NDC4 is seeking Independent Contractors to produce LIVE coverage of City Government and School Board meetings for cable TV and web streaming at four City Hall locations in northern Dakota County.

Producers deliver live programs and recorded video files that meet professional audio and video standards for cable TV and internet. Meetings are recorded using a multi-camera system, audio mixers, character generators and third party software to index and web stream content online. While most meetings will originate from a City Hall, occasional meetings will be “virtual,” requiring the Producer to have their own remote Windows- based computer and high-speed internet connection. Meeting lengths vary based on the City’s or School Board’s agenda. Producers in the highest demand for their services are reliable, flexible, responsive to customers, and skilled at troubleshooting technical issues on site in real time.

Interested video producers who meet the Requirements described in this announcement should send a proposal with all of the following: proposed rate, current qualifications and experience, at least two recent customer references, availability Mondays through Wednesdays, and detailed contact information to SEARCH@townsquare.tv. (NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.)

Requirements

• Available to arrive at City Hall locations on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays as early as 4:00 p.m. (two to six meetings per month). City Halls are in Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, and West St. Paul.
• Available to stay for the duration of meetings to complete post-meeting deliverables.
• Possess own Windows-based computer, with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, and a reliable high-speed internet connection.
• Experienced with the following equipment:
• • Multi-camerasystems o Videoswitcher
  • Character Generator
  • Audio mixer/PA system
• Knowledge of city government meeting protocol and procedure is helpful.
• Physically able to move around City Hall and City Council Chambers as needed to work with existing audio/visual system. Physically able to stoop, bend, crawl, walk in tight spaces, if needed.
• Must follow current CDC and MN State guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including wearing a face mask over mouth and nose and social distancing, and any possible local City Hall requirements.

NATOA announces its 2021 eLearning Series. 

Programs include:

For additional event and registration information, visit the NATOA website.

Registration for NATOA 2021 has launched! Next year’s conference will take place September 21 – 23, 2021 on a device near you. In the best interest of our members and our organization, the conference will once again be fully virtual. The NATOA Board of Directors came to the decision to stay virtual based on key tenets of NATOA:

Education: This year’s virtual conference brought you the same in-person, jam-packed educational opportunities but in an environment that enables 1) live and on-demand viewing, 2) more personalized interaction with the experts and 3) archived content that allows for replay at your convenience. Expect that and more in 2021.

Opportunity: Eliminating travel, hotel, transportation and meal costs opens the door for greater member participation. One-third of our conference attendees this year were first-time attendees BECAUSE the conference was virtual. Our mission is to “support and serve” you. Our virtual conference is enabling that outreach.

Availability: Travel budgets have been decimated due to the pandemic – for the foreseeable future. We don’t know when those will bounce back and frankly, we don’t want to risk you missing out on education paramount to your work. Our virtual conference will eliminate unnecessary travel expenses, time away from the office and calendar conflicts. We’re bringing the professional development and networking to your doorstep.

Peace of Mind: Perhaps this isn’t a “key tenet of NATOA,” but it certainly has become paramount to our activities and actions this year. It is questionable when travel will be allowed or even encouraged, not to mention when our comfort levels will be where they once were. The 2021 virtual conference will bring you the interaction, mentoring and networking that we all love but in an environment that mitigates concern and exposure. It’s simply the right thing to do in these times.

While nothing can fully replace the energy of meeting face to face, we look forward to meeting and learning in the best way possible given the current circumstances. We’re in the early stages of planning an unforgettable event and conference registration is open! If you have professional development funds available to use now, register today to guarantee your spot. You won’t want to miss it and we don’t want to miss “seeing” you there.

We’re heading back to Denver for our 2022 conference where we will all be together again, when the time is right.

For additional event and registration information, visit the NATOA website.

Attached is Governor Walz’s “Stay at Home” executive order.  It is extremely comprehensive.  Since California Governor Newsome issued the first of these orders, they have steadily gotten better and more specific.  On page 10 - bullet point h - defines all forms of media as essential.  So you have that - you are officially essential.

Governor Walz indicated that he has been in contact with the Governor of North Dakota and Wisconsin to ensure that what we were doing did not wildly conflict with what Wisconsin had done or North Dakota was about to do.  

Further, Governor Walz indicated that although the duration of the order was for two weeks that was subject to change, and it could be extended for a longer period.  The intent of the Order was to further separate people to slow the spread of the virus.  By doing that, the hope was that collectively the ability to respond would improve.  Meaning, we would have more ICU beds available, we would have more ventilators, masks, and other equipment, and we would be better able to identify who was at risk.  

