Urbana Public Television is putting the public in public-access TV. The station has been chosen to join a select group of public television stations that will participate in the Open Media Project, whose goal is to “engage communities in new media platforms through the creation of open-source tools developed by the participating stations,” according to a press release. The mission is to create an online interface for the public to interact with the station, ensuring that content can be submitted online in an easier fashion and automated without the need for scheduling oversight, and both archived and live programs can be screened online. As some have put it when presented with the concept of the Open Media Project, it’s like YouTube, but on a local level.
“The entire purpose of [the Open Media Project] is to be able to make it possible for a station to operate with a really small staff, and be able to have a really wide reach,” says Kate Gorman, Urbana Public Television (UPTV) station manager. Gorman is assisted by just one other full-time employee, a production coordinator.
Funded by a $380,000 grant, the Open Media Project is being spearheaded by Denver Open Media, which chose Urbana’s station alongside five other stations spread across the country: Humboldt, Cal.; Boston, Mass.; Amherst, Mass.; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Tex. Gorman (pictured, left) stumbled upon this unique opportunity while attending The Alliance for Community Media conference this summer in Washington, D.C. There, she was introduced to Denver Open Media, the group responsible for developing the Open Media Project and securing the grant. Upon her return to Urbana, she quickly pounced on the opportunity, submitting UPTV’s application.
“[Denver Open Media] were looking for stations … that could see how the idea would not only make it easier for the station to function, but how it could enhance the station’s relationship with the community,” says Gorman. “A lot of the operation is run by the community itself, through contributing their programming online, commenting on programs and creating community-led forums.
“It’s an idea that’s kind of different than what a lot of public access stations are run on. Most of the time, [stations] build up a lot of great equipment and qualified [staff], and people will come to them to make the shows and put their shows on the air. … With [Denver Open Media’s] model, they try to make it more possible for more people to be able to submit programming. But also to move some of the responsibility for keeping the station going and maintaining the community to the actual members of the station (the public).”
Several local, technical-minded organizations have stepped forward to aid UPTV in its efforts: the U-C Independent Media Center, WRFU, the University of Illinois and Acorn Active Media. Each will lend a hand in bringing the idea to fruition.
“Like YouTube and other similar services, [the Open Media Project software] gives tools for media creation and broadcast to everyone, but it places those tools at a community level where they aren’t in the hands of just some large corporation, and where they can be paired with the equipment, expertise, and training available at UPTV,” says Josh King, a developer for Acorn Active Media, which will be lending its technical assistance to the implementation of the necessary servers and Drupal-based software.
A budding TV show host still has to submit an application (online or in person), be trained on the station’s filming and editing equipment, and secure a time to film the show (either at the station’s studio, or by checking out the equipment to film offsite). However, with basic editing software now coming pre-installed on most desktop computers, a person could choose to edit the segment at home, and with the new technologies available via the Open Media Project, then upload the program online, where it will be encoded as a Video on Demand file and automatically scheduled within a block of similarly-themed content.
This advancement presents a significant upgrade for the station. Currently, Gorman spends approximately ten hours per week transferring DVDs into the UPTV system, queuing the segments and penciling each program into a time slot. The new open-source software will take care of this for her, freeing her up to spend more time doing outreach and education within the community.
“Something else that’s quite important that UPTV will hopefully have a hand in is developing computer literacy, not only at the high school, but at the adult education center,” says Gorman. “Most of the time it’s difficult to get into computers if you don’t have a reason to. If you’re able to give people basic computer skills through doing something like getting their stuff on television, I think this will be a really good path for that.”
In addition to this project, UPTV, which resides on cable channel six, plans to take things a step further by eventually installing kiosks at select locations throughout Urbana. At each kiosk, DVDs will be able to be loaded into a computer that will handle the editing, encoding and transference of a program from disk to the station.
Acorn Active Media foresees a scenario in which the technology they are introducing will be mutually beneficial in sharing content across several media platforms.
“[We] look forward to integrating [the software] into other partner projects, like the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, WRFU 104.5 LP-FM, and others,” says King. “I’m hoping for there to be a day soon when one can submit a video on the U-C IMC site and check a box for it to automatically be put into the scheduling queue at UPTV, or a show to be uploaded to UPTV and the option provided to submit the audio to the automation system for WRFU. This high level of cooperation between local media providers can only provide empowerment for the community.”
Denver Open Media currently has its website up and running, so interested parties can check out the site to get a feel for how UPTV’s site may take shape. Gorman says UPTV plans to “go live” with the new software and website by the end of January.