As a long unusually mild Fall comes to a close - Minnesota has a "Third" Party Governor - Hurricane Mitch tore apart Central America with winds, rain and landslides - Impeachment votes are counted. We've all heard about that; but what's new around MTN? Here, we feel we played a role in the gubernatorial elections. Two minor party candidates came out of our producer's ranks. The People's Champion party candidate Ray McCloney ran a campaign with his mom on the ticket - making appearances on network and public T.V. alongside a special Governor's edition of "Get Down With It" - his long running comedy program. Also Chris Wright, a frequent collaborator on "The Hemp Channel" - ran for governor on the Grass Roots party ticket. "THC" recently aired his platform alongside an eloquent and rational appeal from former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders on the decriminalization of marijuana. Minor party candidates and issues can have a hard time finding access into mainstream media debates. MTN - and other public access media organizations play a vital role in opening up that communication process. The MN. News Council is addressing this issue - as we go to press - through a public forum; "Media Coverage of Third Party Candidates and Issues". Wright found himself frequently reminding mainstream media outlets that there were indeed more than three candidates on the ballot - and nine parties were to be represented at the M.N.C.'s public forum. Marginalization of ideas is a byproduct of limited coverage. Green Party candidate Ken Pentel bicycled around the state pedaling his vision of an enviro-centric future - centered on clean air & water, and sustainable use of our resources - like soil, trees, and minerals. I am presuming many of us did not get a chance to hear much of his visionary thinking. As the senior senator from Minnesota - Paul Wellstone - looks into a campaign for the presidential office - we may note the issues which his possible candidacy brings into the mainstream daily media.

     Also in production news, the MTN Appreciation Night event (featured prominently in this issue) was the first use of our long awaited replacement cameras for Studio A. We still have "tube" technology (fifteen yr. old Hitachi cameras) in Studio B, but now our main studio can boast "three chip" quality - which the public has come to expect as a standard for T.V. viewing. One of the people we can thank for the approval of the purchase of these new cameras is also a recent graduate of the Beginning Video Production class - Jim Niland. This Mpls. city council person wanted to reactivate his creative energies and produced a class project on a "haunted" house with convincing performances from a variety of "eyewitnesses". Niland is an outspoken advocate of MTN's mission - and now a certified member as well.

     In class - as teacher - I mention three stages of production - planning/pre-production; taping/production ; and editing/post-production. After one finishes those stages, you will find there is also another phase which may become even more of an obstacle - distribution or public viewing opportunities. Public Access is a major outlet (and often the only one) for artists, activists, ideas and all types of everyday folk - coast to coast.

     New shows over the cable wires include a transplant from Public Access in Green Bay, WI.; a trio of producers are collaborating on a highly produced comedy/drama called "Narcolepsy Inc." "N.I." runs Tues. nights at 9 pm on Ch. 33. Running Weds. nights, "Pulse T.V." - sponsored by Pulse - one of the alternative print weeklies in the Twin Cities, is showing a lot of production energy with contributions from Nancy Kaiser and the crew of "THC". This new show will have a magazine format - using each week's cover story as a feature - bringing in musical guests along with the pick of art, film, theater & music events for the coming week. Another new show - having just finished its sixth complete program - is "Strictly Seniors"; produced by Roland Minda. Minda, who earlier this year completed the Basic Studio class, has recruited a whole slough of talented help to crank these episodes out. While targeted to "Seniors" with efforts to get them out and about in continued activity - the program speaks to all in regards to the many opportunities available to engage oneself in around the community.

     Fall at MTN also is the time when our Youth Training Program gets into gear. Americorps and the MN. Transition School are again undergoing intensive training in both Camera/Editing (Beginning Video Production) and Studio production. South High seniors have completed the first third of a year-long collaboration with MTN and the Humphrey Institute at the U. of M. Already in its ninth year, "V.O.I.C.E.S." provides short programs on community organizations which make a difference. Their first trimester programs will be running on both Ch. 6 and MTN throughout the winter months with more programs to come this spring and summer.

     Finally - our East African communities continue to gather momentum and experience as the array of programming expands. From the Horn of Africa - the newest program "Direct from Ethiopia" expands the coverage and background into the region already represented by "Oromia T.V." and "ETBM - Eritrean Television Broadcast of Minnesota". Meanwhile "Somali T.V."- (formerly "Somali Nights") is running two separate episodes each week with Mohamed Mohamed - as host - and A.S. Osman in the editor/director role (see photo below). Another Somali program has seen its debut - led by Abdimalik Askar assisted by Abdul Hussein - "Somali Show" has interviewed local Somali business people throughout the metro area. In addition, "ETBM" and "Somali Show" both have highly developed web sites growing around their programs.

Page One: MTN Appreciation Night
Page Two: Programming Notes
Page Three: MTN Profile
Page Four: View From the Northside
Page Five: E-Mail from Derrik and Open Studio 1999
Page Six: MTN Features
Page Seven: MTN Appreciation Night Awards, Oct. 23, 1998