HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-AOC 2026-04-07
Minutes, Access Oversight Committee (AOC)
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 5 PM (as approved May 5, 2026)
Town of Ithaca Hall, Aurora Conference Room
215 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY
Present: chair Rich DePaolo, vice chair Wies van Leuken, secretary Wayles Browne, City of
Ithaca Common Council liaison Pat Sewell, member Troy Parish; by Zoom: Glenn Foster (studio
manager), Hanna Walier (Director, Government Affairs, Charter).
01. Call to Order by DePaolo, 5:00.
02. Agenda Additions and/or Deletions:
7i. PEG programs listed in channel guide
7j. Cost estimate fiber link studio to head end
03. Public Comments: none.
04. Comments by AOC members: none.
05. Approval of the Minutes of the February 3, 2026 Meeting. Moved by DePaolo,
seconded by van Leuken, approved 4-0 without change.
06. Access Studio Coordinator Report (attached).
Foster to DePaolo: "short" visit in the report means 15 or 20 minutes. Only bring in the
items needed for production, other things can be left in the entryway.
DePaolo: what are Charter's concerns about letting other persons return equipment?
Foster: Charter would want to know if a borrower is certified to use the equipment.
DePaolo points out that a producer borrowing a piece of equipment is taking full
responsibility for it, no matter who brings it back. Is this a real problem? Walier: If you're
comfortable putting all responsibility on the producer, then OK. Van Leuken: page 19 of
the Manual (the PEGASYS Producer Responsibility Agreement) covers responsibility: "I
accept...." But we could add "or in the possession of someone transporting it." Foster:
Page 26, the Field Equipment Reservation form, could have such a clause. DePaolo to
Walier: would rather have AOC write the wording. I will work on the language.
On uploading shows via the new uploading system Dropbox: producers are OK with it.
Van Leuken found it was very slow when uploading more than one document. Foster: I
am able to upload multiple documents. May depend on your internet-provider's speed.
6a. 2027 Budget Recommendations
AOC agreed to purchase the equipment recommended by Charter for 2027, with 2026
budget contingency monies instead. Foster was asked about the listed equipment.
Foster: the Mac is useful for some producers who use Macs (Foster himself does).
There won't be an issue with SD cards. DePaolo: favors Final Cut (it's an Apple-only
editing program). Foster: we're not getting rid of existing editing programs. DePaolo
wonders about the need for lights; how much is left in contingency? Van Leuken: about
$19K total; we authorized $14K last year for 2026. Van Leuken suggests buying one
light rather than two.
Foster to DePaolo: the camera is a field camera; I will teach producers on its use.
DePaolo: Producer Tom Stern requests 2 items to replace wireless mike kits that are no
longer reliable (at $300 each). Foster: Mike kits don't go out often; I did test them and
found no issues. What Stern asks for is similar to what we have. DePaolo: B&H has
them for $160. But let's verify existing mikes before buying any; ask Stern to come and
test them. Or we could ask him to come to the next AOC meeting (van Leuken will write
to him). Foster: believes cost doesn't include tax and shipping. DePaolo: let's authorize
$4,000.00. AOC revises the list of wanted equipment to provide 1 light: it now reads
Browne moved and van Leuken seconded a resolution to approved equipment
purchases using the 2026 budget contingency.
WHEREAS, the Access Oversight Committee (AOC)’s 2025 Budget includes a contingency of
$14,000.00 to purchase equipment as needed for the functioning of Public, Educational and
Governmental access operations; and
WHEREAS this budget was subsequently approved by the participating municipalities
(City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights); and
WHEREAS, there is a need to replace and update miscellaneous equipment; now
therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the AOC approves the use of the 2026 Budget Contingency for the
purchase of equipment specified in the attached budget, in an amount not to exceed
$4,000.00.
BUDGET
Item Qty Cost
Apple 24" iMac with M4 Chip 1 $1,699.00
Final Cut Pro X 1 $ 299.99
Genaray LED Fresnel 1 $ 598.00
AC Works 1ft NEMA L5-20P to NEMA 5-20R 20 2 $ 27.99
DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo 1 $ 669.00
TOTAL $3,293.98
Approved unanimously.
