430 Boston Road
Fall 2009 Issue
Inside This Issue:
Youth Video Club.................Page 2
Web site..................................Page 5
Technical Corner..................Page 6
Programming News.............Page 7
BATV will be Closed:
Monday, October 12, 2009
Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Close at 3:00 pm
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Close at 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Close at 2:00 pm
Friday December 25 - Sunday
December 27, 2009
Christmas
BATV Hours of Operation
Mon. – Thurs... 10:00 am - 9:30 pm
Friday............... 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday........... 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday................ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Billerica, MA
01821
The Producer
Public Channel 8 • Educational Channel 10 • Government Channel 22
Collection of Memories
by Sam Schauerman
Almost two years ago, staff proposed while the board of directors
approved, a programming policy stating “BATV retains the master medium
of all programs produced using BATV equipment and retains the right to
cablecast, stream and / or distribute program material without limit for two
years. Municipal meetings shall be retained for five years.” From that day to
present day, staff has taken on an overwhelming task of attempting to return
program tapes, DVDs and mediums of all types, to their presenters.
Prior to the amended programming policy, BATV retained the
master tape of all programs produced using BATV equipment with the right
to cablecast indefinitely. For years, the policy was contemplated internally.
Dialogue about shelf life, storage and content occurred repeatedly. While
many programs were originally produced with a timely nature, many were
timeless, but staff was often perplexed when attempting to re-cablecast
archived programming, not knowing the extent of each program’s content. As
time progressed and storage became even more of an issue, it was unanimously
decided to return archived programming and only retain programming for
two years (with the exception of municipal programming).
Staff was eager to begin the process, but soon discovered how timely
this project would be. After many starts and stops, staff eventually found a
routine to keep the process going. This project not only involved perusing
databases, sorting and printing reports, handling thousands of programs,
attempts to locate presenters, emails and phone calls galore and climbing up
stairs to the mezzanine and often bumping one’s head into the low beams
within, but also provided an opportunity to revisit BATV’s past. Memories of
individuals, programs and earlier times were abundant.
While I was not as instrumental in the physical process as others, I
was active in advising how to contact many individuals. I can honestly say, as
vast as this project was, I am grateful to have been a part of it as the process
has provided me with so many memories and the opportunity to speak
with and even see many producers / presenters from the past. While many
of the long time BATV members will snicker at my remark, I realized fond
memories when handling program tapes from the likes of Trains with Ed,
Foodaramaland, Seniors by Seniors, Khmer Family Entertainment, Billerica
Continued on 4
The Producer 1
Board of Directors
President............................ Cosmo Cavicchio
Vice President......................... Jennifer Casco
Secretary.......................................John Coyne
Treasurer...................................Jim Woodside
Asst. Treasurer...................... David Fournier
Board Member...........................Dianne Bone
Board Member.................... Barbara Flaherty
Board Member..............................Gerry Goss
Board Member....................... Patricia Healey
Board Member......................Salah Khelfaoui
Board Member......................James McFeeley
Board Member....................... Joan Parcewski
Board Member........................... Helen Potter
Board Member..........................Carla Trottier
Board Member.......................... Sandi Wilson
New Youth Video Club meeting times!
By Tom Mixon
I’m proud to announce the continuation and expansion of BATV’s
weekly youth club meet-ups. Throughout the school year students
in 5th-12th grade are invited to take part in small groups focusing
on explorative camera, editing, scripting and performance exercises -
leading into larger projects concerned with narrative, documentary,
and animated video. The following times have been scheduled for the
different age groups, and students are welcome to join at any time
throughout the year:
Tuesdays 4-5pm................................................ 5th-6th grade group 1
(This group will mostly contain students continuing-on from last
year’s Dutile Enrichment program, but anyone within this age-frame is
welcome to attend!)
Tuesdays 5-6pm.................................... 6th, 7th, and 8th grade group
Wednesdays 4-5pm................. 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade group
Wednesdays 5-6pm........................................... 5th-6th grade group 2
(This group will mostly contain students continuing-on from our
summer program, as well as last year’s Parker Enrichment program, but
anyone within this age-frame is welcome to attend!)

