LOWER CAPE TV MISSION

Mission Statement

Lower Cape Community Access Television, Inc., is a 501(c)3 corporation focused on local storytelling and community connection.  It includes Lower Cape News, a nonprofit newsroom, ArtsLight, a content initiative shining a light on the region’s creative economy, Coast + Climate, exploring the Cape’s critical environment/economy/climate issues, and LCTVFamily, focused on regional education, health, and wellness. 

 

It also provides free access to video equipment and training for community members, while running public and education access local cable channels 99 and 22 for the towns of Brewster, Eastham, Orleans, Wellfleet, and Truro. 

 

Our activities build engagement and understanding, deepen the economic relationship with seasonal residents and visitors, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. The Cape community can “be here from anywhere” through online and mobile app options, on-demand viewing, digital newsletters, and social media in addition to viewing on local cable. 

 

Lower Cape TV is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, participates in the national NewsMatch campaign, and believes in the model of nonprofit community voice for and about local communities, reporting the under-reported and bringing the national local. It is funded by through the 1984 Cable Act, as well as from grants, donations, underwriting and the generosity of our Cape Connector subscribers.


Why PEG
(Public Education Government) 
& the 1984 Cable Act Matter

• Government transparency 
• Hyperlocal content 
• Easy access to tools and knowledge

Here in Massachusetts we have a strong local access tradition. That means your local community negotiated with Comcast and other providers. The companies pay a portion of revenues generated in your town to support Government, Education and Public content creation and also set aside channels for distributing this local content. In exchange, the companies use taxpayer-owned rights of way and other assets to run their respective businesses.

If you think about, the trade makes sense – it acknowledges the value of our publicly held assets while at the same time helping companies deliver their product to our communities. But the biggest benefit of all is that we have local channels reflecting our local communities!

Your local Public station (channel 99 in each Lower Cape town) creates a place where the regional, local, and hyper-local thrives. If anyone in the community dreams it, they can create it here! The public station lets everyone access video equipment and instruction on how to use it. Plus, its delivers hyper local content you can’t find anywhere else.

Your local Education station (channel 22 in each Lower Cape town) shines light on what happens in our schools. From school committees to school sports to “In the Classrooms” it lets everyone see what schools are doing. It brings production tools to our students, too - inspiring and teaching our next generation how to both create and be wise consumers of information.

Your local Government station (Channel 18 in each Lower Cape town) brings critical transparency to local government activities. You can watch your selectboard, town committees and – of course your annual meeting. Transparency in government brings more involvement and better management for us all! Contact your local town hall for more information about your Channel 18.

In addition, people learn skills at local PEG stations that help their careers, help their businesses, or help them engage in the community. PEG stations employ people and create an economic footprint. They form a vital part of the local heartbeat. They intertwine with the local ecosystem. They help make local communities thrive.

On the Lower Cape, each town runs its own Ch18, the Government station, which focuses on government transparency and records and shares your specific town's governance meetings.

Lower Cape TV helps towns work regionally, and manages the Public station (Ch99) and the Education station (Ch 22) 

WHAT WE DO

• Manage 24/7 operation of cable Channel 99 and Channel 22 for Brewster, Eastham, Orleans, Wellfleet, and Truro.


• Deliver selected local content in multiple formats: on local cable TV, through Vimeo and via smart TVs, through the Lower Cape TV mobile app on iOS and Android, and at http://www.lowercapetv.org, lowercapenews.org, artslight.org, and ch22online.org.


• Produce Lower Cape News and run the Lower Cape News nonprofit newsroom, which delivers local and regional news, features, and public affairs, as well bringing a local lens to state and national level topics.


• Produce ArtsLight, shining a spotlight on the Cape's vibrant creative economy.

 

• Produce speciality reporting on areas of local interest, including Home+School, Coast + Climate, and more.


• Run a full video production studio and fleet of video production equipment for public use.


• Coach, teach, and support people as they create and share a local voice.


• Manage the Mission-based Production Corps, including quarterly PSA days; this initiative helps the region’s large and economically critical nonprofit community share its news and stories.


• Run LCCAT LIVE, which cablecasts selected summer league baseball, as well as delivering live coverage of other key community events.

HOW WE ARE FUNDED

We currently receive baseline funds from the 1984 Cable Act PEG requirements to keep the doors open. We rely on the generosity of donors, underwriters, and sponsors to produce local news, local arts, and closed captioning for all.


FUNDED BY:

• Contracts under the 1984 Cable Act with the towns of Brewster, Eastham, Orleans, Truro and Wellfeet

• Grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council

• Grants from the Filenes Foundation

• NewsMatch funding from the Institute for Nonprofit News

• and the generosity of smaller donations from our CapeConnectors and local businesses







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