“Visionary leaders created CCTV in 1989 to address the fact that Salem is the largest state capital community in the US with no traditional broadcast TV affiliate. Caught between Portland and Eugene, Salem had practically no television presence. Salem was in the Portland media shadow, left behind by commercial TV.
CCTV works every day to fulfill the 1989 vision. CCTV televises and streams Salem City Council, Marion County Commission meetings to expand local government reach into the community. CCTV connects the community to the work of local schools, including music performances and sports events. CCTV trains more than 200 members of our community to create television and web content. Beginning in 2007, CCTV began a video brochure service for local non-profit organizations.
We at CCTV view ourselves as community builders, as an organization working to make greater community connections and to build community image and pride. The video brochures in CCTV’s Non-Profit Center are our primary effort to help service organizations reach more people and expand their funding. To date there are 60 video brochures, spanning organizations from Family Building Blocks to Northwest Human Services to the Willamette Humane Society. Like CCTV, these organizations exist to make a difference in our community.
Salem and Marion County have funded CCTV’s work using resources provided by the cable company, now Comcast, as a part of its compensation to this community for use of the public right of way to conduct its business. While the funding is modest compared to commercial media, our tremendous volunteer base and the modern center at 575 Trade Street have propelled CCTV into a community TV/media center second to none.
Craig Cline, an active and generous member of our community, has written and funded the article below. We see Craig as a partner in helping local non-profit organizations reach further into our community—to promote and fund their work. We agree with Craig that our community is a better place for all of us when our non-profit organizations are strong both now and in the future. ”
Making a BIG Difference on Make a Difference Day
The 25th annual Make A Difference Day takes place this year on Saturday October 22nd. It is the largest national day of community service. Citizens across the land get “hands-on” involved in their own communities with the common mission of improving the lives of others.
We Salem-Keizer and Mid-Willamette Valley citizens can readily find out what “make a difference” types of activities are taking place in our local area.
Boys & Girls Club Salem students learn how to make healthy snacks in Salem Health’s Community Health Education Center (CHEC) kitchen.
One of the easy ways to do so is to simply subscribe to our local newspaper, the Statesman Journal. The staff of the SJ does a fine job of informing us about issues that are very important to virtually all the residents of the entire Mid-Willamette Valley region. Personally, I think that an “investment” in our local newspaper is worth far more than we actually pay for it.
Another easy way to learn about what’s going on around us, especially in regard to our local non-profit organizations, is to tune in to our local CCTV channels. For example, Wendy Brokaw and the staff of CCTV have done a terrific job of creating what is called the “Non-Profit Center” program.
This extraordinary program profiles a number of our local NPOs, so we can easily learn for our-selves what so many of them are doing to sustain and improve the quality of life in our local area.
Wendy provided this explanation of her wide-ranging and enlightening work: “CCTV’s Non-Profit Center is a vital part of our mission to help other non-profit organizations promote their programs and services. The center is a winning formula: a short 3-5 minute video brochure conveying the mission and showcasing one or more services followed by ways to get involved.
Garten Services mentor Shelley Joyce and employee Chris Ringwald track inventory of donated computers.
These videos are shown on CCTV channels 21 and 23, on CCTV’s online Non-Profit Center, and 24/7 on YouTube. CCTV also provides DVDs for use at volunteer orientations, outreach events, annual fundraisers and grant requests. We all win when these important service organizations are connected to our community.”
Did you know that CCTV is itself a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and that its call letters stand for Capital Community Television?
CCTV is true to its mission to “provide COMMUNITY (emphasis added) information through tele-vision… .” Literally “our own” local television medium, CCTV is primarily funded by the City of Salem and Marion County from franchise fees paid by Comcast.
Here are the Services CCTV provides us (taken from its web site: www.cctvsalem.org):
*Community Billboard for individuals and non-profit organizations to publicize meetings and events;
*Live coverage of Salem City Council and Marion County Commissioners’ meetings;
*Live coverage of Salem-Keizer School Board meetings;
*Live coverage of Salem-Keizer Transit Meetings;
*Coverage of Salem-Keizer Schools’ sports and music programs;
*Classes in Camera, Editing and Studio production;
*Equipment and facilities for certified producers;
*Channels 21, 22, and 23 to air television messages.