He said that most of us will get the virus. Many will have no symptoms or mild symptoms, about 15% will need to be hospitalized, and 5% will need to be in the ICU. In other countries like Italy and China, they ran out of ICU beds and people were turned away and thus mortality rates skyrocketed.  By slowing the infection rate, we can better respond by having more equipment and spreading the need for ICU beds.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home.

Join us on Monday, March 16 at 1:00 p.m. and/or Thursday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. to discuss best practices for continuing your PEG operations during the COVID-19 outbreak. Bring your questions and share ideas with the access community here in Minnesota. We hope this forum will be of value to you as we plan to continue our community and public information mission.

As a current MACTA member, you will receive conference call information via email Monday morning. If you are not currently a MACTA member and would like to join the call, please contact me directly for information.

Thank you, and we look forward to talking with you,

Mark Martinez
MACTA President
president@mactamn.com

Brian Wilson Scholarship
Apply by Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 at 5 pm CT

The Brian Wilson Scholarship is an annual offer to provide $1,000 in college financial assistance by the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media, promoting the values of former Board of Directors Chair Brian Wilson. Applicants are individuals currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree granting program in media arts, broadcast journalism, community & public service, government administration, public education administration or teaching. Visit our website to learn more!

Emerging Leaders Scholarship
Apply by Wednesday, April 1st, 2020 at 5 pm CT

In 2019, the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media took the step of investing in future leaders of our field by creating the Emerging Leaders Institute, a two-day intensive training for folks who are new to leadership or are on the cusp of becoming leaders. The Emerging Leaders Scholarship provides Institute registration, full ACM Annual Conference registration, lodging at the conference hotel, and travel assistance to up-and-coming community media leaders. Visit our website to learn more!

We invite you to join us at NATOA’s 40th Annual Conference being held August 31-September 3 in beautiful Denver, Colorado. Together we will ascend the very pinnacle of local government programming and communications policy from our luxurious base camp at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. (Ok, let me take a deep breath, give the mountaineering metaphors a rest and tell you about the plans we are making for a terrific conference.)

The Conference Committee and Colorado Communications and Utility Alliance (CCUA), NATOA’s Colorado Chapter, are planning an agenda that will provide you with useful information that is custom designed for our field. As always, NATOA’s Conference will provide a unique blend of educational sessions, roundtable discussions, networking events, keynote speakers, a tailor-matched exhibit hall with the vendors and consultants that you want to meet, and an exciting video awards event to close out the Conference. Be sure to check out the pre-conference opportunities for additional training opportunities that can be added on for a nominal fee.

On Wednesday we’ll be building in some free time with an opportunity to see a little of Denver prior to our reception at the Denver Athletic Club. Within walking distance of the hotel, you will have an opportunity to visit the nearby, stunning Denver Art Museum; stroll to the bustling 16th St. Mall or take-in the golden domed State Capitol. We will reconvene at the Denver Athletic Club for a fantastic event featuring delicious food, fun and games, plus an outdoor deck overlooking downtown Denver.

If you have time before or after the conference, you can take advantage of Denver’s beautiful mountain setting by hiking at the nation’s highest municipal parks, such as Echo Lake or Summit Lake, or drive all the way to the top of 14,264 ft Mt. Evans.Rocky Mountain National Park is a mere 90-minute drive from our hotel!

If you are staying in Denver after the Conference, join fellow NATOAn’s for a Colorado Rockies baseball game as they host the Cleveland Indians on September 4 at 6:40 pm at Coors Field. Colorado has so much to see and do, we encourage you to take advantage of the time there and the holiday weekend to make the most of your trip.

We look forward to seeing everyone as we hear from experts, learn from our colleagues, and introduce newcomers to the field at NATOA’s Annual Conference in Denver!

Sincerely,

Brian Roberts

MACTA members from across Minnesota gather annually for this powerful event designed to educate legislators on issues impacting community media programming and cable franchise funding. It's important that lawmakers fully understand the issues that are important to us and how they affect our local municipalities and community. 

We’ll begin the day at the League of MN Cities building (free adjacent parking!) at 9 a.m. for a two-hour workshop, then walk over to the capitol complex for meetings with your legislators, lunch, and optional press tour.

At MACTA Day at the Capitol, you will:

We’ll provide you with updates and talking points before you meet with your legislators. All Day at the Capitol experience levels are encouraged to attend. If you do not feel comfortable meeting with your legislators alone, we can team you with seasoned MACTA attendees.

This event is a great opportunity to bring your cameras and microphones to record interviews or short video updates with your legislators for your PEG channels! Show your legislators how the services you provide support our communities and maximize citizen engagement right in their own backyard.

Register today!

2020 NATOA Annual Conference, August 31 - September 3, Denver, CO

Join us in the mile high city for the 2020 NATOA Annual Conference!

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, Denver, CO

For additional information please visit the NATOA website.