07. Member Reports
a. 2027 Equipment Budget - Resolution.
AOC decides on a $15,000.00 contingency. Browne moved and DePaolo seconded a
resolution to approve the AOC's 2027 Budget recommendations
WHEREAS, Section 15.12 of the Franchise Agreement of January 2003 between the
City of Ithaca and the franchisee Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse
Partnership (TWC) (“Franchise Agreement”), subsequently assigned to Charter
Communications, Inc. d/b/a Spectrum Networks (Charter) after Charter's 2016
acquisition of TWC, requires the participating municipalities (City of Ithaca, Town of
Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights) to provide the franchisee with an annual written
budget for Public, Educational and Governmental access operations (PEG) by June 30
of each calendar year; and
WHEREAS, Section 15.12 of the Franchise Agreement requires that Charter directs
PEG Access Staff to provide the Access Oversight Committee (AOC) with budget
recommendations for the following year by April 30; and
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca's Ordinance #2003-17, Par 18-4-G, requires the Access
Oversight Committee (AOC) to provide the Participating Municipalities with a
recommended budget for the following year by May 31; and
WHEREAS, the Franchise Agreement authorizes Charter to collect $0.15 per subscriber
per month to be used for the purchase of PEG equipment and facilities; and
WHEREAS, the AOC has reviewed PEG’s current equipment and anticipates that new
or replacement equipment will likely be needed in the future; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the AOC recommends a $15,000.00 contingency to purchase
equipment as needed for the functioning of PEG operations, pending receipt and AOC
approval of line-item estimates, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the AOC forwards its recommendations for approval by the Common
Council of the City of Ithaca, the Town of Ithaca Board and the Village of Cayuga
Heights Board of Trustees, so that they may meet their obligation to provide Charter
Communications with an annual written budget for Public, Educational and
Governmental access operations no later than June 30, 2026.
Approved unanimously.
DePaolo will send this resolution to Sewell (for Common Council), the Town Board and
to Charter. Van Leuken will take it to the Village board. The resolution must be voted
on by the participating municipalities and their decision reported to Charter by June
30th.
b. PEGASYS Policies and Procedures Manual - Review Charter's Comments. See
under 06.
c. Terms Committee Members. Sewell: the City's webpages are being updated. The City
Clerk's office prefers not to list term expiration dates - but has it available upon request.
AOC suggests that they should say explicitly when each committee member's term
ends.
d. Tompkins County's Cablecasting Problems - Report. DePaolo has not found a
transmitter that would be the right frequency; there's nothing more he can do. Has the
County (Robert Henry) reached out to Charter? We don't know. DePaolo will speak to
Henry.
Van Leuken: channel 15 is still low volume. She asks members to watch the channels
from time to time to check on the quality.
e. Common Council meetings on Government Channel 15 - Report. DePaolo: senior
citizens may prefer watching them on TV rather than on YouTube.
f. Publicity of PEGASYS. Browne hands out a few copies of the brochure. DePaolo will
generate some more. Next meeting: discuss ideas for publicity.
g. Outreach Committee - Report. Attached: Fact sheet on 2026 PEGASYS Awards. Van
Leuken reports on them: they were held March 6 and enjoyed by all. Sewell and Parish
represented the AOC, the first time Common Council was represented at the Awards.
For next year: financing needs to be worked on.
h. Contact Information for other PEG Studios in New York State. DePaolo has not found
any info; will ask Manhattan Neighborhood Network (there are also Bronx, Brooklyn,
Queens ... networks).
i. PEG programs listed in channel guide
Walier had asked to add this item to the agenda: AOC had asked for a cost estimate for
adding a listing to the channel guide. Charter needs to ask the guide provider
"Gracenote" about listing the individual programs being shown. She will have Gracenote
reach out to DePaolo.
j. Cost estimate fiber link studio to head end
DePaolo asks Walier about a cost estimate for running a fiber link from the head end to
and from the PEG studio. She's now looking into it. DePaolo will review Franchise
Agreement on who should pay for it.