There will be an additional one hour open-work period from 6-7pm on

The Producer 2009 Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which won’t be a formal meeting or class,
but rather, a time blocked out where any youth member, from any of
Billerica Access TV
the age groups 5th-12th grade, can come to work on projects, if they
430 Boston Road wanted, with the understanding that I would be there to assist and/or
Billerica, MA 01821 critique. The projects can be carry-overs from what we happened to do
Phone: 978-663-2284 that week in our meet-ups, or video projects for school, or even if they
just wanted to familiarize themselves with certain equipment.
Fax: 978-667-4969
batv.batvinc@comcast.net Group meet-ups will begin the week of September 21st. If you have
www.batvinc.org any questions, please feel free to contact me at tom.batv@comcast.net

Editor & Layout

Jason Bazinet
BATV Staff:
Contributing Writers: Technical Coordinator..............................................Paul Abrego
Paul Abrego Access Coordinator..................................................Jason Bazinet
Production Assistant............................................... Al Carpenito
Jason Bazinet
Production Assistant................................................. Tom Mixon
Tom Mixon
Executive Director.............................................Sam Schauerman
Sam Schauerman
Administration....................................................... Karen Sennott
Karen Sennott
Programming Coordinator......................................... Alex Shure
Alex Shure Production Assistant.................................................Nancy Stone

The Producer 2
 The next regularly scheduled BATV Board of Directors Meeting is
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at BATV.
You are welcome to attend!
R.E.A.C.H.
MASSACHUSETTS
Save the date!
October 19th, 7-9pm
BATV and REACH Massachusetts (Refuge,
Education, Advocacy and Change) are
partnering up to provide a ‘Friendraiser’ on
October 19th, 7-9pm, at our 430 Boston Road
facilities. The event is meant to raise awareness
about domestic violence, and to provide
BATV Tidbits
information to the community about REACH’s
services and mission. The evening will consist
of an educational discussion, highlighting
the programs and support groups available to
Billerica residents, as well as a talk by a domestic
violence survivor. Please join us as we help
REACH to attain its goals of advancing the
safety, healing, and empowerment of those who
experience domestic or relationship violence,
as well as promoting social justice. Light
refreshments will be served.
-Tom Mixon
Alliance For Community
Media
Billerica Access Television, Inc. is a
member of the Alliance for Community Media,
and supports its efforts to advance access to
electronic media. Below is an excerpt from
the Alliance’s web site which defines their core
values.
How the Alliance wants to impact the world.
In order for democracy to flourish,
people must be active participants in their
government, educated to think critically and
free to express themselves. The mission of the
Alliance for Community Media is to advance
democratic ideals by ensuring that people have
access to electronic media and by promoting
effective communication through community
uses of media.
The Producer 3
BATV WEAR
BATV has T-shirts and Sweatshirts
available for sale:
T-shirts................................................$8.00
Sweatshirts........................................$20.00
Members mark your
calendars for
BATV is
FREE
Haunted
FREE
scheduled
BATV
for
October
430 Boston Road
26, 2009.
CORE VALUES OF THE ALLIANCE
FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA
In accomplishing its Ends the Alliance
will demonstrate to, and share with the world
these core values.
• Honesty and Integrity: Alliance for
Community Media operations and communi-
cations are fair, open and transparent.
• Diversity: Alliance for Community
Media engages all people and strives to in-
crease access to ACM activities for all people.
• Global Society: Alliance for Commu-
nity Media recognizes the need for electronic
democracy is a worldwide issue.
• Education: Alliance for Community
Media provides and shares educational
resources and training to all of our
communities so they are informed about
community media and empowered as citizens.
More information can be found by visiting
www.alliancecm.org.
Collection of Memories (continued from 1)
Open Forum, An Evening with Prilly and the Purple Hairs, Window On Italy, Insights, Deep Dish TV, The Dribble
Series, Timmy Rider, So Much To Say, Depression Workshop, Standup Poetry, Talk Around Town, Moonfleet, Sally
Epstein… Maybe it’s my age or my sensitivity, but I’m feeling a bit melancholy just thinking about the past programs
and the individuals that have been such an integral part of BATV’s history.
Just last week, BATV began the process of returning archived programming from 2005 & 2006; a task that
now seems relatively simple! While I have yet to view program titles that will be returned, I am looking forward to the
process with anticipation.
During the past six months, staff has been discussing the submission of programming by electronic distribution
(via the internet) in an attempt to be ahead of the curve in setting policy for such. While it will prove to be an efficient
means for distribution, I contemplate, for selfish reasons, the lack of physical interaction and emotionless mechanics, but
it is the way of the future, and the future will provide for many opportunities and yes, memories.
On behalf of BATV, thank you for presenting the Billerica community with countless hours of programming.
On a more personal note, thank you for providing me with so many fond memories. And lastly, thank you Alex and
Tom!

