The new streaming video website, PEG Central http://fallscable-wi.pegcentral.com , has now been in use for about a month and by all accounts is a big hit. The School District of Menomonee Falls has a link on their website and the Village is looking at running some of their meetings. Not only have all the comments been positive but the amount of feedback has been unexpected.
Unlike major networks and local TV stations, cable access has no barometer to judge viewership. The Nielson ratings and Tivo are used nationwide by the media giants to set their advertising rates and evaluate programming. Here in Menomonee Falls we rely on the "buzz". The "buzz' is basically the amount of conversation about access programming relayed to the access board and staff. Needless to say we are delighted with the level of perceived viewership and use that information to expand our audience. With the addition of the PEG Central website, http://fallscable-wi.pegcentral.com/, we are now getting direct viewership information that has proved to be very enlightening. Here are a few examples.
High School Sports - Football games were the biggest draw to start and some of that is coming from the Indian's opponents. The loss to Brookfield Central was the most watched program for a while with the Tosa East victory a close 2nd. However, and this is very surprising, the Soccer Playoff game vs Tosa East eventually had as many views as all 3 posted football games.
School Board Meetings. - Back in the days when the school board meetings ran for days in a repeating VHS machine, we wondered if anyone was paying attention, especially since meeting attendance is so poor. Well it appears a lot of people are busy on Monday nights and prefer to watch at their leisure. The School Board meeting takes initial viewing hits of over 100 and then levels out into the 150's. That has been true for the first 3 meetings published on the website. We have provided the district with a link directly to the folder for district programming.
Documentaries and special interest. - Programs that high lite a certain group or event also achieve higher ratings. Although this is not a surprise since there is only a percentage of each group that have Time Warner Cable and can watch the program they are involved in. Now the entire group can enjoy seeing themselves.
Series - Theses shows, including Village Voices - FOCUS on Our Children, and The Show among others tend to be time sensitive. Shows about upcoming events or issues tend to double the shows that are more informational than timely.
Government - The 24th Assembly voters forum was the only program listed so far and it is no surprise that it had as many views as the football games. Because the election covered areas outside the Channel 14 viewing area, it was easy for those people to take advantage of the PEG Central streaming to make a more informed choice.
There is more information coming from the developer of the system, and it is hoped that it will give us an even clearer picture of what people want to see on the local access channel. There are two more great things about the streaming video..1. It shows those without cable, what Channel 14 has to offer and will probably help increase Time Warners subscription numbers and 2. It shows other communities how great it is to live in the Falls. I have received more calls from other community leaders asking how why they don't have local access in their community.
Things are getting closer to being organized in the studio. Thee are still some wiring issues and the storage areas are not complete. To address one of our long time viewers who leaves messages but never a name, I want to let him know that as soon as we can get the cable from the satellite located and run back into the studio we will test the dish, reprogram the receiver and hopefully have The Arts channel back in it's Thursday afternoon and late nite time slot.
The remote trailer was busy in October and will see action again in November and December. Don't hesitate to knock on the door and say "Hi!" when you see it at the Christmas parade or at the high school for sports or Band Revue.
WHAT"S NEW ON CHANNEL 14
FOCUS on Our Children - 2 new shows are in the works. Look for Dr. Patti Keller and Dr. Keith Marty as they revisit Chapter 220 and Open Enrollment. Also this month four energetic teachers from the HS and Jr. High talk about transition training.
Village Voices - 3 interesting topics together in 1 show. Karen Nelson introduces our newest member of the Access Family, KC Thorson who talks about her new cooking show scheduled for later this month. Also on the show, Trey Brooks promotes the Butler Lions Club Breakfast with Santa, and one of our own cameramen and his mother provide insight into their first presidential election, from someone from the "other side of the pond".
Army Newswatch is back on the air and we hope it provides the families of our service men and women an inside look at their surroundings and experiences.
HS Cross Country Meet - The Greater Metro Conference Meet at Rotary park was held up for a technical glitch that has now been corrected. Look for the Boys and Girls finals and the best, in my opinion, sports parents of any sport.
AS ALWAYS....STAY TUNED!