08. Old Business
a. Streaming Channel 13. Troy should contact Rhys Finch at Ithaca College (or Rob
Gearhart, also at IC, a former AOC member) to ask if ICTV has any interest in
streaming Channel 13.
09. New Business: none.
10. Next meeting: 5 pm, Tuesday, May 5.
11. Adjournment 6:35.
Authority: City of Ithaca code Chapter 18, "Cable Access Oversight Committee". Adopted by the
Common Council of the City of Ithaca 11-5-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-17. Available at
https://ecode360.com/8386207. Page on the City website: https://www.cityofithacany.gov/369/Cable-
Access-Oversight-Committee [new web domain for the City].
Contact information for AOC members:
City of Ithaca: Wayles Browne, secretary <ewb2@cornell.edu>.
City of Ithaca: Common Council liaison 2026- Pat Sewell <psewell@cityofithaca.org>.
City of Ithaca: Troy J. Parish <parishtroy7@gmail.com>.
Town of Ithaca: Rich DePaolo, chair <RDePaolo@town.ithaca.ny.us>, <rd@richdepaolo.com>.
Village of Cayuga Heights: Wies van Leuken, vice chair <pmv4@cornell.edu>.
Web site for the PEGASYS Community Media Center studio, with program schedules:
https://pegasys.webstarts.com/index.html or https://pegasys.yourwebsitespace.com/
studio location: 612 West Green Street, Ithaca, New York
mailing address: 519 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Fact List for 2026 PEGASYS Awards for Cablecasting Excellence 2/28/26
PEGASYS Awards Ceremony: Roy H. Park School of Communications Auditorium,
Ithaca College, 953 Danby Road, Friday, March 6, 2026, Doors Open 7:00 PM,
Event Starts 7:30 p.m.
First Peggy Awards were held in 1985. They were held every year at PEGASYS until Covid
stopped us, 2021 - 2024; resumed in 2025 at Ithaca College.
Lauren Stefanelli hosted the Awards from 1988 - 2020 at PEGASYS.
THANKS to the 3 independent Judges
#1 Rhys Finch, Ithaca College Manager of Television & Radio Operations
#2 Alex Wiers, former PEGASYS Studio Coordinator
#3 Lauren Stefanelli, former PEGASYS Studio Coordinator
--- copies of judging scores and comments are available upon request
- Trophy Maker: "Trophies by Specialty Trophy & Awards"
---- please thank her for giving us a special deal again this year
and include a credit in the TV program
- AND the IC Technical Crew
Winning programs will be cablecast on Channel 13 as part of the series "PEGASYS Awards"
on Tuesday at 7:30 PM, Thursday at 6 PM, Sundays at 7:30 AM in the upcoming weeks.
Total Entries: 30; 16 for public access & 14 for educational access
10 AWARDS to winners in the following Categories:
1. Studio Production/Public Access
2. Field production/Public Access
3. Entertainment/Short Subject/Music Video/Public Access
Sports/Public Access - due to insufficient number of entries
4. Studio Production/Ithaca College
Field production/Ithaca College - due to insufficient number of entries
5. Entertainment/Short Subject/Music Video/Ithaca College
6. Sports/Game Show/Ithaca College
7. Judge's Choice Award for Public Access
8. Judge's Choice Award for Educational Access
9. Bryan VanCampen Memorial Award for the best Entertainment Program
10. Lifetime Achievement Award
Organizers: Members of the Outreach Sub-Committee of the City of Ithaca's Access Oversight
Committee: Wies van Leuken and Paul Smith AND of Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of
Communications: Rhys Finch, Romeo Maslin and Paul Stanion
ENTRIES AND WINNERS
PUBLIC ACCESS/PEGASYS/CHANNEL 13
Category 1. Studio Production (includes former Category 4. Sports/Game Show)
Entries:
13-1 William Metro, Political Point Magazine
"Political Point Magazine" is a conservative republican political TV show that expresses the
conservative republican view.
13-2 Tom Stern, Ithaca Politics-Perspectives on Ukraine
This Series' segment focuses on Ukrainian refugees that have settled in our area and the challenges
they face in leaving their home country and resettling in another one and local support they are
receiving.
