NEWPORT — NCTV, Newport’s public access channel, is reaching out to the town beyond the cable system with live online streaming of its Channel 10 content. Now anyone with internet access in Newport, or anywhere worldwide, can watch NCTV live. This includes town government meetings, arts programs, local music and sports.
This summer, NCTV studio and broadcast system are going through major renovations and upgrades. Executive director John Lunn said in a press release that the new system brings NCTV into the 21st century with “improved sound and picture, 24 hour internet streaming, archived programs to choose from, live broadcast of meetings, sports and music, and a dynamic schedule and bulletin board that can be updated in real time.”
“These are just a few of our new services,” Lunn said. “Starting this fall, NCTV will offer internships for high school students to earn elective credits towards their graduation while learning TV production and creating fresh programming for our viewers.”
The other big change coming will be live remote broadcasting from anywhere internet service exists. “We’ll be able to send a live signal from a basketball game, a concert, or a state house committee meeting and broadcast it instantly to our viewers online and TV,” he explained. “This opens almost limitless possibilities in added value to NCTV.”
The station recently hired three part-time employees to develop new programs and work with interns while Lunn is focused on the upgrades. Currently, Channel 8 is off the air until he has rewired and fixed the perennial sound problem that has plagued those broadcasts for years. He said he hopes to have everything up and running by the end of summer.
“In the meantime, I apologize for the inconvenience and annoyance,” he said. “But don’t worry, if you didn’t catch a live broadcast, it is replayed several times and available online.”
The funding for NCTV comes from a franchise fee charged by Comcast to the subscribers and passed on to the town. Federal law requires that cable TV providers collect this fee as well as donate up to three channels for public access broadcasting to every town they serve, according to the press release. Over the years, NCTV put a portion of the fee in a capital reserve, and when Lunn took over the station a year ago he told his board it was time to invest it in upgrades and better communication with the town.
“Once we establish NCTV as a go-to place both on cable and online for the people in Newport and the region to learn about and enjoy what’s happening in town, we will seek funding outside the subscriber base to share the expense of expanding our programming, services and viewers,” he said.
To learn more, go to nctv-nh.org, click the “NCTV Online!” link.
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