Local Station

How to get So Many Books to appear on your local station

1. Contact your local Public Access Station.

Yes, you have one. If you live within the United States, and cable television is available where you live, you have a public access TV Station. It’s mandated by federal law.
How to find it. Your local station will be financed by the cable provider that covers your area. If you don’t find it listed in the phone book or on the internet, contact the cable provider and ask them about it. You do not have to be a cable customer—you just have to live in the viewing area.

2. Tell them you want to “sponsor” a show.

Each station interprets the federal law slightly differently, so they may not use the word “sponsor.” If they need clarification, you want them to air a show that you do not produce.

3. Learn the station’s requirements.

It’s always free. According to federal law, the station cannot charge you any fee and they cannot turn you down, as long as the show falls within federal guidelines for Public Access TV (which it does).
You will have to fill out a form. Every station has their own version of the form, which could be a single page or multiple pages. Since questions vary, I have provided an information page that covers all of the questions I’ve seen so far--it appears at the bottom of this page.
Send or Deliver the form. Each station has its own interpretation of the delivery system. Some will let you fax or email the form, others may want you to walk it in and/or present identification that proves you live in the viewing area.
Renew as needed. You will probably be asked to renew the form periodically. Usually this can be done by mail or email.

4. Find out if the station uses PEGmedia.org.

PEGMedia is a fairly new service, so some stations may not have heard of it. If they ask, it is website that allows Public Access stations and producers to share shows from and to anywhere in the United States. It is 100% free, and a great way to vary content and fill empty time slots.

Producers and/or stations upload their shows to an FTP site. Stations can then download the shows and air them. Whether or not the local station requires a sponsor or not is up to them (many stations have people who will volunteer to sponsor shows).

If they use PEGMedia (or would like to start doing so), they can just go to the list of shows and download episodes of So Many Books.

5. If they do not use PEGMedia, find out the format and delivery method they require.

I only make DVDs. If the station still requires tapes, I do not have the duplication equipment accommodate them. DVD copies are made on DVD-R disks.
Can I mail them? Once the station has accepted the show, they usually will accept disks from me via mail. Occasionally, I find a station that wants them hand delivered by the sponsor. If your station has this requirement, and you are unwilling to make this commitment, I understand. If you are still willing, I will mail the DVDs to you rather than the station.

Note: Making DVD’s is time-consuming and expensive. If the station simply has not tried using PEGMedia, I encourage them to try it before asking for DVD’s.

6. Ask them to contact me directly at toni@toniandrews.com

To make sure they get the shows. I want to make sure that they either
- Are able to get the shows from PegMedia, or…
- That I know where to send the DVD’s.
To tell me when the show will air. I try to keep track of stations and time slots.

Thanks so much for helping me get So Many Books on the air in your neighborhood!

Information for local station forms:

Thank you for agreeing to be the sponsor for your local Public Access Television Station for So Many Books.

Every station has a different form, and a slightly different set of rules, so you probably will not need all of the following information, but I wanted to include everything you might need to fill out the forms or answer their questions.

By federal law, no station can ask you to pay a fee to have this show broadcast. Nor can they refuse to air the show, as long as it falls within public access guidelines (which it does).

Name of show:	So Many Books
Category:	Entertainment
Format:	Talk Show
Content:	Authors discuss their books and their writing process
Time Slot:	30 minutes
Program Length:	Between 28:30 – 29:00 (each marked)
Media:	DVDs
Produced:	Approx 2 new episodes per month
Time slot:	Evenings preferred, but no specific requirements
Suitable for Children:	Yes
Commercial Content:	None, but individual authors’ websites are mentioned, and those sites may have links to sites where books can be purchased. There are never any suggestions or solicitations to buy any books, which are available at public libraries and can be read without purchase.
Disclaimer:	A disclaimer appears at the beginning of each episode, stating that the opinions stated on the show do not necessarily reflect the views of the station or its employees.
Producer:	Toni Andrews
Produced at:	The Community Voice Channel of Bolton, Connecticut (a Comcast public access station)
Producer Contact Info:	Toni Andrews 131 West Shore Road Ellington, CT 06029 860-871-1317 toni@toniandrews.com

Time Slot: If it is not possible to have a regular time slot, using the episodes to fill in at different days and times is fine. But, if a regular time slot is assigned, please inform Toni so she can keep track of this information. Evenings are preferred, but any slot is acceptable.

Additional Episodes: Please determine whether it is acceptable for additional episodes to be mailed to the station as they are produced.

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