Kate, thanks for posting this. Here has been the issue all along; we need to get our stream to the streaming server. There are many ways to do this, but since the district will most likely not make a decision, or use their equipment they say they have, we need to get around the district. It is not illegal for us to stream a public meeting live, but we do need to be granted access to the network.
Since, we won't get a decision in time, we want to show it can be done. Being the building is big and solid; it is really difficult to get Internet access from outside of the building. So we either need to bring Internet access into the building or get the audio outside of the building. Being we don't have any extra money to spend on doing such a thing, we were wondering if anyone wanted to help. I think the easiest way would be getting the audio out through traditional AV equipment or telephone and send it to where we can broadcast the stream, down the road at McDonalds. Another easy way may be a cell phone, but this would eat up many minutes and would require the use of around 2.5 hrs of talk time. While walkie talkies may work, I don't know if they could broadcast for 2.5 hrs.
Another good way would be for someone to allow us to use a cellular data card that we could plug into the laptop to bring our own network (BYON :) )
Anyway, I have the equipment to stream the audio, but I lack the equipment to either bring network in or send the audio out to another place for streaming. What do you think? Any ideas? Any offers of support or equipment? Let’s do this together and show citizens can band together and bring accountability. Let’s show them we can be progressive and use technology to bring more openness. While we may not be able to do this for every meeting ourselves, let’s show them we can do it. What do you think?
posted by chrismyers at 07:26 P.M. EST on Thu Aug 24, 2006 #
Katie the sunshine laws seem like they were written for you.
You should have your website play the "Let the Sunshine" portion of the song Aquarius.
posted by MikeyA at 08:39 P.M. EST on Thu Aug 24, 2006 #
Ooh...I feel just like a flower child....
posted by katie82640 at 09:51 P.M. EST on Thu Aug 24, 2006 #
Ok... here is what you need. 1). A shotgun microphone. If you're looking at capturing sound from 100 ft. away, you're going to need a good shotgun. Check out websites that sell used professional equipment. 2. Some sort of pistol grip for the shotgun. This will cut down on mic handling noise. 3). Something called a Marti. A marti is a professional wireless point-to-point transmitter. You may luck out and find one cheap - or rent one.
If you can't afford a Marti, look into Sprint's large-area network. For (I think) $72.00 per month, you can get wireless broadband you can get connection speeds of 400-500 MB/sec. The Admin building is close enough to city central, I'm pretty sure you could get out no problem. You'd have to talk to a software geek about live streaming software, but I'm willing to bet there is a off the shelf solution for relatively cheap.
Also, it is my experience that if you show up with professional gear, getting a feed from the board is never a problem. Bring a wireless microphone transmitter (a "cube") and a reciever (maybe a couple hundred dollars used). Before you pull out your ghetto shotgun mic, ask the sound tech for a feed. This is what all the tv stations will do.
posted by cameramano at 05:45 A.M. EST on Sat Aug 26, 2006 #
Oh boy - thanks cameramano. Chris? Does this make any sense to you? I hope so! I'm just sitting here with a tic behind my left eye.....
posted by katie82640 at 06:33 P.M. EST on Sat Aug 26, 2006 #
cameramano, thanks for the ideas. Know anywhere we can be loaned this equipment? Our budget is not much, so it would be great to be loaned the equipment. I will be paying out of my own pocket for the streaming server with enough bandwith to handle the projected users as well as the Internet fees at McDonalds, so I am in. Anyone else wanting to pitch in here? I would love to have a sprint card for the evening because that would make it so easy. Contact me here or through e-mail (see profile) if you can help.
While capturing the sound is not the difficult task, it is bringing the network into the building or sending the sound out which is our biggest challenge.
posted by chrismyers at 08:13 P.M. EST on Sat Aug 26, 2006 #
I don't know anyone with equipment to loan. This is really something that the school board itself should be doing.
As a young cameramano, I was involved with broadcasting Bedford Township board of trustees meetings over the local access channel. The board pitched some money in to start the broadcasting program at our high school in return for our broadcasting their meetings. The Trustees understood that the exposure would strengthen their re-election chances by increasing face-recognition.
