided $1000 each of the four years. The studioW advocacy Fund founder provided $11,000 in matching in the initial years. This year The Regan Foundation ($7,500) and The Elks ($1,000) gave to all based on connections. Locally $14,500 was raised in matches. The goal is $20,000. Our $5 connection goal is 10 x what we saw in this year’s campaign. 5,000 community-connections.
Why 17 nonprofits?
Changes in the make-up of local nonprofits and commitment to common values impact who is part of the ‘Be The Seed’ campaign. #greatgive06492 is a commitment beyond our individual missions. It is a belief that ‘Together We are stronger.” as our partner TriCircle’s branding suggests.
The Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club was among the original 12 collaborators. That organization, now part of Greater New Haven Boys and Girls Club, raised $103,000 from 339 community donors before the closing bell of TheGreatGive. As a larger organization with a broader strategy, the local fit was not easy to accommodate. As before, Wallingford friends supported them and the CFGNH amplified all gifts. Others in the original collaboration, like ARSC, had organizational changes as well.
In 2024, CT Stem Academy, Fostering Family Hope, TriCircle and WeCare participated locally for the first time and the Wallingford Chorus returned. A Kinder Ground and The Sisters’ Project were new in 2024. These nonprofits discovered the local initiative by way of collaborative promotion. Full-page Ads, contributed by the Record-Journal, now CT Hearst, as well as video promotion produced by WPAA-TV connected these nonprofits to the local effort.
Promotional stories help with the broader goal of community awareness and connection.
Nonprofit Stories? A Feature of Be The Seed
Sometimes the added boost of visibility can remind a lapse donor of the reason they gave. This was the case for Connecticut Foodshare the 1st year they joined the local effort. Promotion also heightens awareness of our missions. This is said to be the case this year for the Wallingford Family YMCA ‘Just Add Water’. This ongoing community campaign had an increase in visibility during TheGreatGive.
Nonprofits are constantly fundraising. What sets ‘Be The Seed’ apart is the storytelling. You get a closer insight into the work and the people committed to it. Every organization has a profile on The GreatGive giving portal. This profile is one place where you will find mission stories. In addition to TV and social media, videos produced by WPAA-TV are on the profile pages of Masters Manna Resource Center (Food Is Not an Option) and Connecticut Foodshare. Many of the video stories used in this year’s campaign can be found here.
Looking Forward Back | Outcomes
In 2022, $7,000 in local sponsor commitment helped raise $50,000 for 12 nonprofits. In the next two years about $100,000 was raised for a dozen slightly different nonprofits. This year, the amount raised was about the same but the number of people giving increased. Wallingford saw a higher community commitment than Greater New Haven as a whole.
Success was shared as “Our Best Year Yet!” by Wallingford Public Library. They use funds for The Wallingford Table. The Wallingford Chorus, not quite sure how to fit in, were delightful participants in the Be The Seed Launch event performance hosted by WPAA-TV. They described 2025 as “Beyond our expectations.”
WPAA-TV | More Than TV | (Behind the Scenes Sponsor), Recipient, Impact
Even though it is the only time WPAA-TV actively solicits donations, it is NOT a major revenue source. The built-in matches boost outcomes immensely. Active users at the time of the campaign, give $5. They are contributing to their own projects. The Board and staff donate, as do a dozen faithful supporters to bring up to four, free community performances to Wallingford including the Be The Seed launch each year. Food & drink is included. Community-minded performers (The Bargain Band) uplift what we do together. For refreshments, we buy local. This year’s supper included soup from ‘A Kinder Ground’, beverages from Soulstice Kombucha and Apple Strudel from Elizabeth’s Bakery.
Historically, funds WPAA-TV receives from people who also gave directly to SCOW helped to underwrite In2Languages. Unfortunately, WPAA-TV was in arrears with this content expense. It is the only content WPAA-TV pays for. The insignificant cross contribution activity jeapordes continuing this program started in 2013. At this time, it is scheduled to cease before next year’s campaign due to insufficient community financial support.
For years, we offered to help tell nonprofit stories. But, it was not until #greatgive06492 that it really began to happen. Assisting in the video production of non-profit stories is expected of community media organizations. How such stories come into being varies widely from community to community. This campaign features what is possible when community media is integrated into the fabric of a community. The level of free production support provided is over and above anything we have seen across the nation. Video production and campaign facilitation of #greatgive06492 is a 12-week, intense commitment to our mission by uplifting the mission of others.
Nonprofit representatives meet one last time next week to review outcomes, impacts and preparation for next year. The 2025 final Ad runs in the Record-Journal on June 7th. If you see it, take a look at what the local nonprofits do. Mark your 2026 calendar. May 6-7 THE GREAT GIVE portal opens again. Watch for campaign video stories like this one for Fostering Family Hope or Soups On beginning in March. Decide what you value with a gratitude gift as little as $5. Be The Seed.
From inception, community TV has existed to preserve ‘just, creative & individual’ expression and the freedoms that make it makes possible. When portrayed as an electronic soap box, it reinforced singular ideas by individuals rather than the potential of a place based hub for creative change and coalition building. ‘Bringing people together’ versus ‘allowing people in, to do their thing’ are very different dynamics.
