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Feature - TV for the times

Cable 6; Whistler’s most undervalued resource?

By Kara-Leah Grant

Television is a technologically dense, labour intensive industry that requires highly skilled individuals to produce even the simplest of programming. Cable 6, Whistler’s community television channel, is producing hundreds of hours of programming every month with little funding, only three paid staff and the energetic enthusiasm of its volunteers. It is these people that are out every week, filming community events like the Air Band Contest at Myrtle Philip, live music at the Boot, council meetings and Olympic info sessions, not because they have to, but because they want to.

In just two years their dedication and enthusiasm for television has taken Cable 6 from a channel with barely any regular programming, to a channel producing several shows every week, including WAG TV, DIG, The Whistler Elite Fishing Show, K.I.C.S. and the new WORCA TV. But the expansion would not have been possible without the generosity of Whistler Cable and the vision of Don McQuaid.

Two years ago Whistler’s television landscape was desolate. Cable 6 had almost ground to a halt and was sidelined in an office in Function Junction. Lorna Carmichael, after a year of working as a volunteer for the station, had just been hired as director of programming.

"We moved to Main Street two years ago because we wanted to put the studio in a more central position for the community and improve its access for the volunteers coming in." says Carmichael. "The station always had community contact, but it didn’t have all the facilities we have now."

Those facilities came from Whistler Cable, the company owned by the Saperstein family for more than 20 years which operates Cable 6. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) regulations require Whistler Cable to fund a community channel, which Whistler Cable has always done, but they boosted the resources behind the channel two years ago.

In response to increasing competition, the Sapersteins – in conjunction with McQuaid – did some focus groups and polls in 2000 and discovered the biggest advantage Whistler Cable had over satellite TV was the local content it could offer through Cable 6. Recognizing the community’s needs and the company’s advantages paralleled one another, the company has continued to invest in Cable 6.

With the increased facilities and better access for volunteers, Cable 6 began producing more programs and focusing on what the station’s role should be within the community.

"We want to produce a broad cross section of programming that we feel the community is looking for, kids programming, community events, music programming and sporting events," says Carmichael. "We are trying to cover a diverse range and are trying to get the programming to a quality level, where it’s entertaining rather than just a two hour filming of an event. We also want people within the community to become active participants in making the programming and become part of the programming themselves."

That programming is produced with the help of two part-time staff, Cecilia Davis and Matt Fredrickson, and a team of committed volunteers. Davis is the director of children’s programming and in charge of studio operations. She also helps co-ordinate the volunteers that come into the station.

"We rely on volunteers almost 90 per cent, which can be a challenge because when they start, their skill levels are usually not very high," says Davis. "They approach us because they don’t have any experience and they want to learn the skills."

She points out working at the station is a great opportunity for people interested in breaking into the television industry because it gives them a chance to learn how to use camera and editing equipment. "It’s a career stepping stone and an awesome opportunity to put a demo reel together," she says.

Frederick Oke is typical of the volunteers that work at Cable 6. He began volunteering in February and is the producer of DIG (Directions in Groove); putting in more than 20 hours a week because it is something he loves to do.

"Like all the volunteers here, I started filming at council meetings, learning about the camera and shots, learning how to deal with tape stock, all procedural stuff that everybody has to go through," says Oke. "Then I dove right into producing the DIG show and learned what I needed to get the project done."

And while the volunteers at Cable 6 are dedicated, Carmichael says one of the biggest challenges running Cable 6 is keeping a trained body of volunteers due to the transient nature of Whistler. Knowledge is largely passed down from the more experienced volunteers to the new volunteers, with occasional camera workshops from Carmichael when there is time.

"What we really need is experienced professionals from the community to donate their time to train our volunteers," she says.

The station has recently begun taking advantage of a potentially large pool of volunteers who are not transient – students at the local schools.

"We are already working in conjunction with the local schools and are presently developing opportunities for the younger community," explains Carmichael. "BRATS (Broadcast Rookies at the Station) is a weekly training program for 10-14-year-olds which is currently underway, as is our work experience program with the secondary school."

Graduates of the BRATS program work on the production team for K.I.C.S. (Kids in the Community Show), a fun-filled show focusing on kids and kids’ issues in the community. Co- hosted by 11-year-olds Dana Jensen and J.J. Hendriks, the show has struck a chord with the younger community.