Offending the Audience

by Tom Mixon

Publikumsbeschimpfung, as it was originally
published in German, 1966, has by no means been
forgotten. A revival of the Peter Handke anti-play has
been staged as recent as last year. One can find ample
amounts of criticism regarding the author, content, effect
on language, effects of the effects on language, secret
homages to Bertolt Brecht hidden between the stage
directions, etc. etc.
Not forgotten. But applied? And more
specifically: is it possible (/desirable?) for Handke’s ideas
regarding audience alienation to resonate in the public
access television realm? Are you willing to ask yourself,
assuming you produce or plan to produce programming
for BATV broadcast, in what ways you purposely appease
potential viewers? To think about the ways in which
you make it easy, consciously or not, for the audience:
boosting the audio, providing on-screen lower-thirds, all
the expository info sandwiching the start and stop, getting
the ‘perfect’ shot, making sure we can see a subject’s
eyes, worrying over the message, the ‘do you think
they’ll understand, get it, appreciate me?,’ the quickness
automatic response apologizing for not moving the camera
fast enough, forgetting to check the focus, allowing a
viewer to sink deeper and deeper into the couch cushions,
more and more comfortable.
Why should the audience be comfortable? I pose
this not as directive, no sort of subtle hint of shame –
rather, I am curious how so much of what we think of as
‘professional production’ is wrapped up in the habitual
pleasing of others, a reflexive impulse towards doing
whatever it takes to gain immediate acceptance. Of
The Producer 4
course this question, this doubt, loses some of its relevance
when placed in the context of ‘public service,’ i.e. audio/
visual archiving of meetings, governmental affairs, official
ceremonies and the like. But even this, altruistic as it may
be, is by no means exempt from questions of intention, the
wonder of why-this-and-why-not-that composition, far or
close-up shot, pressing record at all.
Handke had his hecklers. But he welcomed them.
To him, it was a sign of success – the tomatoes and the
insults, the unspeakable threats, members of the crowd
walking out during the performance. It meant that, at the
very least, the audience was getting involved, precisely
because they were not comfortable.
I invite you, challenge you, to offend the audience.
Not ‘offend’ in the sense of transgressing regulations
concerning obscenity or libel – not to be purposely mean,
the utilization of shock tactics to create explicit picturesque
perversions having become so cliché anyway, more a
reflection of one’s own inhumane cruelness than anything
else. To not give it to an audience so easy, to explore the
art of withholding, to alienate as a way to unite – this
kind of offending. This kind of offending can be beautiful.
This kind of offending can be informative. And there is
no telling what this medium, this television which is by
no means fully explored, can be, what any medium can be,
until one is willing to have tomatoes thrown at one’s work,
to have an audience walk out of the theater – to put viewers
in a position where their fingers are hovering above the
channel-up arrow button, on the verge of switching stations,
confused at what they see because it isn’t immediately clear.
But at least they haven’t disappeared into the couch.
 Technology at BATV
It’s starting to get busy around here and a lot of technology improvements are about to
break through at BATV. What better time to release these great new features than right now,
during the best time of year, the fall. So what technology am I talking about? Well web site
changes for one. I know I’ve been gearing you up for this upgrade and it’s almost here. BATV
By Jason Bazinet

will be implementing a Drupal based web site which will allow us to be more interactive with the
membership and the rest of the Billerica community. With the release of the new web site, you
can also expect a “BATV in your e-mail” introducing the new site. If you haven’t signed up for
the “BATV In your e-mail” go to our web site at www.batvinc.org or e-mail me at jbazinet.batv@
comcast.net with your name and e-mail address and I’ll add you to the list. After the web site
introduction e-mail issue, you can expect e-mail on a more regular basis.
Notes from the Access Coordinator