Local culture hubs, third spaces, offer more than a platform. However, there are some essential dynamics: community trust and flexibility to pivot to meet immediate community needs. As a base for mutual aid, organizing, distributing information, building social connection, or advocating: hubs enable people to empower their communities of interest. Hubs remain open to people doing their thing, collectively. I believe that our Community Media Center with studioW within, elevates the creative potential possible in a Third Space.
In his 1989 book The Great Good Place, sociologist Oldenburg advocates that to live a balanced, happy life, people need engagement in three realms – at home, work, and in third places. Third places act as a core setting for informal public life, offering connection, community, and sociability (Oldenburg, 1989)…and transferable confidence.
Inclusive Events: Improv to multi-voice performance
Some of our best studioW moments have been with theater peeps. In 2011, the first studioW event explored the space as Black Box theatre sampling one-act plays, poetry, and music with fluidity and audience engagement. This eventually led to a formative residency with Connecticut Compass improv @2018-19 (Shawn Murray and crew) after a few engagements with more traditional albeit eccentric theater ensembles. Two off, off, off Broadway Fringe plays (Piece Theater) and an an occasional scene by Backyard Theater Ensemble (Their work is staged in the lovely Hole In The Wall Theater in New Britain) and Free At Last Theater. Storytelling was featured intermittently in homegrown efforts and visiting ensembles such as Ubuntu Storytellers. These occasions incorporated food & drink and engagement with the tellers. We are excited about the newest theatre company in Wallingford, Golden Fox Theatre Co, and its collaboration with Wallingford Grange for its community productions. And we look forward to more collaboration and audience engagement with The Puppet Village. More to come thanks to the New England Arts Foundation ‘Walking Together’ fund for folklife in communities of color.
Embracing studioW as our core purpose: Story > Conversation > CommUnity
Volunteers transformed what was once a cow barn into multipurpose media center; a place-based adaptive space for community meetings, theater, art exhibits, and special programs like film initiatives and media internships of various kinds. We bring creators together in response to the community’s needs for civic and digital literacy, and well-being. We are leaning into our mission: To provide a brave, safe, and creative space for a diversity of expression from within our community. #MoreThanTV We embrace our space and its tools for advocacy understanding that Democracy Is A Creative Practice. We collaborate with other local nonprofits to help advance their missions.
We may have started as a soapbox dedicated to TV made by, and for, the people. But as they discovered what they did not know they needed we discovered that at our core was the art of storytelling. A good story often leads to conversation. From there comes understanding and action to be the change we want to see.
A Thing U Save
A few believed in the relevance of a platform for public speech when local government sought to eliminate the ‘public’ aspect of community media in Wallingford. In response, a handful of volunteers, me among them, evolved what creative empowerment could mean in our community. If a few continue to believe, we will be among the things “U save in a firestorm of tyranny”. Together we will may make to the other side of uncertain times.
In a thriving democracy, community media’s existence would be joyful stories and transparency about incidentals in an imperfect union. Today, we need to be here for advocacy on a grand scale and the immediate needs of neighbors.
Four decades ago, at Yale’s International Day, a 25 year old homeless man, Samuel, hovered near the League of Woman Voters of New Haven ‘All American’ Hot Dog booth. The ‘$1 a dog’ fundraiser was in its fifth year. Several members were professors’ wives. Samuel asked many questions: Why do you think it is important to represent America at an international cultural event? Are your hot dogs made in America? Is voting at risk? Who are you trying to reach?
It was clear he had once done more than sleep in Sterling Library before his circumstances changed. As the day came to a close, some of the wives began calling out to people they knew, “Would you like a free hot dog?” A few accepted their offer before I scooped up the last three and officially met Samuel (not Sam).
His story would continue but on this first encounter he taught me the value of extending opportunities to those we are trying to reach. Sam gave me the quarter and nickel he had in his pocket and said “I believe in democracy. I am registered to vote. I am concerned about America in the world. My name is Samuel. Thanks for letting me contribute to (insert smirk) ‘the change you want to see in the world’
Contribute. Indeed he did. (Excerpt Community Media Maven)
For the last 10 weeks, as a WPAA-TV volunteer, I have gathered stories, recorded and designed promotions, and facilitated collaboration for #greatgive06492. All above and beyond managing the day-to-day of a 24 / 7 tech nonprofit providing free resources to whomever walks through the door, reimagining our existence post cable TV, and contributing substantive testimony in Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) dockets.
#greatgive06492 is the coming together of seventeen Wallingford-based 501 (c) 3 nonprofits in a fundraising collaboration. The goal is to raise $300,000 with a combination of 1) substantive support from friends, 2) grassroots support (as little as $5) from folks that have had needs met along the way, and 3) foundation sponsor matching. It is a local extension of #TheGreatGive hosted by the The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
Four years ago, I poised this question to nonprofit peers: We support each other in other ways, so why not come together when it is time to raise money and concurrently raise awareness? About a dozen agreed. This year will be a real test of connections to each other, friends & family and those we work to help.
