Meetings now on YouTube

SHARON — Tri-State Public Communications, which owns NPR radio stations WHDD AM and FM in Sharon (www.robinhoodradio.com), also operates the CATV6 public access television channel which provides community content to Comcast cable television subscribers in Falls Village, Lakeville/Salisbury, Norfolk, North Canaan and Sharon. Tri-State has been videotaping government meetings in these towns including meetings of the board of selectmen, board of finance and board of education. In an effort to bring these videos to a wider audience, Marshall Miles, director of Tri-State Public Communications, is now uploading these meetings to YouTube. They can be accessed on computers by anyone with a high-speed Internet connection.Miles said the nonprofit company acquired new computers with Core 5 processors in order to quickly upload the programs to the Internet.To watch the meetings, go online to www.youtube.com/user/MMilesWHDD?feature=watch. One Tri-State employee, Josh Gitlen and four volunteers do the video tapings of meetings: Lee Collins of Salisbury, Brent Prindle of Sharon, Liam O’Reilly of Sharon and Phyllis Bernard of Norfolk.The CATV6 public access television studio and master control room are in North Canaan. WHDD’s FM transmitter is located in Sharon, the AM transmitter is in Millerton.Miles said he has been uploading 15 to 17 meetings to YouTube each month since he began in February. He has been posting similar amounts of entertainment and nongovernment programming, too.Jill Goodman, a Tri-State director, said, “Part of our mission is to make entertainment and information accessible to our audiences. YouTube helps us fulfill that mission.”Miles said CATV6 receives $30,000 annually in access fees, but has high expenses. Office and studio rent is $24,000 each year. Plus there are salary costs, insurance, equipment investments and upkeep, utility bills, et cetera that must be paid. He added, “We are being neighborly by providing this service. If you like anything you saw on CATV6 or heard on Robin Hood Radio-WHDD, please make a donation. We don’t want to have to do on-air pledge drives.”To make a donation to Robin Hood Radio WHDD or CATV6 call 860-364-4640 or go online to www.robinhoodradio.com/donate.

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