Don't Touch That Dial

   They never seem to get old. I'm not speaking of the players from little league, because as we know they grow up too fast. No, I'm talking about the taped replay of games from '91 to '93 Menomonee Falls Little league.  There are over 100 video tapes from those initial 3 years of Little League baseball that are stored in protective cases in the Cable Access studio.  They quietly wait to be snapped off the shelf and plopped into the only S-VHS machine we have, so they can once again entertain the cable subscribers in Menomonee Falls. 
    Last year when we ran the games from 1992 on the first weekend in July, we not only got calls and emails, but people were taking the time to stop by during the July 4th Parade to tell us how great it was to see them again.  It seems watching kids play baseball is infectious.  Some watched because they wanted to see all the old friends, some watched to remind them how cute their kids use to be and others watched to see people they didn't know at the time but know now.  So there they are waiting to see just who the next batter is at ...3 am.
   Although the replays do show some questinoable parent conduct and some bad coaching, they are few and far between all the priceless moments and wonderful smiles on parents and players.  Football has become a marketing monster, and basketball (despite some image problems) continues to command a good share of our attention.  But....as James Earl Jones so eloquently puts it in Field of Dreams, "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." When you add children to that mix it is Americana at it's best.  Nothing will take you away from your troubles faster than a good Little League game, live or on TV.
   So tune in this weekend and see if you can watch just one.  This year we are runniung all three years but we scheduled the '92 games in the wee hours since they ran alone last year.  Next year we will run all the games again, but in prime time during the week and between 8 am and Midnight on the weekend. As they are always saying down in Cubsville..."Wait'll next year!"

THIS WEEK on Channel 14

   Tom Makowski, the producer of "Bridges VI" has just finished his tour of the fire stations in Menomonee Falls and with the help of Paul Wickesberg has put together an hour long look at the MFFD.
   Reel Movie Talk with Matt and Paul airs their 10th show this week with Guest Host Nick Stoetzel joining Matt Grennier, while Paul Unger is on vacation.
   The "Concert in the Park" series starts again with the Ellen WInters Group performing at the Village Park Gazebo.
   And for all the preschoolers out there, a new Morning Story highlights some Jungle Animals dancing in our studio.
   The 4th of July Parade will run again this year but we are going to try and put the fireworks on "Live" on July 3rd.

As always....Stay tuned!

As we start the summer season here at Falls Cable Access there will be plenty of entertainment in store for our viewers. We are still short volunteers but are hoping to bring the entire Concert in the Park series to Channel 14 this year. For a list of upcoming dates and times check out the Village Centre Website at http://menomoneefallsdowntown.com/travel.iml?mdl=events.mdl .

We will also be taping the Optimist Indepedence Day Parade on July 3rd.  We are still looking for some help on that day, and if you are in the area on Appleton Ave. across from Nordstrom's Jewelers, stop in our tent and say Hi!

Also on the agenda is Little League Weekend.  A big hit last year, this year we will be running games from the intial 2 seasons of MFLL  Some of the t-ballers are now college graduates and many of the senior players now have t-ballers of their own.  Check the schedule for teams and times on the weekend of June 29th.

For those still looking for info on the stalled Video Competition Legislation, here are some real good sources.
http://www.marshfieldnewsherald.com:80/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070617/CWS0101/706170724/1980

http://www.leadertelegram.com:80/story-sports.asp?id=BD8U9EGR3PM

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=617282

Things are buzzing at the station and an announcement is forthcoming from the school district on future expansion. 

NEW THIS WEEK

Menomonee Falls High School Graduation will air for the next 3 weeks.
Reel Movie Talk with Matt and Paul #9 previews and show #10 promises a guest host. 
Several new Fire Dept videos will be airing along with a Drug Free Workshop held at Village Hall recently.
All of the School District Budget hearings wiill be shown this month.
Several Legislative updates from the WAPC will keep people informed.  Remember to ask your State Representative and State Senator how this bill will affect the future of cable access and cable rates.

As always....Stay Tuned!

By Harry Stoetzel
We're Moving! (not the studio)
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Yes we're moving, to the other side of the screen. "Don't Touch That Dial" is moving from the Blog section of Menomonee Falls Now to its own space on the right side. That way the daily schedule will be available on the first page, and updates to program will be more current. Look for the change in a week or so.

Legislation Update

Many people have been asking about the "Video Competition Legislation" that is held up in the finance committee at this time. There have been many calls from people worried when they hear that the future of cable access is in jeopardy across the country. There have been many offers to help which we really appreciate. The best way to help is to contact you State Representative and State Senators. They need to be aware of all the problems this bill will create for the consumer. They say it will mean better rates, but there is proof of the opposite happening across the country. You will have more choices, but look what that has done to your cell phone bill. And by the way those choices will only be for those who live in close proximity to metro area and in neighborhoods that are more affluent. Unlike the cable companies who were bound by contract and law to provide service to all the community, these new providers will cherry pick who they want to service, and the rest of you will be left with rabbit ears.
Falls Cable Access is not in the same trouble as other centers around the state, as a matter of fact they are listed as one of the couple of centers that will survive this bill. It is starting to have an affect on our financial structure here in the Falls but only in policy right now. There have been some public statements made recently about the new contract with Time Warner that were made without any background information and managed to get it wrong. To set the record straight I'd like to offer a little primer into Cable Access Fees and the legislation.

There are 3 types of income that come from the Cable Provider (Time Warner in Menomonee Falls).
1. PEG fees which are provided in contract negotiations to promote community access and are considered a perk.
2. Franchise Fees which are based on the providers Gross Receipts and are paid to the community for use of the right of ways and roads. This is listed on your bill and all though it looks as if you are paying this fee it is really listed to show what part of the Gross Receipts are coming back to the community. Originally mandated at 5% with 3% going to the village and 2% funding the running of the community access channel.
3. Pass through fees which are usually $0.15 to $0.25 per month added on to your bill. These fees are assessed when a community wants to make a major purchase or project and the cable company is collecting to cover the purchase. This is generally considered a tax but it appears on your bill as Pass Through Fee.
Menomonee Falls has never opted for pass through and our PEG fees were given up front in the contract such as building the studio at the high school. We do have however a 5% franchise fee. Where the legislation has come into play is how these fees may be viewed. Because the arrangement with Time Warner (Originally Metrovision) allowed for the 2% to be paid directly to Falls Cable Access, it was the concern of Falls Cable Access, Village Staff and the attorney negotiating for us that this fee would look like a PEG fee and not a Franchise Fee. Since the new competition bill eliminates PEG fees we run the risk of losing the 2% forever. Because of TIme Warners good relationship with Menomonee Falls the 1 year extension was signed to allow negotiations to go on and the payment arrangements to be changed. This was good foresight by all concerned parties and supported by Falls Cable Access. We still don’t know all of the repercussion this bill will cause, but the general feeling is that Falls Cable Access will continue to grow and provide an avenue of self expression, information and entertainment to the citizens of Menomonee Falls.

There is a lot of new programming this month, so check the schedule above and look for the unveiling of our new website.