The web site also lets us take a “Virtual Tour” of CCTV’s facilities and sign up for a “Group Tour” as well.
A group of boys scouts record a PSA in CCTV’s studios.
Please be sure — particularly — to take a look at CCTV’s “Non-Profit Center.” Here’s some of what you’ll find on this segment of the web site:
“Every day, without fanfare, local non-profits work hard to fulfill their missions, from celebrating the arts, sciences and Oregon’s heritage, to meeting the needs of our area’s underserved. But getting the word out to those who need their services, or who want to visit, donate or volunteer, is a constant challenge. CCTV has stepped up to help.
Here you can see what Salem-area non-profits are doing, watch a short video about each, and with one more click go directly to their web site to learn more. The page for each non-profit includes a link to their web site,and a video brochure which provides an overview of their mission and history as well as services and opportunities to help.
CCTV’s goal is to find innovative ways to help non-profits expand their outreach in challenging economic times. CCTV offers the video brochures and web presence as a service to our community.
Willson House Child Development Center, Oregon’s first intergenerational child development program, has children and UMRC residents learning and growing together.
To learn more, contact Wendy Brokaw, CCTV Outreach & Promotion Specialist at (503) 588-2288 ext. 39 or wendy@cctvsalem.org.
Presently, there are about 66 video brochures about our local NPOs that you can view on the “Non-Profit Center” section of CCTV’s web site. Please take a look at them.
Clearly, CCTV is a powerful force of support for our community. We citizens should, in turn, give our personal support to CCTV and the local NPOs that it highlights for us via its video brochure program.
To give meaningful support to our local nonprofits makes common sense. Why? Because the community-oriented human services and other work they do every day is the BEST deal for us taxpayers. NPOs do work that “government” cannot, or should not, do — making the livability and quality of life in our community better than it would otherwise be.
In short, NPOs are the best bang for our buck — a buck that is tax-deductible as a side benefit.
If we citizens significantly increase our personal and business support of our local NPOs as part of our “Make A Difference Day” activities this year, we will be acting to improve the quality of life in our own community.
Chances are that we may also become a role model for the other towns and cities within our great state of Oregon. Ideally, we may even become a role model for the entire United States to follow. Let’s think BIG!
After all, it is logical that if our communities are as strong as they can be, our country will become as strong as it can be.
With this viewpoint, we can even make the case that to support our local NPOs is part of our patriotic duty.
The Salem Police Department records a holiday message for the community during CCTV’s annual Non-Profit Holiday Greetings event.
Let us leave you with a quote by former President Abraham Lincoln: “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”
Today, “Abe” would no doubt expand his vision to include both men and women. They would be proud of the Salem-Keizer community and the community would be proud of them.
We are those men and women. Let’s make President Lincoln’s words ring true for us and OUR community. LET’S DO THIS as part of our Make A Difference Day activities on October 22nd — and beyond.
Thank you for reading what Alan Bushong and Wendy Brokaw, on behalf of our local CCTV, and I have presented here. Please pass our article on by sharing it with your family, friends, and business associates via CCTV’s web site: www.cctvsalem.org.
We also invite all our “local” non-profits (estimated to be about 800!) to please share the article with their staff, board members, and supporters.
The League of Women Voters and CCTV partner on election coverage.
On Make A Difference Day October 22nd, let’s all join together to help create a widespread and ever-growing community-oriented mindset — one that inspires all of us to “Give More More Often” to “our” local NPOs. They are — definitely — among the BEST investments we citizens can make.
Respectfully,
Craig Cline
Alan Bushong
Wendy Brokaw
CCTV and Craig ran a M.A.D.D. article on October 18th, 2015 which is still pertinent to the community's support of our local non-profit organizations. To view that article, click here.