I will warn you, once the politicos know they are being broadcast, your 2.5 hour meetings will turn into 4-hour affairs. That's what happened in Bedford, where our instructor finally pulled the plug because we were at township hall till 11 pm on school nights.
But that fall-out is for a Bedford Twp. board!
posted by cameramano at 08:52 P.M. EST on Sat Aug 26, 2006 #
Why not have public TV and radio in Toledo do this? They get state and federal funds and are "supported by viewers like you" from the Toledo community. This could be a service they provide to the community for these government funds and their pledge drive donations, instead of having this done by individuals without funding.
The sessions also could be made available on their website for people missing the original broadcast time.
It seems taxpayers have already paid for this.
posted by ferdinand at 10:02 P.M. EST on Thu Sep 07, 2006 #
Where is the presence of all that community television that we were promised in exchange for the cable monopolies? With the roll-out of digital cable, there are now even more channels, so you'd think that ONE could be used to carry such AV events as school board meetings.
posted by GuestZero at 03:47 A.M. EST on Fri Sep 08, 2006 #
Good thought, GuestZero. Why not take advantage of the partnership between WBGSU and WGTE and Buckeye Cable (i.e., the Blade) since they already do their editor's program on Sundays and Fridays? Use the PBS station equipment to record and broadcast on cable, with old programs available on the tv station's websites. All of the organizations, cable through monopoly, PBS through taxes and pledge funding, are already being compensated by taxpayer support, it seems, to do this sort of thing.
Anybody know people at the PBS stations and Buckeye cable (i.e.,Blade) to get this started? It's important for the Toledo kids.
posted by ferdinand at 06:51 A.M. EST on Fri Sep 08, 2006 #
I don't know the answer to that question GZ. I wish that I did. It only makes sense, the smaller communities are able to have cable broadcasts. I just don't have a working knowledge.
Also - what about the equipment that TPS has to record the meetings and the existing wireless system? I've offered to host the web space to post the meetings - and a request was sent to the board. We already paid for the equipment - what's the holdup there?
For a comparison - I called the City Council clerk this week and asked about getting audio from their chamber meetings. The clerk apologized for having to charge me a dollar for the disc. He was as helpful as he could be. So if City Council doesn't have a problem with this nor do the County Commissioners - and Darlene Fisher and Robert Torres are on board - what's with the three hold outs on the school board?
posted by katie82640 at 05:19 P.M. EST on Fri Sep 08, 2006 #
Kate, since you're all over this like white on rice, can you blip Fisher an e-mail and ask simply why a media consortium can't receive standard AV recordings of each public TPS meeting? As you said (and that I recall from postings here), past efforts have already equipped the TPS meeting room with AV recording capability. If all it really takes is to have Fisher arrange to have the vidcam mounted and pointed in the right direction, and to have WGTE (for example) pick up a copy of the tape afterward, then what's the real barrier to getting this done?
I'm supposing that as TPS Board President, Fisher doesn't need to hold a discussion or vote on this kind of thing (hence risking a TALC stonewall). The equipment and infrastructure allegedly already exists, so all she has to do is exert executive authority and see that the remaining procedures are completed. This has already been authorized, right?
There is precedent for this. In Jesse Ventura's books from his Minn. Gov. days, he spoke about what he did when he was made mayor of his town (Brooke Park?). As mayor, he was not able to out-vote the construction mafia that ran the city council, but as mayor he WAS able to televise the meetings on his own authority. Televising the meetings made a lot of difference in that town.
posted by GuestZero at 01:40 A.M. EST on Sat Sep 09, 2006 #
Will do.
posted by katie82640 at 07:37 A.M. EST on Mon Sep 11, 2006 #
No answer to that question yet.
There have been some new developments and looks like some changes in the pipeline.
We're going to hold off on the streaming for the Sept. meeting - just the normal format, I'll record it and put it up on toledopolicitians.
Thanks for the input - it helps
posted by katie82640 at 08:08 P.M. EST on Tue Sep 12, 2006 #
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