Ned Coltman

RCTV Member

As I’m flipping through the channels I stop at one station that catches my eye. The main character on the show looks like my best friend. Funny coincidence! But, as I look closer I realize THAT IT IS my best friend! I say, “What is he doing on TV! That is so cool!” I look at the channel number, 9. What is that channel? It’s not Nickelodeon for sure. So I look in the TV guide. It has a listing for RCTV. RCTV is also on listed as channels 10 and 22. What’s RCTV I wonder? RCTV is a community television station. I wonder how RCTV works…

From the time I joined as a member I have always thought that RCTV was a wonderful service to the town. I thought it was great but I also wondered how does it run and how is it part of the town? First I wanted to learn all about RCTV, their budget, their technology and how the organization runs.

Because RCTV is a 501(c)3 organization, the station revolves around the members. If you are a member, you can do anything in the station. Many come to get cameras to film church services, sports or talk shows. Members do not have to participate in any way, but it is encouraged. Mr. Riley, who is a member, said that he took a course in production and filmed A Town Meeting. He said that it was very fun and he loved being able “to play with the toys”. He loves the service of RCTV and thinks highly of the organization. Although there are no limits to age, the age of the member usually tells what the member is going to do. Kids usually come in to film things like sports and goofy productions. If the member is older, they usually film church services or town meetings. Also, if you are a member you can come to the annual meetings where they have votes and speeches from the directors and employees. (Also they have tons of free food)! The board decides the budget and appoint The Executive Director. The meeting is very interesting.

When talking in terms of the staff, RCTV is run by very few. They get a few volunteers, but not many of them for sure. The two main positions on the staff of RCTV are Executive Director and Program Director. Phil is the current executive director. The Executive Director is really the boss and runs everything.

If you have ever seen the building of RCTV you would know how small it looks. The building is tiny! But even though it is tiny they fit so much into it. It seems as though they had a huge office building. They only have 6 rooms but all are used for something important. They have three editing rooms that get a lot of use. Then there is the studio. They use this room the most. It is used for meetings, filming, talking, and giving courses. It’s really an all purpose room but is supposed to be a filming studio. If you have been lucky enough to be inside RCTV, you would notice that the floor in the studio is hollow. This is because it can be lifted up. This is so they can store cables and wires down there beneath the floor.

So, to run the station what do they need? MONEY! Other than members, money is the most important part of the station! They don’t get much of it either! They really have to be budget their money and stick to their budget. Membership fees are considered donations and sometimes they get extra donations, but the budget is still very tight.

So, what’s the story behind what we see on our screens? How do they decide what to air? First of all, they must air Selectmen Meetings, Town Meetings and School Board Meetings. But, other than that, 90% of the shows are produced by members. Also RCTV airs some notices from certain groups that have a membership. Actually they have a few members that have weekly shows! So next time there’s “nothing on”, check in on RCTV and you might find that there is “something on.”

Overall I think RCTV is a real asset to the town. If this article has inspired you to start filming, I highly recommend you join RCTV. I would be happy to get you a membership form! Many people in Reading think that RCTV is just a hole in the wall and maybe it is, but that hole is filled with gold.