13-3 Bill McGill, Gut Bucket
"GutBucket promotes Academics and Sports, physical fitness and all the elements that promote our
Democracy, Locally, Nationally and Worldwide.
13-4 Scott Van Etten, Up the Court, Down the Field
“Up the Court, Down the Field” is a sports commentary show that expresses my love for sports. This
program presents the “Special Olympics New York” held in Ithaca in 2025.
Winner
13-2 Tom Stern, Ithaca Politics - Perspectives on Ukraine
Certificates: Zolan Stern and Allen Abrahams
Program Details: A significant number of refugees from the war in Ukraine have settled into the Ithaca
area. This segment of Ithaca Politics is intended to highlight the challenges people face in leaving their
home country and resettling in another country. We hear from the Mayor of Ithaca and his commitment
to providing sanctuary to Ukrainians, a representative of Ithaca Welcomes Refugees to discuss how a
community comes together to support recent arrivals from Ukraine and other countries, and a panel
discussion from local scholars on the geo political aspects of the Ukraine war.
Category 2. Field Production/Documentary
Entries:
13-5 John Weiss, Unity With Ukraine
“Unity with Ukraine” is about war-time Ukraine. This program features an interview with Ukrainians
Krystina and Sofia Golovakova who now make their home in Ithaca, NY.
13-6. Theresa Alt, Ithaca DSA Presents
“Ithaca DSA presents” is a program about progressive political issues. This episode features an interview
with Hannah Shvets and Jorge DeFendini - now City of Ithaca Common Council members - about
pressing issues for the City in the upcoming years.
13-7 Tony Ingraham, Walk in the Park
"Walk in the Park" has been a PEGASYS series from about 2012. In this episode, Josh Teeter of the
Finger Lakes State Park Region, gave a presentation called “The Care and Growth of Our Parks” at the
History Center of Tompkins County.
13-8 Wies van Leuken, Over the Shoulder - Remembering Maya Angelou
"Over the Shoulder" is a public interest program. This episode features a recent "Annual Day of
Remembrance of Maya Angelou", in Stamps, Arkansas, where Dr. Angelou spent her youth as described
in her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".
13-9 Martha Taranto, Theodora's Community Cauldron
"Theodora’s Community Cauldron” is a show to show that cooking is fun and easy to do. It is filmed in the
producer's own kitchen right in downtown Ithaca.
13-10 Andy Finkle, Ithaca Arts and Media
"Ithaca Arts and Media" showcases the art and artists of Ithaca, NY and its surrounding area.
Winner
13-9 Martha Taranto, Theodora's Community Cauldron
URL: https://youtu.be/XNETX8_l9l8d (12:40)
Certificates: Sean Taranto
Support Paragraph: My goal for this program is to show that cooking is fun and easy to do. I teach a
basic recipe and then show how many varieties are possible when you have those basics under your belt.
I am filming this series in my own kitchen right in downtown Ithaca, and I use simple kitchen utensils
found in most kitchens.
Category 3. Entertainment/Short Subject/Music Video
Entries:
13-11 Tony Ingraham, The Treman Show: Walk on the Bottom of the Sea
This series of short videos illustrates and interprets the natural and cultural history of Robert H. Treman
State Park and other parks and preserves in the Ithaca and Tompkins County area.
13-12 Wies van Leuken, Homemade Jams: the Soular Experience
When Jurden Alexander moved back home to Arkansas, he continued filming music concerts as he had
been doing at PEGASYS since 2003. After editing his footage, I can now present music from the
southern states to an Ithaca audience.
13-13 Wies van Leuken, Postcard From McNeil AR: Big Boy #4014
This short video shows a maintenance stop of locomotive Big Boy #4014 as it was passing through
southern Arkansas. It is one of 8 surviving locomotives of its kind and the only one still in operating
condition.
13-14 First Unitarian Society of Ithaca, Reflections on the New Year
The First Unitarian Society of Ithaca cablecasts its programs on Channel 13 to share its Sunday services
with shut-ins and all other residents of Tompkins County.
13-15. Andy Finkle, E.L. Show
"E.L. Show” is for people of all ages and creates a whimsical world where a strange little monster can
share their art.
