A Message from the Interim (one year) President

Harold H. Channer

After the initial (Jan. 2008) meeting when Anna Vitale announced she was stepping down and I was selected for a one year term as interim President I have been giving a great deal of thought to ACAP priorities. To me things look very good for the ACAP organization. Indeed it seems there is the very real likelihood that ACAP might become one of the most important and influential institutions every promulgated on these shores. We are very interested in expanding ACAP membership.

The MAIN question to be addressed:  “What would they be joining and Why?  What if ANYTHING – is UNIQUE about ACAP, and/or Public Access Producers and by extension - The PUBLIC ACCESS CABLE TELEVISION phenomenon - which might gain their attention amid the welter of options on all increasingly limited attention spans now available? That seems to be the number one initial charge of ACAP - in my estimation. The World does not need yet another organization with no effective raison d'etre, truly worthy of the attention of a truly inspired membership.

We have recently had both General Membership Meetings and those of our ACAP Organizing Committee and in the interest of Transparency” we have videotaped those meeting and I include links below.  We will be providing more Video based and written information in the time ahead.  Thank you for your attention and for considering further participation.

Join us and make our voice heard!

John Steinmetz, Joseph Ben-David & Harold Channer (Part 1) (March 12, 2008.)

John Steinmetz, Joseph Ben-David & Harold Channer (Part 2) (March 12, 2008)  

INTERESTED IN DISCOVERING MORE ABOUT WHAT GOES ON AT OUR MEETINGS? 

 CLICK ON LINKS BELOW!  

ACAP General Meeting (Part 1) 03-24-08

ACAP General Meeting (Part 2) - 03-24-08  

ACAP Committee Meeting (Part 1) 04-16-08

ACAP Committee Meeting (Part 2) 04-16-08

ACAP Committee Meeting (Part 3) 04-16-08

Anna Vitale      

Past President of ACAP     

 Producer/Host MINDLIGHT    

a weekly self-empowerment series     

In 1990 I was trained in television production and cablecast my very first program.   I was overjoyed and felt empowered by this new freedom I now had to reach the public free of creative restriction. 

In 1993 a group of public access producers came together at my invitation and The Association of Cable Access Producers, ACAP, was born.  We discovered that when we united we were able to influence other producers and the administrators of public access.   Today we have members across the country and we've discovered that communication is a powerful step towards positive change.

Public access television is being threatened from all sides of the spectrum:  Satellite dish television, cable companies that can't wait to drop public access and increase their income, telephone companies that are moving in on cable companies and our current corporation-friendly government.   

 Just like actors have SAG, and AFTRA to fortify their positions,  ACAP strives to become that unified voice across the country in the cause of protecting our rights to produce television on public access channels.