In today's media-driven society, it seems like the American dream is now to get yourself on television. Well, the folks at ConcordTV are working hard to make that dream a reality for Concordians. The public access television station broadcasts locally-produced content on three channels, depending entirely on community members and in-house staff to shoot, edit and star in the productions.
“We're pretty proud of our track record at ConcordTV,” executive director Doris Ballard said. Since 1999, the station has provided a place for community members to get their message onto video and out to the world.
Community members who want to produce or star in their own show simply have to attend an orientation class and learn how to use the equipment. Then it's off into the field to shoot!
“We offer a pretty good grounding in video editing and production, and once we've provided that grounding, we provide all the tools they'll need,” Johnathan LeDuc, the station's production and training coordinator, said.
With the amount of video and multimedia today's culture is saturated with, these production and editing skills can go a long way.
“It used to be that people would come in and learn how to produce something for the channel,” Ballard said. “Now, they learn things they can use in their everyday lives.”
The station is a resource that anybody and everybody in Concord can use.
“We're always trying to get people through that door,” staff producer Steve Shannon said. “We get everybody, all different walks of life, from people who want to produce and edit their own shows to people that just want to get their message out.”
Shannon, who freelances at WMUR when he's not helping out at ConcordTV, said the station has showed him how tight-knit Concord can be.
“I've really begun to appreciate the community here,” Shannon said. “We call it the City of Concord, but it's really just a big small town.”
The station is located in a wing of Concord High School, so naturally, the staff tries to rope interested kids in early to a life of video production. Kids' video camps take place in the summer, and alumni of those programs often participate in ConcordTV productions as they get older.
A major aspect of the station is its involvement in the high school. Not many high schools have full television studios on site, and Concord High School takes full advantage of that resource. Students produce their own shows, film and edit school sports, and broadcast the morning announcements live on school days.
That particular undertaking is something to behold. Within a span of 20 minutes, a crew of high-schoolers descends on the studio, sets up the camera, lighting and sound, and produces an entire morning show before heading right back to class. Between the time constraints (“We have about seven minutes to set up,” sophomore AJ Nolin said, “and two minutes to break down.”) and the somewhat challenging demands of the school's population (“Sometimes a whole sports team will show up and go on the air,” senior Sean Austin said.), it's a true baptism by fire for aspiring filmmakers and video journalists.
“It's nerve-wracking at times,” Austin said. “(Going on the air) makes you nervous, but knowing that it's something you like, it makes you not care what other people think.”
This kind of hands-on video training is a boon for Concord High that makes some who attended less plugged-in schools a bit envious.
“I wish they had something this in-depth when I was in high school,” LeDuc said.
Shannon is currently overseeing the creation and proliferation of a student-run Youtube channel featuring works produced by CHS students. Shannon is on hand to help out with production and editing, but he said he generally just points students in the right direction and lets them explore.
“When I learned this stuff as a kid,” Shannon said, “I didn't have anyone teaching me how to do it. When I got to college,my professors put us on a path and let us loose. That's what I want to have here,”
The next big event for ConcordTV is the annual Boys and Girls Club fundraising auction, which is broadcast live so that viewers can bid by phone. The auction takes place on Dec. 3, with coverage starting at 12:30 p.m. on ConcordTV channels 6 and 22.
