Democracy for Vancouver

FVTV Fort Vancouver Television, channel 11 is the little station that could. Tonight, the cable commission awarded FVTV, our local public cable access provider, a $206,000 grant to completely revitalize their equipment.

Two years ago, FVTV was in no condition to be awarded such a grant. Through the extremely hard work of people such as Mark Kennedy, Ron Carr, and Ann Warren, FVTV kept the lights on, even though there had been a proposal to go dark. The community did respond when the word went out that the station was on the ropes, and several donations came in, saving the station from being shut down.

To see the transition that’s happened from that time period to now is simply amazing. FVTV will soon have their move completed to a new studio space (located at 4747 Minnehaha, near Van Mall), and will soon have the equipment to do live in the studio broadcast content.

My sense is that you’ll be hearing a lot more from FVTV in the upcoming months. If you’ve ever considered learning about video production, they offer classes as well. Whether getting your friend’s band on television, or your local public affairs meeting broadcast, it’s time for locally produced media to take the next step. And remember, while PEG grants are good things, they don’t cover operational costs, that’s where the community comes in, through either donations or producer fees.