"It is really important because then the community knows what’s happening with kids in town, and it shows us as part of the community," says Hendriks. "It makes me feel like I am part of the community and that makes me feel good."

The expansion of Cable 6 also has something to do with changes in television technology, which in turn allowed for more television channels in Whistler. Last November saw the launch of Whistler Resort TV and Whistler Adventure Sports Network (ASN). McQuaid is the owner and director of Whistler Resort TV and runs ASN in partnership with Whistler Cable. He is also involved with Cable 6 as Whistler Cable’s Director of Marketing.

"Channel 2 (WRTV) is totally focused at the resort guest as its primary market, giving them a quick tour of the resort in an hour. We have over 90 per cent penetration into hotels," explains McQuaid. "Its secondary focus is to provide the locals with the most up to date on-mountain information. Our data is updated directly from probes on the mountain every 15 minutes."

In just six months, McQuaid has taken Whistler Resort TV from six advertisers to 63 and he has plans to introduce hosted segments on fine dining, galleries and shopping.

In contrast Channel 19, Whistler Adventure Sports Network, aims to brand the Whistler lifestyle with high-end locally-produced programming, featuring filmmakers like Christian Begin, Greg Stump and Derek Westerlund.

"The guiding principle of the Whistler Adventure Sports Network is to have a resort guest sit down and watch world class extreme programming featuring local athletes or events," explains McQuaid. "Right now we are building a mountain biking segment. Now the resort guest will be sitting in their room and saying, ‘I didn’t know that guy lived here, I didn’t know that movie was made here, I didn’t realize that was filmed here.’ When the resort guest leaves, they think Whistler really is the epicentre of mountain lifestyle culture. That’s the objective of Channel 19."

McQuaid says he hears from locals they find the channel strangely addictive, watching the same programming over and over.

"The criticism about Channel 19 is there is not enough programming on it. Our objective is to build it up to 11 hours of programming but remember, in the high season, Whistler is a cruise ship – every weekend you pull into dock and the new people arrive and the old people leave," he says. "I know from the locals that it drives them nuts, but for tourists it’s brand new programming and that is what those channels are."

Despite its community focus, Cable 6 also runs a loop, but the aim is to expand the loop and have new episodes of regular shows every week. But this won’t be possible without the support of the community and local businesses. CRTC regulations prevent the channel from running commercials, but funding can come from sponsorship. Dean Cote is head of Marketing and Sales at Whistler Cable and he says that with regular and consistent programming Cable 6 is ready for corporate sponsorship.

"Cable 6 is now at a point where sponsorship is coming into play, where we can develop a stronger budget and become self-sustaining and have a budget that grows with the community’s help."

Katmandu is a local business that has taken advantage of the opportunity for the increased exposure Cable 6 now offers and is sponsoring the new mountain biking show, WORCA TV.

"Money donated to the studio gets your logo at the beginning and the end of the show and the cash buys computer memory, tapes and incentives for the volunteers," says Cote. "Avalanche Pizza has given us vouchers for the volunteers and Whistler Heli-biking want to support us with a sweepstakes."

But Cable 6 doesn’t just offer opportunities for businesses – non-profit organizations can also use the medium to get their message across. The longest running regular program on the community channel is WAG TV, and feedback indicates it is the most popular show on Cable 6. Lauren Fraser, WAG’s executive director, says the exposure WAG has received through Cable 6 since the show started in August 2000 has been absolutely invaluable.

"WAG TV is so important because it is one of our biggest draws for getting volunteers in the door," she says. "People, not just locals but also visitors, came in and say ‘Hey, I saw WAG TV and I want to walk Bandit,’ or whoever. If we didn’t have that exposure our volunteer program would not be what it is."

Cable 6 is finally in the position of having the resources and labour to produce entertaining community programming, but for every program currently on Cable 6, there are 10 ideas for other programs that would benefit the community. Until now, there has been limited opportunity for Whistler’s businesses to get involved with Cable 6 through sponsorship – something that can greatly expand the station’s ability to improve the quality and quantity of what it offers.

That Cable 6 already offers such an array of programming is entirely due to the dedication of Lorna Carmichael, Cecilia Davis, Matt Fredrickson and their committed team of volunteers. With the support of Whistler Cable and direction from Don McQuaid, Cable 6 is poised to provide the Whistler community with one of its strongest resources. The only question that remains: is Whistler ready to take advantage of it?



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