PCTV Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Community
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| Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier presented a citation from the state House of Representatives. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Many fans, workers, past workers, and city officials gathered at the Berkshire Hills Country Club Friday night to celebrate Pittsfield Community Television turning 40.
The room was alive with people eating, laughing, taking photos in a photo booth and watching snippets from PCTV's past archived programs throughout the decades curated by Operations Manager Dave Cachet.
President of the Board of Directors Sue Doucette acknowledged everyone in attendance and thanked the volunteers who help or have helped bring PCTV to the screen.
She reflected on how much technology has changed since 1986 and on PCTV's role in covering parades, debates and election-night precinct results
"You heard it and saw it yourself, and you can interpret it your way. Not everybody has this, but we in Berkshire County do, and we need to be forever grateful to the people that have come before us and made this possible. So, for me personally, I love the staff at PCTV and the board members. I never begrudge going to a meeting. I like these people," she said.
Executive Director Shawn Serre said he feels as though this is their "Eras Tour," referencing Taylor Swift's record-breaking concert series. He reminisced about PCTV's eras.
"The first of our eras is the founders' era, that time when this was just an idea tossed around among colleagues with various skills and with an interest in creating a local source of television, but with no funding, no equipment, no facility, no staff, no volunteers other than themselves," he said.
He said the next era starts with PCTV's move to Fourth Street. At this point, they named their first executive director Garrett McCarey and built their first facility at 163 Fourth Street. They made community connections, programs, and learned the ropes, he said, adding that they "pushed the boundaries of what public access could accomplish".
He said the next era is their Federico era, led by former Executive Director Bernard Avalle and changing technology.
"Under his leadership, we moved our entire facility from the old building to a custom-built studio and offices. We expanded from one cable channel to three. We went from analog to digital to high definition," Serre said. " We went from videotapes to DVDs to video servers and files. We had as many as seven staff members and grew the program. We designed and purchased a mobile production truck. We covered so many meetings, so many meetings. Viewers would look to us with trust on election nights, onn the Fourth of July, at sports events, and at special events. We have become a part of the fabric of life in Pittsfield."
And finally, the multi-platform era.
"Otherwise known as everything, everywhere, all at once. That's what it feels like. It's when we expanded our reach by saving WTBR FM from the wrecking ball and operating it. When we greatly expanded our PCTV sports program of live broadcasts from just about anywhere, we couldn't have imagined being able to do that early on," he said. "It's when, in the depths of the pandemic, we not only continued our regular broadcast and never stopped, but we also launched PCTV Select to provide high-quality video streams, live streams, and video on demand worldwide. When we started Park Square Productions to provide high-quality production services to clients and contribute to our mission."
He said their next era is still being shaped and will need the community to help.
"The next era, well, that one has to be shaped by you, by all of us actually, because after 40 years, we realize the only constant is change, and we know that while cable TV is at the moment still our sugar daddy, it won't be around forever," Serre said. "But we know how important the kinds of services that we provide are, and the demand to not disappear."
Rep. Tricia Farley Bouvier said local journalism is important and will save democracy. She presented PCTV with a citation from the state House of Representatives signed by her and the Speaker of the House.
Mayor Peter Marchetti could not attend but recorded a message recounting his time joining the board to serve as government representative in 1999 and serving as treasurer and president. He presented a proclamation from the city to PCTV that was given by City Council vice president Pete White.
PCTV was also presented with a certificate of special congressional recognition signed by United States Senator Edward J. Markey.
Keynote speaker Ryan Peterson, a WTEN News10 ABC anchor and Pittsfield High School graduate, was previously an anchor and reporter for Time Warner Cable's 24-hour local news network in the same building as PCTV, which is how they came to know him.
Peterson said his relationship with PCTV goes back 30 years, having the opportunity to operate a camera for a Fourth of July Parade and a Pittsfield High Graduation.
"PCTV played a small but very significant part in my early education in television, but more importantly, I learned something about what television is supposed to do," he said. "It's supposed to connect people, and that's what makes public access television so important. Because the airwaves and that public conversation that travels across them should never belong exclusively to the people with the biggest buckets or the biggest platforms belongs to the community."
He said PCTV is a place that gave people a voice, a place that documented the moments that bring a community together, and a place that helped people participate in their community.
"Public access gives a high school graduate a moment to be celebrated, gives local organizations and businesses an outlet to tell their story," he said. "It gives a city council meeting, school event, parade, community discussion a place to be seen and to be heard. And in an era where we have way more ways to communicate than ever before, that mission may be more important than ever, because civic engagement doesn't happen in the abstract. It happens when people know what's happening in their community."
The presentation ended with Peterson receiving a PCTV gift bag and a montage of some fun moments throughout the years. Around 9 p.m., Joe Adee and the Lugnuts helped people end the night dancing.
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