A Labor of Love
The Hurdles of Public Access Television in Connecticut
Nestled on the edge of a suburban neighborhood, sits an old-barn-turned self-proclaimed “Community Media Center." Wallingford Public Access Association, or WPAA for short, is one of many public access television stations in the state, but getting from the drafting board to on TV screens requires helping hands that aren’t always available.
Susan Huizenga, the Executive Director of WPAA-TV, often works 10-hour days and is for most of the day, the only person at the station throughout the week. She’s in charge of all scheduling, the stations’ social media, overseeing studio shows, and just about anything else that’s needed on a day to day basis.
“I’m still here," Huizenga laughs as the sun begins to set on a quiet Tuesday. “Most of the time I’m the only one here, but people will stop by with donations and what not or ask if they can do their own show at 'X' time."
Before WPAA, Susan worked the better part of 30 years as a business analyst before going back to school at age 50 to get her master’s in Interactive Media from Quinnipiac University. “I felt like back then I needed to be caught back up," Huizenga said. She had just started getting involved in community television when she decided to go back to school.
But she isn’t the only one. Tom Brady (Not of New England Patriots fame) works in sales at Plimpton and Hills Plumbing Supply by day, but by night he’s a maestro in the control room.
“I love this stuff,” Brady says as he flicks through the Tricaster (the master control board in the studio) and adjusts one of the audio channels. “I graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting years ago but had to pay the bills so I started working at [Plimpton]. Believe it or not, it was Sue’s husband that called wanting to buy some stuff that got me working here."
Riyad Lahnin is another employee of WPAA-TV. Riyad provides much of the technical support for the station.
“I oversee everything from a technical standpoint, whether it be devices syncing to the computers, figuring out new cameras and devices we get, and what will make things easier to use. I’m always looking into seeing what types of technology we can use to be more efficient," he says. Having a resident technical guru on hand is extremely helpful in community television.
Unlike Susan, Tom and Riyad, many people walking through the doors at WPAA have no formal education in television broadcasting the technical side of production; they’re just people interested in having their own shows and spreading their passion. The beauty with public access television is that essentially anyone is able to walk through the front door and start their own show.
As far as the programming goes on public access television, there is a mix of local prerecorded shows (local political debates, church masses, high school sports games, etc.), third party global news content, and in studio shows made by the general public.
“I love coming here and just really getting our message out," said Anna Cosgrove of the Wallingford Women’s Club, who were doing pre-recorded holiday greetings in front of a green screen. “It allows groups to come out and have their voices heard that otherwise might have a hard time doing so elsewhere."
Tom Zapalla, a longtime resident barber from Wallingford, was a guest on “Local Lens," an interview style show with a variety of Wallingford shop owners and residents. “A lot of people in town know me as their barber, but I’m retired now, so I don’t see them as much," said Zapalla. “It’s nice to come on here and still be a part of the community in some way." Zapalla plans on starting his own show, describing where he has traveled around the world and what he is doing with his newfound free time.
On top of an already hefty workload for staffers and show hosts-to-be in making television content, financial issues also pose a threat in public access television stations’ existence.
Public access television stations receive money from their local government that issues their local cable franchise agreement. However, this is often times not nearly enough. WPAA receives approximately $80,000 annually, but after paying for facility fees and part time work, requires more.
“WPAA-TV needs to raise $40,000 to remain viable assuming volunteers and interns still do much of the work," said Huizenga. The hefty goal is to be met through a series of fundraising campaigns through Paypal, iGive, Google wallet, and Facebook fundraisers. Benefit concerts and live viewings are also ways to generate donation money, but don’t occur as frequently. Like many other public access stations, relying on viewers and content creators to donate is a must. WPAA’s social media presence also helps with awareness. One of the most surprising parts about the money shortage: Despite the extensive amount of time she spends there, Susan is a volunteer.
“My full-time volunteer role has been in existence for going on 7 years. I have had paid support of 1/4 - 1/2 an FTE[full-time equivalent]which is 10 to 20 hours weekly,” said Huizenga. Despite being paid for only part of her time there, she still shows up every day as Executive Director.
“Oh, without me, I don’t know how this place would operate," Sue laughs. Contributing to public access television is a labor of love, both on the production side as well as content. “What I love most about WPAA is that anyone can get involved, you just have to have enough interest and passion to do it."
To get involved with public access television in Connecticut, explore the map below to find a station near you.