13-16. Paul Smith, From this Bed
Song writer Ken Pardee and I shot this in about an hour in the PEGASYS studio in July 2025.
Winner
13-15. Andy Finkle, E.L. Show
Certificates: Matthew Pickard, Microbes Mostly, Ike Finkle, Zev Finkle, Mutt Rogers
Support Paragraph: “This show attempts to create a whimsical world where a strange little monster can
share their art. Viewers are treated to cartoons and music videos. When possible, videos from local
artist area featured. Viewers are invited to share their art work. This show is not made for children, but
strives to be appropriate for any age.
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS/PARKS SCHOOL/IC/CHANNEL 16
Category 1. Studio Production
Entries:
16-1 Mathew Telyczka, Grace Krug, Angel Pandey, Business Central
"Business Central" delivers news about financial markets, provides coverage of local Ithaca startups or
projects and highlights student entrepreneurs who run their own businesses.
16-2 Nash Carlisto, Jack Bradway, Katherine Kummerer, Evening in America
"Evening in America" is ICTV's premier political show, covering local, national, and international political
news. It is the only political TV news show in the Ithaca area.
16-3 Luka Palomaki, Trey Nitza, Isaiah Flowers, Good Day Ithaca
"Good Day Ithaca" is ICTV’s only morning news show. Our goal is to provide an accessible and
lighthearted source of international, national, sports, entertainment, and weather news.
16-4 Christopher Bach, Athena Karavousanos, Alyssa Hurd, Sammy McFaul, Looped In!
"Looped In!" is ICTV’s only entertainment news show. We cover TV and Film, Music, Award Shows,
Fashion, and Theatre news along with everything else pop culture.
16-5 Luke Johnson, Matthew Dean, Sarah Cochi, The Directors Chair
"The Directors Chair" acknowledges successful Park students and provides other filmmakers with
resources and inspiration to help make them produce content that they are proud of.
Winner
16-2 Nash Carlisto, Jack Bradway, Katherine Kummerer, Evening in America
Certificates: same as producers
Support Paragraph: This show was created in the fall of 2024 and is ICTV's premier political show. We
cover local, national, and international political news. A group of dedicated students produce this show
every week to keep our community informed. Our anchors deliver breaking stories, dive into the
significance of current events, and even bring in local politicians for interviews or cover local events in
the area. Our goal is always to inform the people of Ithaca and beyond of what is going on in the world
around them, especially as this is the only political television show in the Ithaca area
Category 3. Entertainment/Short Subject/Music Video
Entries:
16-6 Sabrina Layman, Sofia Soto, Logan Thompson, Ethan Wilson, Sam Zaslow-Braverman,
First Years
First-Years is a show about loneliness, and about feeling out of one’s element. It serves to resonate
with anyone who has ever felt lonely.
16-7 Anthony DeSando, Sophia Spring, Noah Robinson, Payton Adams, After Hours
"After Hours" builds meaning and community off of laughter with a lighthearted and playful core, providing
joy to both viewers of the show and the crew members working on it.
16-8 Ariel Alania, Riley Cassidy, Sam Shay, Charlotte Caucci, Fake Out
"Fake Out" is ICTV’s longest running game show. One guesser is challenged with three rounds of unique
liars to figure out which of the liar’s statements is true.
16-9 Nick Polisi, Alex Siegelson, Lauren Fonseca, Cooper Visco, ICTV Holiday Special
"ICTV Holiday Special" was a large-scale live production that took several weeks to plan. It included 3 live
musical acts and united into a single cablecast Ithaca College Television's entertainment, sports, and
news teams and much more.
16-10 Sam Weisel, Morgan Moracco, Kirin Patient, Roommate Rumble
"Roommate Rumble" is a gameshow that has pairs of roommates compete against other pairs or
roommates.