Our ‘connection’ to those we exist to serve remains one-way. This is the first year we fully embraced ‘as little as $5’ in the campaign. The intention is to provide someone receiving free daycare, shopping at a food bank, unemployed, students, etc. an opportunity to express gratitude and hope by contributing to the solution at hand. It is also a way for friends of friends to comfortably give because the person that is committed asked.
Was Samuel right? Do the people we endeavor to engage with want to be part of the solution?
Members of the nonprofit collaborative #GreatGive06492 advised the Wallingford Town Council about the community-wide initiative that is being promoted in the Record Journal on April 26th and May 3rd.
Objection to Motion #1 Denial based on evidence presented within the Denial Document
An Objection was filed March 17, 2025 in Docket #25-01-06 Annual Support Review associated with per-subscriber fee funding for Community Media in CT. This filing was submitted by WPAA-TV Executive Director, the person most familiar with the details of Motion #1, on behalf of WPAA-TV. Motion #1 Filing asks sixteen procedural questions regarding alignment with CT Statutes that establish the post-franchise Community Media and the role of PURA. PURA Attorney denied the motion, requesting that they review the alignment of current practices with the statutes authorizing their role.
OCC & PURA
The Denial Document states that OCC is a separate agency from the Authority, and any questions regarding its role should be addressed to OCC.
Fact: This communication and the letter requesting a motion went to PURA and the OCC.
The 10-03-02 docket decision did not reference any input from OCC regarding the distribution of consumer fees outside of the community where cable TV is available. They were listed as an intervenor, but there was no evidence of participation in the 10-03-02 Docket. Consumers were not represented in the 10-03-02 Docket, a docket directly related to the fees they pay. Our opinion remains that PURA is responsible for ensuring that all stakeholders are represented in PURA docket outcomes.
Funding Vs. Regulations
Motion #1 was filed approximately 8 weeks before the DENIED response. It included several questions which align with requirements within General Statutes § 16-33 … In the denial document, PURA suggests the Annual Support Review is about funding. However, all Annual Support Review Dockets include orders about filing Annual Compliance Reports. Therefore, it remains our opinion that these dockets, inclusive of 25 01-06, are about the statutory compliance of all stakeholders. Subsequently, every question in Motion #1 is related to the Annual Support Review ‘process’.
Once again, the denial response ignores the intent of motion #1 to identify what can be improved or corrected within the current statute. Before 2005, franchising and transfer dockets provided communities with the potential to hold cable providers accountable via Advisory Councils and renewal Need Assessments. In the denial document, and on its website, PURA suggests its only responsibility is funding regulation: ‘PURA continues to regulate funding…” Then what is the purpose of compliance reporting?
There was a study of Community Media requested by the CT Legislature. It was handled as a Docket 22-06-26. As a stakeholder advocate on behalf of all community media stakeholders, WPAA-TV asked that Annual Compliance Reports be included as primary sources in the 22-06-26 study to provide data that could inform the Authority’s recommendations. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that these primary sources informed the study outcomes. Not one outcome referenced data in reports, and some contradicted the data. Guess what, the use of collected public data was denied by the Authority. This particular 22-06-26 study denial establishes the Authority’s lack of oversight related to compliance reporting. IMO, it also demonstrates a lack of understanding of the data and operations of community access facilities.
In Motion No. 7, Wallingford proposes seven modifications to the CAP interrogatories. The following are Wallingford’s proposed modifications with the Authority’s responses there to: 1. Expansion of the Authority’s October 6, 2022 Notice of Evidentiary Material (Notice) to include annual reports filed in Docket Nos. 18-01-32 and 22-10 02 for all entities and for-profit “Company Provider Reports” in Docket Nos. 19-02-15, 20-01-09 and 21-02-52. Id., p. 4.
The Authority declines to expand the Notice to include additional annual reports for administrative efficiency purposes and because not all community access providers (CAPS) consistently provide the information requested in the CAP Interrogatories in their respective annual reports. Additionally, in its responses to the CAP Interrogatories, a CAP may update the information provided in its most recent report as the CAP audits that information in preparing responses to the interrogatories.
This Denial Document provides insight into PURA’s lack of self-awareness
By example, in this denial, PURA infers a break with protocol to provide clarity in the section ‘Questions Regarding Website Topics. ’ It states, ‘… lists are maintained with regularity’. What does regularity mean? Certainly not annually. Today’s date is March 17, 2025, The website has a .pdf for Public Access Channels dated 10.18.2022, which is 29 months ago.
1. Among the questions that attempt to address PURA’s responsibility in maintaining the lists is: Does PURA update public lists with outcomes of the proceeding of transfer of responsibilities? There were transfers of responsibility dockets for Waterbury and Atlantic Broadband. PURA did not update the public lists with the outcomes. Websites, addresses, and telephone numbers in Annual Reports are not updated in the public lists. I tried several telephone numbers on the currently publicly posted list, including Cox. Many were out-of-service.
