Dan's Papers - May 22, 2009 - LTV at 25: As Local as Local Public TV Gets

While Southampton Town is battling Cablevision regarding the availability of public access channels to all residents, whether they have digital or analog formats, East Hampton Town can rest on its laurels knowing that its local independent cable access provider is one of the finest - and longest lasting - in the country. Though it's definitely seen a few rocky years during its long history with the town, as it turns 25 this year, LTV Studios continues to gain momentum in the community, offering more diverse programming than ever and seeing the completion of the refurbishment and renovation of its Wainscott studio.

Over the past three years, LTV has been hard at work on a complete overhaul of its studio and equipment. Six months ago, it updated all of its camera gear, installing the same state of the art equipment used in NBC's studios. "We're very happy to be on that level of cutting edge," said Seth Redius, executive director of LTV. "It's all digital, end to end. Everything stays pristine. Public Access as a medium could have fantastic content, but people don't take it seriously if it doesn't look good. We're trying to fix that."

The studio itself, where the shows are filmed, has also been renovated. In the past, the stage was set against a backdrop of a simple and boring black curtain, which made every show filmed in front of it look the same. Now, the studio has been brightened up, and given a much more modern and cleaner look. Gone is the curtain, replaced with a frosted plexiglass wall. Lights of many colors shine behind the wall, changing the set and the look of each show.

A seemingly never-ending project over the past three years has been the preservation and cataloguing of the nearly 20,000 tapes and CDs in LTV's archive library, some of the material even predating the existence of the organization. "It chronicles the life and times of East Hampton over the past 25 years," Redius said. "It's one of the greatest assets this organization and Town has. And we encourage people to come in to find what they're looking for."

But LTV's most recent coup is the new Producer's (or Green) Room, which was partially funded by the now defunct Public Access Producers Association, hence the name. The room has multiple functions. The major component is a brand new kitchen which is used for both cooking shows and by the staff during business hours. "This is our pride and joy at the moment," Redius said. "This is our baby. Cooking shows have been hot for a number of years, but in Public Access, it's tough to do them. So this is unique."

There's also a mirror overlooking the counter that can be used for various types of shows, not just cooking. A blank wall can be used as a backdrop for filming, and another wall will eventually have a green screen. And, with a long table surrounded by many chairs as the center of the room, it's perfect for classes and workshops, making it a great setting for the production workshops held several times a year for those interested in learning how to use the studio and its equipment.

Now as LTV turns 25 it has the distinction of being not only one of the oldest Public Access channels on Long Island - Great Neck's PATV has been around for about the same amount of time - but also in the country. "I guess Long Island is ahead of the curve when it comes to Public Access," Redius said. But despite all of its years of existence, it's only now that LTV is finally starting to come into its own, he added. Part of the reason for this struggle is because, as all nonprofits do, LTV had its share of trouble obtaining the funding it needed to provide its services to the community at the highest quality possible. "It's taken a long time and LTV has had a lot of rough years. But at this point, the community has received us. It takes us seriously and sees us as an asset."

The new equipment and studio will help LTV connect even more with a society that is both very visual and also, in many ways, very superficial, since the quality of its programming will be much higher, and on par with major television stations. "It will give the medium the chance it deserves," Redius said.

Already, LTV offers top notch programming that appeals to a variety of viewers - from "Reading with Rockey," starring Rockey the reading bulldog in a show filmed in the East Hampton Library for children, to programs like "The East End Show," a show about local current events hosted by Bill Fleming, and "Tell It to Henry," which deals with similar topics and is hosted by Henry Haney. There's also "Open in East Hampton," which focuses on local businesses and the cooking program, "Channel Your (Inner) Julia Child." During this hotly contested election year, LTV will be a great way for local political candidates to get their message out to town residents. Then, on election night, Fleming will host a non-stop coverage of the results from each village as well as the town.

While this is a pivotal year for LTV, don't expect the station to make a fuss about it, Redius says, as it's primarily interested in focusing on what it does best: making great television and preserving the history of East Hampton. "We're just trying to tell the story of this town," he said. "Left and right businesses are closing down. People who have been here for years are leaving. Our hope is to help preserve the memories of these things. We want to preserve the way things were in the past, with a visual history. It's an amazing asset and an amazing thing to have accessible to the public. It's something we're very proud of."