2015-03-19Beverly Cable Advisory Commission
Joint Meeting with BevCam
Meeting held March 19, 2015
Members Present: Muriel Zaginailoff, Chair; D. Berman, Secretary;
Diane Costa; Eric Overberg; Al Torsey; Alex Ushakoff
Members Absent: None
Others Present: Bob Hobbs, Board, BevCam; Walter Kosmowski, E.D. BevCam
Recorder: Donald Berman
The joint meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Muriel.
Muriel turned the floor over to Walt for his reports.
Walt presented the financials for the 4th quarter of 2014 and end of year. There is an
increase in the number of producers and students. Training is now based on
selected topics that producers can take as needed. Programming activity has
increased. Budget is running under but capital projects were higher with some
overlap but basically the financial condition is good.
Muriel asked for the salary breakdown which Walt supplied.
Walt noted new hires Matt Greenberg and Adam Stone.
A new item in the budget is for employee training or tuition reimbursement.
Berman suggested including in the allowance on -line courses of which there are
many for technical training.
There is also a new line item for the school media program currently set at $3600.
Walt is going to attend the annual ACM conference in California.
Preparation is continuing for a third channel with a September target.
$50 thousand is budgeted for connection to the new city -based I -Net . Alex asked
when that might be completed. Walt's response was by April or May.
Muriel asked about Walt's thinking about both physical and staff expansion. Walt
responded that he saw no need for either for the foreseeable future. He had
investigated the office space adjacent to the studio but did not get any approval to
occupy more space.
Alex asked about possible involvement with the proposed new Middle School for a
media program. Walt said there was some discussion but that would be several
years in the future.
Walt distributed the BevCam Annual Report to each member.
The BevCam presentation ended at 7:55 P.M.
Muriel called the CAC meeting to order at 8:00 P.M.
The minutes of the December 18 meeting were approved as presented. Don is to
send January minutes for review and approval at the next meeting.
Muriel reported on meeting along with Don with assistant city solicitor Eitan
Goldberg on the BevCam financial reporting compliance issue. Goldberg requested
documentation of efforts made by the CAC on this issue. Don subsequently sent
several items. The city is now reviewing the matter.
Next, she reported on the publishing of the CAC mission on the city website along
with an invitation for viewers to submit complaints.
Don reported on a meeting held with Muriel and Kevin Harutunian in which the city
expressed interest in exploring community -based internet options. Kevin requested
that the CAC take a role in organizing and leading concerned residents in a team
effort to provide guidance for the city in looking at options for providing high speed
internet in the city.
Muriel then summarized the outcomes of the two additional equipment installations,
one at the BCOA and the other at the Library. While Mary Ann remains uncommitted,
Pat Cirone wants to take BevCam training along with other staff members to see
how they might better expand video recording of the series of Monday Morning
lectures.
Alex was of the opinion that BevCam might be agreeable to place a field camera kit
at the library to make equipment more easily available.
Muriel stated that we could now remove I -Net expansion as a project goal now that
the matter had been successfully taken care of and to replace it with Beverly
Broadband as a new area of responsibility.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 P.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 16 at 7:00 P.M.