2. Does PURA provide public lists searchable by community (169 towns) to locate community media organizations? The simple answer is ‘no’. The inability of people to understand and find their community media resources is directly related to the current viability circumstances.
“There is also no easy way to search and find existing community TV channels and the affiliated cable access providers and facilities.”
No. 22‐06‐26 | PURA Q. 1 of 4 | WALLINGFORD PUBLIC ACCESS ASSOCIATION, INC | S Huizenga | 11.08.22
WPAA-TV is found by people all over CT. An intern created a by-town search tool because we receive several calls a year from people seeking internships, producer opportunities, and more. We validate the search outcome before making the referral to the person’s community. If they call back because they fail to receive a response or timely support, we help them. As a consequence, we have award-winning productions from people who live in North Branford, Hamden, Madison, and Berlin.
How Do Matters of Procedural Integrity Get Addressed?
This denial reply document states “While the Authority is not in the practice of addressing questions posed to it in this fashion, … It goes further to state: If there is something particular that WPAA-TV identified as a problem with any of these documents, WPAA-TV should bring that specific issue to the Authority’s attention. This part of the denial reply deserves an emoji.
How does the public, or stakeholders, bring to light concerns about transparency, accuracy, and accountability? Is there a tip line or process outside of dockets? What ‘specifically’ is the process to bring specific issues to the Authority’s attention? We have used petitions, motions, and detailed answers to questions in a study. We have testified at hearings. Concerns like the ‘definition of capital expenses’ which do not align with FCC’s definition have been raised in numerous PEGPETIA dockets. We write cover letters with the submission of Annual Reports with information about the state of our industry.
Every channel has the same number of hours for play, but every organization administers those hours differently. It takes the same amount of time to process content with a duration of 15 seconds as one of several hours. And post-production of short videos can far exceed the support used for gavel-to-gavel of a government, including virtual meetings. We have the potential to be more relevant with museums, water authorities and government departments and people turning to video to inform their neighbors. However, completing this report is a reminder of …how antiquated how we measure and represent our work.
WPAA-TV Annual Community TV Report DOCKET NO. 21-02-52
In conclusion, our relevance is our existence.
Every question in Motion #1 has one or more related concerns. Many represent the community at large. Most tie back to the crippling of community media in 2005 statutory changes which did not put a fair and accountable system in place.
The Authority has repeatedly denied a legitimate request to make our Comcast Branford CAP subscriber payments public. The challenges inherent in complying with that request suggest something is broken. Similarly, ensuring all community access providers receive CPI increases has been denied twice. The Motion #1 questions were submitted on behalf of all nonprofits providing community media and all people of CT. Taking them seriously has been denied.
PURA is a critical stakeholder in the existence of community media. PURA’s role extends beyond the summary in the denial document because all stakeholders submit compliance reports to PURA.
It appears all our avenues with PURA have been DENIED. Is it time for the courts, or court of public opinion? That will be on the agenda item for the next WPAA-TV Board Meeting.
When there is so much to be concerned about, we go through the motions we knew to be appropriate before this precursor to a Golden Age. (satire)
March 12, 2025 HB5837 Testimony Submitted to Appropriations. There is no hearing scheduled on this matter. The Legislature has much on its plate.
Absent a Legislative Solution HB 5848, 5837 Community Media Bridge Funding
An active 7-day-a-week, 24/7 public digital media organization needs a minimum of 1.75 FTEs to provide services the community considers a ‘reasonable need’. Therefore, base staff costs with skill-level dependencies are $100,000 annually. This assumes a minimum of 12 hours of studio production time a week. This is bare bones; not competitive wages, benefits, training to stay current, or 9-5 hours. If a nonprofit station has less revenue, it cannot provide minimal services without relying on volunteers, grants, contracts, or municipal underwriting.
A decade ago, cable TV was in its stride. At that time our small town-specific community media station received $93,000 in cable revenue. Another approximately $22,000 went to neighboring towns (pass-through fees from Wallingford residents). Our anticipated cable fee revenue in 2025 is $58,000.
Even with all of Wallingford’s fees staying in Wallingford, revenue alone would not have been enough to thrive. To keep the doors open and invest incrementally in a permanent home, I have volunteered full-time since 2011. Wallingford is an outlier. It is also proof that a bare-bones investment can empower a community. I tell my community media story here.
Current State
With a new generation choosing not to subscribe, and cable TV subscription costs becoming prohibitive for many households, community media revenue is declining exponentially.
The current revenue model is restricted by statute. A 2022 PURA study confirmed any change in funding, or the provision of the public benefit, requires statutory change. A bill drafted by the Consumer Counsel with support from PURA failed in the last session. Heavily lobbied with a veto threat by former cable guy, the governor, leaves community media in limbo.
Backstory
Community TV was to be a public benefit. The benefit was local government, schools, and ordinary people would have access to resources for media creation and distribution. For the use of rights-of-way, cable companies were to cover the cost of this benefit. However, the 1960 lobbyists argued that the ‘new’ industry should only pay based on the number of hookups. This led to cable viewers paying for the benefit instead of the companies. Decades later, the now Fortune 100 and 500 companies use the same polls for several different business models BUT the only revenue used for public benefit is cable TV subscriptions.
