HCTV Quarterly Board Meeting January 24, 2019 Minutes
Hardwick Community Television Quarterly Board Meeting January 24, 2019 Minutes
Present: Elizabeth Rossano, Kurt Bos, Elizabeth Dow, Leif Goldberg, Robin Grant.
November Minutes: Robin moved we accept; Kurt seconded; unanimously accepted.
Financials: Leif reviewed the station’s financials, and nobody saw any points for concern. Kurt moved; Robin seconded; unanimously approved.
Brief discussion of the basketball broadcasting: it’s highly popular and the new features have received many compliments. Kurt suggested a technical change, which Leif implimented.
Station Report:
Copyright issues. We’re using Vimeo for online storage, at $400/year. Vimeo is getting concerned about copyright — they will delete an account if you get 3 strikes, and we’ve had one — recording a dance recital using commercial music.
Leif would like a backup archive. We have hard drives, but he would like an Internet archive. There’s a 1-time $2000 charge for a module that will send stuff to Archive.com. Leif wonders if it’s worth the $2000 and whether Archive.com will remain viable. He will into the issue more, including YouTube. Goal is to find a solution by the next meeting.
He and Wiz discussed working with the HHS to provide the archival discs a permanent, archivally sound storage area. Wiz will take it up with the HHS.
Elizabeth threw out an idea about a show, produced by HCTV — 10-15 segments in a half-hour or hour documentary format featuring ‘your neighbors’, focusing on what’s not obvious about them: why they live here; what they see for the town. People would be nominated by other members of the community. Discussion of various ways to do that. Could we do it live? Could we have people submit content?
Leif and Ray Small met and cleared up the issues of credit for HCTV stuff.
FCC Funding rule will go into effect whereby Comcast can charge us for ‘in-kind’ services. But we don’t know when. Our one hope is that the House Committee that deals with the FCC is now controlled by the Democrats, which may get us some more pushback. VAN is putting together a lobbying effort. Van is also organizing a state legislative day in Montpelier, Feb 20, to talk about future funding of these station through a state appropriation.
Another threat: the state Public Service of Vermont is still in court with Comcast
Another threat: we have no contract with Comcast — was to have been renewed Feb. 2018.
Another threat: what will happen with Internet and 5-G services. Annual Meeting in April. Date: 4th Thursday, tentatively. April 25.
Respectfully Submitted Elizabeth H Dow