History of WayCAM
A Brief History of
The Wayland Channel
WayCAM’s origin goes back to1984, when cable television was in its infancy. The Federal Communications Commission, established policies governing cable companies. Among other requirements, the FCC mandated that in exchange for doing business within towns and constructing their network of cables over, under, and beside town roads, the cable companies must give back to the towns. They must provide the towns with a facility or studio for community access programming on Public, Educational, and Governmental Access Channels (PEG Access); they must provide for training of local volunteers for that facility; and must provide personnel to manage it.
The Wayland Board of Selectmen appointed a Cable Advisory Committee, headed by Russ Ashton, to negotiate an agreement between the Town and Continental Cablevision, the company seeking a license to do business in the Town of Wayland. After many meetings a fifteen-year agreement was signed in September, 1985, and thus WayCAM, our local access station was born.
In the early years there was a great deal of contact between officials of Continental Cablevision and volunteers at the 20-odd studios within the network. There was even an annual “Conti Awards” banquet, hosted by Continental, at which, in Tony Awards fashion, stations and volunteers were given awards for best sports coverage (Russ Ashton won top honors one year), best interview show, etc. Continental officials attended these events, and there was much camaraderie and good feeling all round.
Over the years, however, this goal of mutual benefit in a noble joint venture eroded. The heaping bowl of shrimp reduced to potato chips, and then the “Contis” were gone forever. Continental was purchased by MediaOne, which in turn sold the corporation, lock, stock, and local access stations, to AT&T Broadband. By that time the profit motive of the media giants swamped whatever community generosity was left, and now Comcast, the new owner as of 2000, is phasing out its oversight of local access stations.
But, let’s back up a bit.
In 1998, the Wayland Board of Selectmen, knowing the agreement with the cable corporation (AT&T Broadband at the time) would expire in the year 2000, appointed a new Cable Advisory Committee whose function was to negotiate a renewal license on behalf of the Town. In September 2000 a ten-year license was signed.
As part of that agreement, the Board of Selectmen were to designate a non-profit Access Corporation to assume responsibility for “the provision of public, educational, and governmental (“PEG”) programming, facilities and equipment.” In other words, AT&T Broadband turned the public access station over to a local Wayland corporation that assumed those responsibilities on behalf of the Town of Wayland, the Town, however, providing the studio space. AT&T Broadband (and subsequently Comcast) would pay the Town an annual amount for the operation of the station.
The name of this new corporation is the Wayland Community Access and Media Corporation, or WayCAM. The original Board of Directors consisted of three persons appointed by the Board of Selectmen, one by the Superintendent of Schools, and one by the Cable Advisory Committee. Thus, WayCAM, headed by Arnold Kahn, became the administrator of the budget and the overseer of activities of the Wayland Local Access Station. WayCAM has its own set of by-laws and holds monthly meetings of its Board.
The Wayland Channel has one, half-time paid staff person, Jim Mullane, the Station Manager. Volunteers under his direction perform other activities, including planning and producing programs, videotaping town meetings and other events. Over the years many volunteers have been trained at the Wayland studio. They continue to give generously of their time and talents to bring to Wayland viewers programs ranging from live broadcast football games to meetings of Wayland town committees, from taped exercise classes for seniors to interviews with police and fire department officials, from school and community music events to high school graduations.
The educational programs provided by the Wayland Local Access Channel have been a quiet and unheralded service to the Town of Wayland and to its young people. The current Station Manager/Program Director, Jim Mullane, has served the Town in this capacity for eight years and has been an energetic and creative champion of education for young people, with programs for students of all ages.
All of these programs give unique technical training to our young people not only in television production but also in the areas of graphic arts, advertising, electronics, and performing arts. The programs have helped to build self esteem in the students, confidence in their own skills, have inspired creativity and imagination and have enriched their school experience. Currently over 100 students participate in TV production.
The Wayland Channel has served the community of Wayland for nearly 25 years, and we’re looking very positively to the future. We’re currently producing about 30 original programs per month. For a small town, with one full-time employee and a small band of volunteers, that’s a great achievment. As always, we welcome volunteers to help grow and improve the services we provide.
Come join us. It’s easy. Have some fun.