Bridge to …
HB 5848, and 5837 were drafted for the 2025 session to allocate supplemental funding to keep nonprofit providers of community media afloat in locations where millions of dollars in capital investments have been made in the past decade.
How Much and for How Long
It is strongly recommended that this bridge allocation underwrites a need assessment* styled after the franchise renewal process of 1960-1995. Need assessments enabled communities to weigh in on the media needs of their communities and what should be provided in exchange for physical access to consumers and transfer capabilities. This would include the channel capacity question.
Cable TV companies have morphed into something ‘other than cable TV’. However, the results are the same: Content is viewed on screens. An infrastructure that has similar dependencies on rights of way.
At the moment, crafting the right balance for true accessibility within a stable funding framework is no one’s responsibility. We face an erosion of this public benefit at a time when ‘media’ is ubiquitous, in a constant state of transition, and unreliable. At a time when it is important to do more, we can barely do what we have been doing.
The question “How small or big (geography and population)?” is appropriate for community media. However, absent an assessment process, the current statutory legacy language mixed with a heavily lobbied push that community media is no longer relevant yields one thing: less community engagement, youth training opportunities, and an underutilized investment in technology across CT.
I encourage a simple approach to funding with the assumption that it will take at least 18 months to determine a ‘future state’. Provide all public access community media centers with the same baseline investment and see where that investment leads concurrently with a need analysis.
Thank you for considering how community media can provide resources in this time of uncertainty.
*A need assessment would include a comprehensive review of proprietary data. Enrollment in Basic Cable. Senior Discounts. Areas where the Internet is not robust. Geographic limitations in the infrastructure and the laws. Questions such as, ‘If an organization streams content on YouTube and Facebook is there value in supplying the content to a local channel especially if the ability to experience the content is delayed?’
For 20 years, WPAA-TV has scheduled local churches on the Same Day as the services. During Covid, we extended this service to more communities. They continue to share content with us. Why? Because a few members, assumed to be elderly, prefer watching TV over the internet or on their phones. Is this a reasonable community need? Can it be quantified? Are there more affordable alternatives for this diminishing population? Many other community TV stations are still not providing same-day content. Is this a reasonable need?
Our core function is ‘Make TV’ which is supporting the production of digital media content by, or for, the people for hyperlocal cable TV distribution. Providing this media agency to nonprofessionals is one component of P.E.G.: Public Access Community TV. Is it still a needed thing? For how long?What is Next?
Past, Present and Future
Since 2005 media distribution options for content produced by people has expanded beyond community TV. In 2009, one of the most profitable YouTubers was homegrown at WPAA. The availability of social media platforms has helped, and hurt, the evolution of ‘equitable’ access to production & distribution resources for the people. Most users assume that social media platforms are free and free speech friendly. They certainly can be used that way but that’s not their purpose. Social media platforms are private company owned. They are not bound by the First Amendment. They can moderate, deny and inequitable influence content visability without violating users’ speech. Their primary focus is monetization. They will constantly encourage you to pay them to ‘promote’ your content.
For the most recent Supreme Court-level discussion on Public-Access as a Free Speech platform, check out this 2019 SCOTUSblog post.
How do you view Community Media?
For decades, regulatory restrictions limited the use of Cable TV public-access funding to content created for TV distribution. PURA affirmed in a Q&A (10.28.24) that PEGPETIA grant funds ‘… can be now be used to distribute programming on other platforms to increase viewer access to our ‘public benefit’ existence. It is conditional. The content must still be played on TV. There is an annual request and award process for capital funding. Awards are not guaranteed. Ideally, they are sufficient to cover bandwidth, website domain, and other public distribution expenses.
For nearly a decade, a local company, Discover Video, enabled WPAA-TV to provide on-demand internet access to our locally produced content. This tech donation kept us at the forefront of innovation. More importantly, it expanded access to a broader population. We are grateful for years of free support; however, underwriting has ceased. Now we provide this extended distribution as a customer. We submit the cost in PEGPETIA applications.
We do more than TV distribution. Our channel is simulcast in HD to the internet at wpaa.tv/watch 24/7. Videos with evergreen content are reformatted for Podcast and are available as As Told Here: WPAA-TV. Content produced by WPAA-TV is distributed on YouTube @WpaaTV. Short-form digital content is posted on social-media. Local producers use YouTube Channels to share their content. It belongs to them.
Our cable TV affiliation could disappear
Since 2012, our subscriber fee income has been in steady decline. It will continue to decline without statutory reform. It is intrinsically linked to cable TV subscriptions. Federal and State laws and regulations are anchored in archaic technical ‘cable TV’ language.
Wallingford (and the Branford Comcast franchise towns receiving a percentage of Wallingford subscriber fees) benefited from the AT&T and Frontier cable TV deployment because our town was their initial hub. In 2012, WPAA-TV received nearly $27,000 in revenue from this market competitor to Comcast. Our 2024 income from Frontier is projected to be $3000. The most recent quarterly payment for year-ending 2024 was under $1,000. Frontier no longer markets cable TV. They have partnered with AT&T to provide satellite using the last mile of fiber from the same poles. Instead of satellite dishes on the roof, people have a small converter box and remote control very much like cable TV subscribers. The result is fees are not paid for using the poles. Satellite TV does not include local content. There is no public benefit.
