Eagle Times Staff
BRATTLEBORO, VT — Brattleboro Community TV (BCTV) recently announced that current SAPA TV Executive Director and Brattleboro resident Johnny Gifford has been hired as their new leader.
“We could not be more excited to have found Johnny, and for the new perspectives and opportunities he’ll bring to the BCTV community. He has the experience, he has the vision, and he has the community media values to bring BCTV to the next level,” said Alex Beck, board president. “While we had an incredible slate of candidates, Johnny has a passion for community media that was hard to match.”
Before joining and eventually leading Springfield’s community access station (SAPA TV), Johnny brings a long history of experience from places ranging from Harvard University’s Media Production Center & Hauser Studio to small-town high school radio and television stations.
“I am incredibly excited to be joining the active, dynamic team at BCTV. I have been invested in community media for half of my life and have been living in Brattleboro for the past year and a half and have loved being part of the community. Becoming BCTV’s leader feels like the perfect next step for me, and so I encourage everyone to stop in, say hi, and learn more about BCTV,” said Gifford.
Along with his history in radio and working in school-based community media stations, Gifford intends to explore opportunities to partner with community organizations around supporting Brattleboro’s music scene and engaging more youth in film and video production.
Gifford states his objective is to use his role at BCTV to “amplify the voices of everyday people through education, art, and digital media, and to encourage civic involvement and transparency of government.”
While Gifford will spend the next few weeks transitioning into the position, he has not been shy in diving right into the work. Recently, Gifford joined the BCTV team, including outgoing Executive Director Cor Trowbridge, in covering one of December’s biggest and most important productions: Landmark College Graduation.
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