Winner
16-9 Nick Polisi, Alex Siegelson, Lauren Fonseca, Cooper Visco,
ICTV Holiday Special
Certificates: same as producers
Support Paragraph: The ICTV Holiday Special was a large-scale live production that took several
weeks to plan. The broadcast gained over 200 viewers on our YouTube channel and many more on our
local public access channel 16 in Ithaca, NY. For this production, I was the Technical Producer,
alongside Alex Siegelson, who was our Music Technical Producer, Cooper Visco, and Lauren Fonseca,
who were both Content Producers. Together, we worked hard to bring together just about everyone
from content producers of other shows to talent and studio engineers from all the productions at Ithaca
College Television. The show utilized two full broadcast studios, each with 4 cameras and one with a Jib
camera. One studio featuring the hosts and guest segments, and a second dedicated to live musical
performances. The broadcast included three live musical acts (two full bands and one solo artist),
requiring the audio team to work efficiently under tight time constraints to set up, strike, and transition
between performances in real time while managing over 10 microphones. A key goal of the special was
to unite the various departments of Ithaca College Television (entertainment, sports, and news) and the
Roy H. Park School into a single broadcast. This was achieved through coordinating the creation of
original content and collaborative segments, such as the sports debate show Hold That Thought,
appearing on the show debating the best holiday song, and the business news program Business
Central discussing seasonal consumer deals. In addition to live studio segments, the special featured
multiple community-based original pre-produced packages from reporters covering local holiday events
and activities throughout the Ithaca area. In addition to these packages, we had a team creating social
media content throughout the broadcast for our main Instagram and Facebook ICTV 607. We were able
to utilize Mevos, which were placed behind the scenes in various places, to capture our crew of over 65
people working on this broadcast. This footage and all of the packages were uploaded to our YouTube
channel ICTV 607 playlist, so they can be easily shared with the community. From set decoration to
intense segment planning to creating a complete graphic package for this broadcast, we learned so
much from this production. Overall, this show brought together the station’s diverse teams and
programming into a unified large-scale live event.
Category 4. Sports/Game Show
Entries:
16-11 Katelyn Smith, Justin Antonucci, Hannah Broxmeyer, Bombers Live
"Bombers Live" is a play-by-play coverage of IC football home games, plus pregame, halftime, and
postgame shows.
16-12 Billy Wood, Ryan Collins, Lauren Fonseca, Abbey Kopacz, Hold that Thought
"Hold That Thought" is a sports debate show that pits three debaters against each other to talk through a
variety of sports topics. HTT is a staple at ICTV.
16-13 Dominick D'Anna, Colin Martin, Connor Smith, Zach Vogel, Next Player Up
"Next Player Up" is a sports debate show that covers collegiate and professional sports. It is the only
sports show in the area that interviews a new athlete every week.
16.14 Ted Dougherty, Kyle Calafa, Gabe Harris, Payton Fisch, Sports Final
"Sports Final" is a weekly live sports show that covers Ithaca and Cornell Athletics while also reporting on
other local, high school, and professional sports teams.
Winner
16.14 Ted Dougherty, Kyle Caiafa, Gabe Harris, Payton Fisch, Sports Final
Certificates: same as producers
Support Paragraph: Sports Final is a weekly live sports show that covers Ithaca and Cornell Athletics
while also reporting on other local, high school, and professional sports teams.
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD for the best Public Access show
Winner: 13-9 Martha Taranto, Theodora's Community Cauldron
Certificates: Sean Taranto
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD for the best Educational Access show
Winner: 16-9 Nick Polisi, Alex Siegelson, Lauren Fonseca, Cooper Visco
ICTV Holiday Special
Certificates: same as producers
BRYAN VANCAMPEN MEMORIAL AWARD
for the best in Entertainment/Arts/Cultural public access programming.
Winner
13-15. Andy Finkle, E.L. Show
Certificates: Matthew Pickard, Microbes Mostly, Ike Finkle, Zev Finkle, Mutt Rogers
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Winner
Tony Ingraham for his programs like "Walk in the Park" and all his many other contributions to
community access TV in Tompkins County
Support Paragraph: Walk in the Park has been a PEGASYS series from about 2012. I had a 24-year
career in charge of environmental education for the Finger Lakes State Park Region, working out of
Taughannock Falls State Park. My goals for the program include educating our local audience about the
natural and cultural history of parks, mostly local but also beyond. I am also the current president of the
Friendship of Robert H. Treman State Park.
END