Oxford’s beacon of broadcasting freedom and local information over the airwaves has a new home.
The offices and studio of Oxford Community Television Channel 19 are now located at 1775 N. Lapeer Rd.
Housed in a new 2,800-square-foot facility (which costs $2,300 per month), the public access TV station is on a mission to improve its overall broadcast quality, increase the amount of local programming, increase the number of government meetings it broadcasts and the consistency of when they’re aired, and recruit new volunteers from all walks of life.
“I don’t think people really appreciate the fact they have an avenue to get themselves on TV and make their voices heard,” said station manager Don Huegerich, who’s inviting the general public to stop by, tour the new facility and learn about Channel 19.
Huegerich said the new station facility will the give the channel the room it needs to grow as the community grows. There’s enough space to erect two or three sets (or backgrounds) and the high ceilings provide the perfect environment for taping, he noted. It also provides the station with a front on M-24, increasing its visibility within the community.
Taping and broadcasting as many local government meetings as possible is a top priority with Huegerich.
“As these communities grow, these meetings are going to become more important and the issues more complex,” he said. “We want to improve the picture and sound quality and make sure there’s consistent coverage of all the meetings, so people can count on seeing them.”
Currently, Channel 19 tapes and broadcasts the meetings for the Oxford and Addison townships, the villages of Oxford and Leonard and the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission.
However, Huegerich is working to add each community’s planning commission meetings to the broadcast lineup. “Right now, we’re looking for volunteers to film the planning commission meetings,” he said. “We’ll teach people how to shoot the meetings and be cameramen.”
In addition to government access programming, Huegerich wants to expand other types of locally-based programming.
“We’re looking for people who want to do their own shows,” he said. “If you have a hobby, come in and show the community. You can do one show. Or you can do a weekly or a monthly show. Or one every three months. Whatever you want.”
Training on the cameras and editing equipment is available. “Anybody who lives in the community can come in and get trained,” Huegerich said.
Huegerich is particularly interested in getting local authors and artists to share their lives and works with the community over the airwaves. He’s also working with the school district to film more sporting events and broadcast more student-produced programs. “There are a lot of talented kids at the high school,” he said.
Choir concerts, equestrian shows and concerts in the park are just some of the many, many community events Huegerich wishes to cover. Huegerich wants to encourage the public to call in if they know of an event worth airing. “The more programming we air, the more eligible we are to get more channels,” he said. “We can probably get a maximum of 3 channels.”
Huegerich predicted that “shortly” the community could get a second channel. If that happens, one channel would be for government access (i.e. meetings), while the other would be for educational and public access programming.
But none of Channel 19’s goals can or will be realized without support from the community, without volunteers. Huegerich wished to remind people that they don’t have to be cable subscribers to volunteer at the station.
“Anybody who lives in this 36-square-mile area can come to this channel because the (4,680 Oxford and Addison cable) subscribers pay 5 percent franchise fees to give the public the right to voice their opinion on the public airwaves,” he said.
“I can only urge people to stop on by,” said Program Director Jim Hughes, who’s been with Channel 19 for 12 years. “If you like it, stay. If you don’t, keep an eye on it and see that we’re going to do.”
For more information about Oxford Community Television Channel 19 call (248) 628-9658.