In summary, there are now several noncable users of the public rights-of-way who have no public benefit requirements for the use of ‘telephone’ poles along our streets. The landscape for providers and viewers is changing. Comcast is considering divesting to Verizon. Frontier has partnered with satellite. They are incentivizing cable TV customers to leave. There is significant and unpredictable change. Community TV is being cancelled by Fortune 500 companies have rebranded.
The Community TV Study Docket #22-06-23 affirmed
The current statutory framework, … is not designed for this new landscape… Under current statutes, cable companies must provide community access…
re-imagining the statutory framework for community access will require a balancing of interests.
there is no consensus among community providers who have different ‘In The Public Interest’ nonprofit models
there is consensus among the 10 cable providers in CT that there is no need for them to have this public benefit obligation.
At the opening of the 2025 CT legislative session, 555 Bills had been drafted. By the bill filing date a few friends of community TV drafted transitional funding Bills for community TV: House Bills 5833, 5837,5848 Rep. Mushinsky submitted HB5848
If not TV, what?
In the event that our TV affiliation becomes mute: Is it the intention of WPAA-TV to remain an art, humanities & culture organization? Would this include retaining an internet channel? If yes, should we embody the original intent of the public access television as a local democracy movement providing agency to individuals, civic groups, and non-profits at no or low cost?
This will be reviewed in the Board’s next strategic planning session.
ACTIONS To-date
Our mission statement is used in grants and public profiles including our website. In 2024, the mission statement was modified to be more ‘place-based’. Our mission image was colorized to represent inclusion. The image and brand tags are ‘TV’ and Wallingford-centric.
Mission: To provide a brave, safe, and creative space for a diversity of expression from within our community. Make TV |Watch TV|More Than TV – Join In. Discover what you did not know you needed.
(2024) Wallingford Public Access Association (WPAA), d/b/a WPAA-TV and Community Media Center facilitates the production of digital media by people and organizations and distributes the content as community access television. Our doors are open to all on a 1st come, 1st serve basis.
Goal: To empower the people of Wallingford and beyond to meet their communication needs, as they define them, by facilitating digital media creation and managing its public distribution. The use of WPAA-TV digital media tools and studioW stage can help inform, connect, and build community through the production of ideas, opinions, stories, news, information, or performance. Our tools & stage yield more than videos when U watch and share. Unity begins with U.
Community TV, an experiment in democracy, engages people in ‘Good Trouble’. This experiment has at its core, the idea that ‘We The People’ must sustain our democracy. What we do together is anchored in valuing free speech, individual expression, inclusion, and diversity.
WPAA-TV is an award-winning volunteer-run Art, Culture, and Humanities organization that focuses on #SocialActionArt: We use art to uplift, inform, or inspire. We believe performance speech is the richest kind of free speech.
Our core program is ‘Make TV’. However, WPAA is #MoreThanTV. It is a place-based adaptive space for community meetings, theater, art exhibits, and special programs like film initiatives and internships of various kinds. We also bring creators together in response to our community’s needs for civic & digital literacy and well-being. We collaborate with other local nonprofits to advance their missions.
WPAA supports, or produces, a limited number of ‘Mission Continues’ projects. These projects must have the potential for community impact for the underserved and/or youth.
Our 2024 Annual Report theme: ‘Democracy is a Creative Practice’.
Examining the Creative Practice
Story and conversation are the cornerstones of our nonprofit business. TV is merely a distribution platform. Story crafting, people gathering, and uplifting voices are the practice.
Fundamental to the practice of Making TV: Story
Before technology of any kind, there was story. Stories bring people together to entertain, learn, or take action. They play a crucial role in fostering connection, building shared identity, transmitting cultural knowledge, promoting empathy, and creating a sense of belonging. Storytelling leads to engagement by fostering opportunities for sharing experiences, perspectives, and values. Ultimately bonds are strengthening within a community. Stories can provide a common language for discussing complex issues and fostering open communication within a community.
Public Access content is predominantly comprised of recorded conversations, performances, and event coverage including spiritual services. All include some element of ‘story’.
Outside of the community TV sphere, several nonprofits are anchored in the Impact of Story. Change The Story Change The Worldsixdegrees.org StoryCorp Other nonprofits rely on powerful narratives to communicate their cause and inspire action. Recent misinformation research suggests the two biggest action-motivators are fear and inspiration. Some provide marketing support to nonprofits as a nonprofit MissionStoryThe StoryTelling Nonprofit or as business consultants. Some are shutting down. Socialbrite since 2011
For Strategic Consideration: Focus on the studio and legacy vs. TV
Is there value in rebranding away from our core function: TV? What building blocks are in place? Should we lean into the theme of our 2025 Annual Video Report: Democracy is a Creative Practice? Full Annual Report Video here.
