It’s Not Too Late Burton to Let Council Know G-TV Isn’t a ‘Crock’
Please understand we at G-TV must take issue with Burton Councilman Boehnlein’s characterization that sending Burton Village’s cable subscribers’ fee to G-TV is “a crock.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
G-TV is funded solely by cable subscriber fees in those communities who desire and support great local programming – programming about and for those communities. Those fees are intended for local programming. No other utility pays local governments like cable television does. No other utility has cable channels. The connection is clear.
G-TV has never received general funds from any community in the 25 years we’ve been in operation. We have striven to do the most we can to provide each community the “best bang” for their cable subscribers’ fees. It’s not always been easy. Ever-changing technology presents unique challenges and we’ve done as much as we could with the funding received.
In addition to providing countywide programming to village residents, Burton Village’s cable subscriber fees have funded the village and Berkshire Schools with interesting, exciting and memorable programs recorded in Burton Village.
Burton Village programs over the years have included Century Village events such as power/steam shows, civil war encampments, apple butter festivals, greatest generation weekend (remember Jacqueline Samuel’s life as a child in war torn Europe?), opening of the apothecary and tours of many buildings, events in the Bond Building. G-TV also has covered village green events, including Burton bicentennial, “starring” Charlie Caputo, Arbor Day, Country Hearth Thanksgivings, Safety Town, Pancake Town U.S.A.’s pancake Sundays, The Ghosts of Burton, over 20 Memorial Day services on the square and at the cemetery, including the past COVID shortened services.
Burton Village is “Where History Lives” and we’ve recorded that history.
Berkshire Schools programs — so much more than football — have included Burton Elementary programs and concerts, most recently their Thanksgiving and holiday virtual shows. Berkshire High programs have included holiday concerts, homecoming parades, “Beat Cardinal” pep rallies . . . we’ve followed the Badgers since our very first show in 1996 . . . Cardinal-Berkshire volleyball.
Other contests, many trying to Always Beat Cardinal, have been on our schedule, though we had to cancel three this past week due to the disappointing news of termination.
In the past we’ve enjoyed covering the Badgers on the gridiron, hardcourt and diamond – some of the most exciting games in our library of more than 3,000 shows. We were there this year for TWO Berkshire-Cardinal football games. We were there when the boys’ basketball team lost a heartbreaker in the regional finals in Canton. We’ve been with you on those hot June evenings in the gym at graduation — and then out on the lawn to capture the balloons headed skyward (along with a bit of celebratory cigar smoke!). This past May we were delighted to produce your Virtual Commencement.
It’s been a great run and we will miss all that action. Badgers, we had you covered! Your new school will be such an exciting place and if things stay as they are, we won’t be there.
G-TV provides excellent coverage with the limited funds we receive. Many other communities have nothing like it and they are worse off for it. Imagine 25 years of . . . absolutely nothing.
We now provide our programming on cable and through Roku and AppleTV answering concerns about getting content to folks without cable. We have every program ever recorded and host more than 150,000 digital photos on our website. In many ways, our collection is a slice of life, an archive to be saved — and added to in years to come.
COVID has limited us, like everything else, and we’ve responded with deep digs into our archives replaying many of the events listed above. We’ve adapted to the “Zoom” world and aired meetings and presentations from that platform. We constantly ask for programming ideas and welcome all suggestions.
The decision to terminate the contract rests with Burton Village Council and it can be reversed before we must take the final steps to disconnect Burton Village. Once disconnected, Spectrum Cable will not be inclined to reconnect, so the decision has long-range implications for all your institutions, schools, students, etc.
It’s up to Burton Village Council to decide whether the village wants to join the dustbin of communities like Burton and Hambden townships that have grabbed the cable fees and disconnected G-TV, and, much more important, disconnected their communities from a special service.
Public bodies like the village council shouldn’t act in a vacuum. Interested residents, particularly cable subscribers — it’s your money — the Berkshire school district and others are encouraged to let council know the value you see in continuing to have Burton and Berkshire Schools programming produced by G-TV.
To be clear, what makes G-TV programming special isn’t the technology or expertise we have. What makes it special are the subjects we cover — local organizations, school events, students and others. It’s important to the parents, grandparents, families in your community. We’ve delivered to them for years. And that’s not “a crock.”
