Background on Center for Community Access Television (Amherst, Mass.)
The Center for Community Access Television (CCATV) was established in 1976 as an outgrowth of meetings initiated one year earlier by the town's Cable Advisory Committee, a group comprised of students from the University of Massachusetts and community members. In 1977, CCATV opened its studio in downtown Amherst, Massachusetts after the town and local cable company agreed to a joint approach to public access. CCATV volunteers operated facilities for equipment access, training, production, and cablecasting while the cable company provided basic equipment and a small stipend.
Guided by its mission to develop and promote cultural, literary, charitable, educational and public affairs programming, CCATV began teaching formal workshops on video production to interested community members. Limited special programming was shown on a shared channel before 1978 with continuous programming initiated on March 12, 1978 on Channel 3. Programs aired weekday evenings, with the Community Calendar and Job Board, funded by local businesses, broadcast at all other times.
In 1982 and 1985, negotiations with the cable company and refranchising resulted in the hiring of a professional director and paid staff as well as the acquisition of operating funds and additional equipment.
In 1989, CCATV was renamed Amherst Community Television (ACT).
Scope of collection
By-laws, articles of organization, organizational histories, annual reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, program schedules, subject files, brochures, handbills, news clippings, and materials relating to a proposed merger with University of Massachusetts Cable Vision. Subject files include handbills and newsletters from other public access television organizations, conference materials, and news clippings.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into two series:
Inventory
Series 1. Administrative
1975-1989, n.d.
Agreements Between the Town of Amherst and CCATV at Amherst, Inc.
1985, 1986, n.d.
Box 1: 1
Announcements
1978, 1981, 1988, n.d.
Box 1: 2
Annual Reports
1980, n.d.
Box 1: 3
Articles of Organization
1985
Box 1: 4
Brochures and Handouts
1989, n.d.
Box 1: 5
Correspondence
1979-1985, 1988
Box 1: 7
History of Public Access in Amherst
1975-1977
Box 1: 8
Income, Analysis of Anticipated
1986
Box 1: 9
Meetings
1975, 1986, 1988
Box 1: 10
Newsclips
1975, 1981-1989, n.d.
Box 1: 12
Notes
1982, 1987, n.d.
Box 1: 13
Program Schedules
1982
Box 1: 14
Proposal for October Work
n.d.
Box 1: 15
Times Mirror - Cable T.V. of Pioneer Valley and CCATV
1983, 1985
Box 1: 16
University of Massachusetts Cable Vision - Correspondence
1980-1981
Box 1: 17
University of Massachusetts Cable Vision - Proposals
1980-1981
Box 1: 18
University of Massachusetts Cable Vision - "The Wired Campus:..."
1976
Box 1: 19
Series 2. Subject files
1973-1988, n.d.
Access Flyers
1980-1987
Box 1: 20
Access Flyers
n.d.
Box 1: 21
Access Flyers - Channel 8
1981, 1984
Box 1: 22
Access Flyers - Fayetteville (open channel)
1984-1988
Box 1: 23
Access Flyers - N.F.L.C.P.
1984
Box 1: 24
Access Flyers - Public Access Center (PAC)
1984
Box 1: 25
Access Flyers - Springfield Community Network
n.d.
Box 1: 26
Articles, Magazine
1981-1985
Box 1: 27
"Cable Television: Citizen Participation After the Franchise"
1973
Box 1: 28
"Channel" - Community Programming Newsletter, Mass. Cable T.V. Commission
1982-1983
Box 1: 29
Conferences
1983, 1984, 1987, n.d.
Box 1: 30
Operating Rules for Access Channels and Use of Equipment
n.d.
Box 1: 31
Public Access T.V. - Newsclips
1982, 1986-1988
Box 1: 32
Administrative information
Search terms
Subjects
- Amherst (Mass.)--Intellectual life--20th century.
- Cable television--Massachusetts--Amherst--History--Sources.
- Center for Community Access Television (Amherst, Mass.)--Archives.
- Public-access television--Massachusetts--Amherst--History--Sources.
- Television programs--Massachusetts--Amherst--History--Sources.
Contributors
- Center for Community Access Television (Amherst, Mass.) [main entry]
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