Since 2010, studioW has referred to the area of our building used for TV production. The studioW graphic incorporated three words: Express + Show + Perform. One version appears over ‘We the People’. Our anchor show, CommUnity Conversation, produced since 2015, includes it in the animated opening. We provide full technical support for this theme-based, two-person conversation program.
Express + Show + Perform remains a viable tag; however, without the ‘We the People’ the connection to ‘democracy movement’ is lessened. Early advocates envisioned rigorous debate, exposure to distant cultures within our communities and stories as tools for change. Putting tools in the hands of the people could open doors, hearts and minds. Aspirational but possible.
The creative team’s proposal to the Board suggests leaning into our roots as a strategy for future sustainability. Building on what has come before, WPAA offers a physical space with video production technology tools that people do not have at home. In 2007, the initial strategic plan had the primary goal of ‘Seek New Home’ with the intention to purchase. By 2011, volunteers successfully purchased and completed an adapted renovation of an in-town structure. Being place-based has been an anchoring part of the vision. The studio is what makes our place unique.
The ‘W’ and the ‘play’ buttons are repurposed from the WPAA-TV logo. Orange is used in teentigerTV logo.
Green is suggested to align with sustainability. Green is the color of the new Endowment Fund page. An interactive version of the logo could have the 3rd word spin through several words and land on community: advocacy, awareness, change, connect, educate, insight, justice, understand, community.
This brand design, its potential use and adoption are on the agenda for Feb. 5th.
Footnote: About the studio: No longer State-of-the-Art
Building on what has come before, WPAA offers a physical space with video production technology that people do not have at home. Our studio is very adequate for community TV; but much of our technology is no longer state-of-the-art. We are working on that.
Celebrating 20 years of Same Day Sunday. The Board, staff & volunteers of WPAA – TV and Community Media Center are grateful for the video crews that produce content for their communities of faith AND continue to share with #wpaatv for those who find comfort watching TV.
Did U know? In 2005 #wpaatv was the 1st community media station in the ‘nation’ to cablecast church services on the same Sunday that services were recorded. #Innovators
Others have come and gone. Reasons vary: Limited volunteers, a preference to drive traffic to their online communities. Relocation.
Walk-in-the-door (now file transfers) ‘community media’ is as important as what is produced in studio #wpaatv. #yourtownyourchannelyourvoice We appreciate the producers and the #wpaatv channel 18 (basic cable) 1070 HD viewers.
2005 VHS Tape and Edit Rooms
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church always had a volunteer at WPAA-TV after service to modify the recorded service with an opening graphic identifying the church and the date and closing credit identifying the pastor, guest pastor, organist etc. First Congregational Church dropped off their recording. By 2009 DVDs were the format of choice. Does anyone remember the weekly open with the cascading break of one of the church’s stained glass windows? It was a bit controversial. There was consensus on the audio message which is no longer part of the production.
Circumstances: Youssef, a recent immigrant from Morocco, struggles with his first school assignment in America due to ‘reliable’ but conflicting information.
Plot:
Inciting Incident: Youssef receives a “Check Minus” on his assignment about Moses Y Beach because of the birth date reported.
Rising Action: Youssef is determined to prove his research is correct and seeks help from his cousins.
Climax: Youssef and his cousins sneak into the Center Street Cemetery at night to make a rubbing of the inscription on Moses Y Beach’s grave.
Falling Action: Youssef presents the rubbing to his teacher, who acknowledges that Youssef used a more reliable information source.
Resolution: Youssef learns the value of fact-checking and primary sources.
Character:
Youssef Fam: The protagonist, a curious and determined young Muslim boy, new to America. He navigates feeling accepted. He places significant importance in achieving a good grade on his first report about his new community. Frustrated by the injustice of a ‘check minus’grade he sets out to prove his report is the truth.
Teacher: A supportive figure realizes that Youssef reported the correct date of birth. She responds with action and insight.
Amina & Amir: Youssef’s helpful cousins assist him in his quest.
Prose:
The story uses vivid descriptions & illustrations to bring the setting and characters to life.
The dialogue is natural and reflects the characters’ personalities.
The story uses flashbacks to add depth to the narrative.
Theme:
The importance of fact-checking and seeking reliable sources.
The value of primary sources.
The challenges of cultural adaptation and language barriers.
The value of perseverance and standing up for what you believe in.
Learn from mistakes and the importance of admitting them.
The immigrant experience and the frustration of being misunderstood are themes that can resonate with a wide audience of any age. The use of flashbacks and a touch of mystery keeps the story engaging.
Here are some additional details:
Vivid descriptions and illustrations bring the setting of Wallingford to life, especially the contrast between Youssef’s memories of Morocco and his new American surroundings.
The story portrays the complex emotions of a young boy dealing with cultural adjustment and the pressure to succeed in a new school
The story follows Youssef Fam, a young Moroccan immigrant navigating his first school assignment in America. The story unfolds through flashbacks and present-day narration, weaving a tapestry of cultural adjustment, academic challenges, and the pursuit of truth.