Also, if you are a producer and are interested in having a “producer web page” on our site
please let me know. I have heard from a few producers so far, and don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten
about you. Once the new website is released, I will be able to generate a producer page for you. My
hope is that in time, a producer will be able to log in and make updates to your page to keep it as
current and relevant as possible.
So we have many things to look forward to in the very near future; perhaps it is already in
transition as you are reading this newsletter. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail
Jason at jbazinet.batv@comcast.net

Membership After School Enrichment

BATV is fortunate to have such an active
membership and I thought I would use this space
to gloat about you a little bit. I am proud every time
I go out wearing my BATV T-shirt or sweatshirt
and get stopped by a stranger to tell me about how
great the BATV channels are. I can tell you this
has personally happened on several occasions and
people either comment on the variety of programs,
or the shear number of unique programs that we
have. People have also commented that they would
like to take classes or make a show at BATV. If you
are a member, or even if you aren’t, and you’ve been
thinking about coming to BATV to learn more about
this video production stuff, then I encourage you to
do so. BATV is a great community of people and the
only way to keep it strong is for Billerica residents to
keep making programs to air on BATV.
If your membership has lapsed, or you
haven’t yet joined, I encourage you to renew for
2010. There is always space for another volunteer,
another point of view, and another great program
at BATV. If you aren’t the “producer” type, we also
have opportunities for you to sponsor a program
you may have found on pegmedia.org or archive.org
or to volunteer to work on someone else’s project.
Whatever your calling, I hope to see you at BATV.
BATV is excited to once again
be offering after school enrichment
programs to the Billerica Public Schools.
After School Enrichment has been a
long standing program at BATV and
it’s always a fun time of year for me. I’m
always happy when I hear from parents
about how excited their children are or
how much fun they’ve have had in the
program. In addition to the after school
enrichment program, there are many
other opportunities for youth at BATV.
Check out Tom’s article on page two
about all of the meeting times for the
youth video club.
The media is ever evolving with
new technologies, marketing techniques
and delivery methods. Educating
students with an awareness of how media
influences them every day, as well as
teaching them where media started and
where is it today is an experience they will
carry through life. I greatly enjoy teaching
children about a field that I am passionate
about and look forward to another great
year.

The Producer 5
 Hello to all members! I hope everyone
enjoyed their summer (what we had of one)
and are ready for the coming of autumn in
New England. As the leaves begin to show
their brilliance, we here at BATV are gearing
up for the season with some great upcoming
programs, classes and all-around fall fun.
As mentioned before in these pages, BATV
Spotlight will shine in its debut coming up
By Paul Abrego
in mid-October. The first installment will
center on the lighting board, our animation
and time-lapse video software, the new and
improved mini-studio as well as some great
information about BATV that even the most
active volunteers may not be aware of. In
Technical Corner
addition, there will be plenty of lighthearted
looks behind the scenes at BATV and don’t be
surprised to see yours truly really hamming it
up for all of Billerica to gawk at.
Speaking of behind the scenes footage, BATV
will be airing the Summer Youth Classes
videos. We’ll take a look at what the kids
did to prepare for their starring roles in their
“Giant Monsters Attack” short videos and
then air the finished productions. There was
an abundance of demand for the class this
year, mainly due to the tremendous success of
our enrichment programs during the school
year. Kudos to our own Jason Bazinet for
inspiring so many kids to join the BATV
fray, that we expanded our summer programs
into two large classes. Each class was taught
field and studio production as well as getting
some experience in stop-motion animation.
Then each group tackled the script for “Giant
Monsters Attack” and made it their own. I
think members will get a kick out of seeing
the two classes find their inner actors! I was
truly proud to have such great classes and the
amount of hard work the kids put in cannot
be understated. I hope everyone tunes in and
enjoys the program as much as we had fun
making it.
In class news, I am currently developing
new classes for Final Cut Pro. I would like
to begin offering classes in Soundtrack
Pro, Motion and stop-motion animation
The Producer 6
software in the near future. I would,
however, like some feedback from the
membership concerning their interests and
needs to develop their skills as editors and
videographers. If there are specific classes or
things that you, my faithful readers would
like to learn more about, please email me at
pabrego.batvinc@comcast.net and let me
know. We may be holding workshop-style
classes that are open to the public or to small
groups of members or we may just have one
on one classes. The real gauge of what people
want is by their feedback, so holler at me,
Billerica.
The future at BATV looks bright regarding
our contract status and that means the
possibility of new equipment being on the
horizon as well. I’ll keep everyone posted
in the coming months as we look forward
to next year and to adding to our state of
the art equipment and facilities. Remember,
our ability to provide up to date production
facilities and equipment is the cornerstone
of BATV’s ability to bring Billerica home to
everyone.
So, here’s to wishing for a great and productive
fall for everyone and I hope to see you all
soon. Well not here, in my column … but you
know, at the station. Oh, and don’t forget to
tune into Late Night Theatre’s Halloween
Night Spooktacular: “The Dusk till Dawn
Monsterpiece”. Something tells me there will
be chills, thrills and BATV staff being quite
ghoulish. Or was that just plain foolish?
Either way, you are sure to have more fun than
trick or treatin’. You supply the candy, we’ll
supply the screams!
2010 Facility Database is
available for reservations as of
October 1, 2009
 Some notes from the Programming Coordinator:

Greetings everyone, I hope the swiftly fleeting summer has satisfactorily satiated everyone’s
need for fun and sun. I hope you all got out to surf and turf and photosynthesize. To swim
with the fishes; run with wild horses; soar with the eagles; to stand on the tallest peak and
roar “Long Live BATV!” for this is what the summer is all about. But all good things must
inevitably come to a halt, for now. The UVB has subsided and we can step off our banana boats.
We have already consumed the blighted tomatoes our gardens have birthed and are hungry for
more, BATV.

Now as I sadly pack away my fins and snorkel in favor of flannel jammies and long underwear,
I look forward! There’s no reason to get down or feel blue while such good things lie ahead.
Along with the annual back-to-school influx of new programming BATV has at least two
By Alex Shure

events planned that we are all excited about. We have the brand new Carnival O’ Thanks
(stay tuned for more info) and we are planning another BATV is Haunted (witch cackle plays
here) a follow up to last years’ enormously successful, spooktackular, ghoulicious and frightastic
haunted studio.
Programming

For those who enjoy getting a bad case of the creeps, on Halloween night BATV Channel
8 will be airing nothing but old horror movies from dusk till dawn. The films played will be
“family friendly” and in the public domain but that doesn’t mean your hair won’t turn white
with fear! Why, I’m so terrified assembling this blood curdling extravaganza that I can’t wait
to show everyone. In the immortal words of Alice Cooper; “Welcome to my nightmare!” So
don’t give in to corporate media this Halloween, stay with us and we shan’t disappoint. Nothing
is worse than Halloween on a school night, except for getting a box of raisins while trick-or-
treating. However, Halloween is on Saturday night this year therefore it’s your duty to stay up
all night long! So put on your 3D glasses (they will do nothing) and watch the Dusk till Dawn
Monsterpiece if you dare…

Now that I’ve run out of ham, I will change the subject… Occasionally I get asked, “I saw
something old and weird on BATV, what was that?” These “old and weird” programs most
likely came from archive.org. No, you don’t have Déjà vu because, yes, I have wrote about
Internet Archive before. In any case, I bring it up again because not only are there old and weird
things on there (my favorite) but I believe it to be an excellent research tool for historical and
modern media. So check it out, you may find some hidden media treasures. The following was
taken from IA’s website,

“The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library.
Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people
with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Founded in 1996 and located in the Presidio of San Francisco, the Archive has been receiving
data donations from Alexa Internet and others. In late 1999, the organization started to grow to
include more well-rounded collections. Now the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving
images, and software as well as archived web pages in our collections, and is working to provide
specialized services relating to training, education, or adaptive reading or information access
needs of blind or other persons with disabilities.” How ‘bout that!

As always, I am your Programming Coordinator. Please feel free to be in touch with any
questions, concerns, comments about programming.

The Producer 7
 Billerica Access Television, Inc.
Non-Profit Org.
430 Boston Road
U.S. Postage
Billerica, MA 01821
PAID
(978)663-2284
Permit No. 134
No. Billerica, MA
The Producer
In This Issue:
Youth Video Club
BATV is Haunted Date
Technology Changes
And much more...

Save the date!

Thursday, November 12th

BATV’s Carnival O’ Thanks!

Member Appreciation Night
Food, Games, Awards, Prizes and Surprises!
Billerica Elks, 6:00 pm
A fun-filled evening celebrating all the ways our Marvelous
Members Matter!

The Producer 8