PROGRAMING NOTES
By MTN Program Manager, John Akre
I returned recently from a two week trip to Butte, Montana where I worked with friends from California, Washington, Montana and Minnesota to shoot video for a feature video project. TV making brought us all together for a fun and collaborative couple of weeks. Now I am back at MTN, both energized and exhausted. Working hard on a production of my own always helps me to recognize and appreciate the work of all the access producers who make television out of love and little else for MTN's channels.

A new season has come to MTN, the Winter/Spring 2000 season will last six months. Beginning in 2000, there will be only two programming seasons at MTN, and two intermezzos a year (for those of you not in the know, the intermezzo is that week between seasons when we dispense with our usual schedule to show special programs and longer shows). The Winter/Spring season will run from the beginning of the year 2000 to the week of July 4th, and the Summer/Fall season will run through the end of December.

Another change in the programming office is Brendan Williams coming on as Assistant Program Manager. He will be doing the majority of tape moving between our offices in Saint Anthony Main and our playback facility at the Paragon building. He is also taking on all the Cgs that play on the channels, in addition to his cablecasting duties. This frees up more of my time for teaching the classes that I teach.


Shows both new and moving

In programming news, we have some new series shows appearing on MTN as well as some old favorites returning and some shows moving to new timeslots.

Some of the new shows include "Inner City Fishing" (Saturdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 33), which looks at fishing in the metro area's lakes and rivers; "Minne Ha! Ha! TV" (Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. on channel 33), from the fertile brain of cartoonist Pete Wagner; and "Lemtouni/Fumanti Chat," (Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on channel 33), a talk show produced in St. Paul. Also new is "Metro Old Boys Rugby" (Thursdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 33), which features local men's rugby matches.

Returning to MTN this fall were Timm McCoy's "Grateful Dead Video Hour" (Mondays at 11 p.m. on Channel 33), and P.J. Letofsky's "TV Party" (Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Channel 33).

Some shows that have moved to new time slots include Sharon Parker's "Light on the Gospel" (Saturdays at 5 p.m. on Channel 58A, 36B), and "Praise and Power Hour" (Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on Channel 58A, 36B) with Homer and Margie Giles. Sahan TV (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Channel 32), an East Africa issues program, has moved to a new time slot and increased its length to an hour.

Also keep your eyes open for a whole summer of community events this winter during MTN's community event time slots, Monday, Thursday and Fridays at 10 p.m. on Channel 32.


CABLECASTERS

Has a public access show host changed his or her hairstyle? Which producers always run their shows long and which end them tidily toward the end of their time slot? Which producers have the cleanest looking color bars, and which really know how to use a countdown? Michael Johnson knows, or at least he knew better than just about anybody else.

Michael Johnson has worked as a Master Control Operator (playback) for over two years, and really has watched and listened hard to the shows on MTN to make sure that they have looked and sounded good to the entire viewing audience. Now he's cutting back on his hours - to begin working with Northwest Cammunity Television in their state of the art facility and we will miss him.

The Master Control Operators are the people who put the public access shows on the channel. Of course, community producers fill out the paperwork and drop off tapes, but it is the Master Control Operators who play those tapes out onto the cable system. They do this from the MTN playback facilities at the Paragon Cable building.

New Master Control Operators have come to carry the playback torch on into the future. Nate Mains, Tekie Simon and Hamil Griffin-Cassidy have all joined the MTN cablecaster crew in the last few months. Nate Mains is a well-known figure around MTN, volunteering for Lemmy O Live and T.C. Muzique as well as wielding a mean hand held camera at the community events which MTN covers. Tekie Simon is part of the team that produces "Eritrean Television Broadcast in Minnesota," the "Overall Excellence Winner" at MTN's Appreciation Night Awards last year. Hamil Griffin-Cassidy has been shooting and editing community events and producing shows of his own for the last few years.

Once you make TV you realize all the work that goes into making a show. But there's also work involved in getting those finished shows on the air. So remember: if you see a Master Control Operator on the street someday, tell him or her thanks.


In this Issue:
MTN Page One: MTN At the Millenium
Page Two: On Location
Page Three: MTN Profile
Page Four: Programing Notes
Page Five: Cyber - BYTES
Page Six: MTN Features
Page Seven: MTN Members Forum Survey