Readers feel the bustling energy of the Wallingford town center, the hushed reverence of the shared Ramadan feast, and the echoing vastness of the unfamiliar school hallways. They sense Youssef’s frustration with the language barrier, determination to excel, and the sting of receiving a seemingly undeserved bad grade.
The central conflict, Youssef’s quest to prove the “correct” birth date of Moses Y Beach, is the vehicle for exploring themes of cultural difference and the importance of fact-checking. Youssef’s initial reliance on information gleaned from the cemetery obelisk, contrasting with the library’s seemingly authoritative encyclopedias, highlights the potential for misinformation and the need for critical thinking.
The supporting characters, particularly Youssef’s cousins Amina and Amir, add depth and warmth to the story. Amina’s pragmatism complements Youssef’s enthusiasm, while Amir’s adventurous spirit fuels their daring mission to the cemetery. The teacher, while initially skeptical, ultimately demonstrates a willingness to learn and admit her mistake, a quality that adds a layer of realism and nuance.
The story’s emotional core lies in Youssef’s journey of self-discovery. He grapples with feelings of isolation and insecurity, but ultimately finds his voice and learns to stand up for what he believes in. The resolution, where the teacher acknowledges Youssef’s effort and removes the “Check Minus,” underscores the importance of perseverance.
The Check Minus is not without a touch of mystery. The historical figure of Moses Y Beach remains somewhat enigmatic, leaving the reader curious to learn more about his connection to the Associated Press. This subtle intrigue adds another layer of interest to the story.
Gratitude to the talented community creators who helped publish this book. Key contributors: Author Josiah Houston, Illustrator Stefania Munzi, Designer Solomon Sheffield aided by a dozen researchers & reviewers who helped tie all the diverse ideas together.
What we do with others is in the public interest. We compile glimpses of our collaboration in some version of ‘What We Do Together’, our annual video reports. The Community Conversation with TriCircle contributors, ‘Everyone Knows Someone‘ will be in our 2024 report with ten #wpaatv Alliance for Community Media Nor’Easter Festival Finalists. TriCircle, a nonprofit addiction resource organization leans into the mantra: “Together We Are Stronger”. They work together from lived experiences to provide hope & support for individuals and families encountering some part of the addiction, recovery, and sometimes loss, aspects of addiction challenges, stigma, and opportunities for success.
The Gala
TriCircle’s 6th Annual Gala was held on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, at The Farms Country Club in Wallingford. The Fall day could have passed for Spring, as if to support the gargantuan effort of volunteers who, with hope & service achieved six years and organized a well-attended event.
There were hundreds of stories in the room. Everyone knows someone. Everyone with loss strives to remember the person, not the disease. Everyone in recovery strives to stay on the path. Everyone has stories told, and untold. It was good to be able to celebrate a few.
Several stories, including Susan’s, were anchored in how the Founder Ana Gopian entered their lives. For decades, as each year came to a close, healthcare membership cards were printed & mailed timely to thousands with their carefully choreographed service in the public interest. Ana and Susan spent the year-end holidays together sharing stories, hopes, and dreams of service over the drone of machines. They shared stories from lived experiences. Each year before the corporation appropriated most waking hours of Susan’s life, she had just finished the annual marathon of gathering toys for thousands of children visiting parents in prison as coordinator of the Prison Chaplains Toy Drive. Ana was successfully navigating a one-day-at-a-time life.
Civic Organization of the Year
Ana insisted that WPAA-TV send a representative, ideally Susan, to the Gala. Susan had already checked off consideration as a scheduling conflict. She planned to put something in the program instead. Ten am to 1 pm directly conflicts with 11 am to 3 pm when Same Day Sunday tasks must be done. Local churches transfer files produced by crews in their community to WPAA-TV. Since 2010 walk-in content has been scheduled on TV starting at 3:30 pm on the same Sunday it was recorded. Thanks to technology, what once was a 5-hour Sunday can now be completed in 2 hours. For a short time, this was a part-time job for someone in recovery, but the lack of funding turned this commitment back to volunteer hours by Susan.
An in-person visit from Ana turned into a concession. The Ana energy invite was fueled by the Gala program: WPAA > TV #MoreThanTV was to be recognized as Civic Organization of the Year.
There is little doubt that Ana’s history with Susan set the stage for this honor. As a leader of a community organization dedicated to sharing the stories of others, Susan is comfortable behind the scenes. But on Gala day, in a room full of organizations that WPAA-TV has served and can serve, Ana’s fervor and endorsement seemed perfectly okay. WPAA-TV is a positive connection to the work: Our youth team’s 988 It is Never Too Latevideo has been seen by thousands and is in the world to save lives. Our space hosts and records monthly Alcoholics Anonymous Special Meetings distributed to 36 Community TV Channels in CT. Produced by Central CT Intergroup anyone can find podcast versions here or any podcast platform of choice. And, the Community Conversation Every One Knows Someone (full) may be the Alliance for Community Media Nor’East General Talk Show of the Year Episode. TBD in Mystic on Monday, December 9th. Ana & Susan will be there. We will update this post with a picture in December.
