Channel #653. Can you believe it? Valemount’s community TV station is now being carried on satellite service to customers across BC and Canada.
Why would other Canadians care about Valemount TV? Ask me why I spent 30 minutes watching a low-res square dancing music video on Chetwynd’s community TV station on satellite recently. I really don’t know. It was fascinating and had to be watched.
About 75 per cent of Bell subscribers across the country will get the station if they get the basic package. The remaining 25 per cent of Bell subscribers are on a new packaging structure and will only see VCTV if they live in one of 100-some BC communities, or the surrounding area. Those communities include McBride, Kamloops, and Prince George, among others.
You can imagine the potential we now have for marketing our community via TV. For better or for worse, Valemount is being broadcast to the country.
Now is the time to get involved. Now is the time for us to seize those reins. Already VCTV gets many hits on YouTube – I’ve heard of people who have never been to Valemount watching Valemount Live! marathons. Why? Ask me again why I was watching square dancing from Chetwynd.
There’s something magical in local TV, with its rough edges and spontaneity. It allows the brilliant to shine through because it doesn’t care about the other rough patches. Video quality, sound, content, length – several are allowed to suffer if one is brilliant.
The move of these stations to satellite was part of Bell’s obligation as set out by the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission as a result of the company’s recent expansion. We are one of just seven community TV stations in Canada with the luxury of micro-local programming.
The station is always looking for contributors and volunteers. So what will Valemount do with this opportunity?
