4. DECIDE WHETHER YOU NEED A PROGRAMMING LICENCE
The fourth step in implementing a community distribution scheme is to decide whether you want to offer local content. The ability to offer local content is one of the great advantages for communities of owning and operating their own distribution infrastructure.
TV OR RADIO
If you decide to offer a local community TV or radio service, you will need to obtain a programming licence from the CRTC. CACTUS can assist. The process is straightforward once you have your distribution licence, and the licence itself costs nothing.
The community TV service could be as simple as a text bulletin board service announcing local events, the weather, or promotions for local businesses. At its most complex, it could offer full moving video programming for part or all of the day.
Setting up a community television or radio production facility isn't as hard as it sounds. It could be as simple as a computer server where individuals in the community can upload text event information or home-shot footage, to a small studio or recording booth maintained in the local highschool, college, community centre, or library.
A COMMUNITY WEB PORTAL
If you've decided to offer Internet services to the community, it's easy to offer an Internet portal with a mix of text, pictures, video or audio about local events, weather, news, or promotions for local businesses. You don't need a licence to create a community web site.
MULTIMEDIA SKILLS TRAINING AND PRODUCTION
The decision to offer local content isn't an either-or decision as far as the medium. For example, Internet portals can offer text, still pictures, audio and video content. The video and audio content could replay on a broadcast or cablecast channel in the community. Similarly, if you already have a community newspaper or are thinking of creating one, the articles could also appear on the web site.
One of CACTUS' roles is to educate communities about the potential for multimedia training and production centres to enhance the communications offerings available in your community. Better communications among residents, the municipality, local businesses, social service organizations, and cultural groups can generate more job opportunities, a richer cultural life, and better responses to environmental, economic, and social challenges faced by the community.
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