channelAustin joins Austin neighbors, community organizations, non-profits, and businesses in the 2009 Juneteenth Celebration.

channelAustin, Austin’s digital media center and community television station, will feature 12 hours of continuous programming on cable channel 10 that will include live coverage of the Freedom Run/Walk and Historical Parade in East Austin on June 19.

channelAustin will air this year’s run/walk and parade live on cable channel 10 between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Kenneth Thompson and Natomi Austin, co-hosts of KAZI 88.7 FM’s morning talk show, “The Wake Up Call,” will host the live coverage.

Teenagers from the African-American Men and Boys Harvest Foundation and Skillpoint Alliance participating in one of channelAustin iYouth program’s summer week-long media training camps will work on the production crew with channelAustin staff.

Following the live broadcast, highlights from this year and past Juneteenth celebrations will continue until 10:00 PM.

The Freedom Run/Walk kicks off at 9:30 AM and the Historical Parade follows at 10:00 AM. Both start at Comal St. and MLK Blvd. in East Austin.

The parade will have floats, clowns, bands, and an auto show. It ends at Rosewood Park.

As of June 1, channelAustin's Programming Department is no longer accepting tapes for playback. All Austin producers who submit shows for playback on channels 10, 11, or 16 will need to turn in the programs as digital files. Detailed instructions for digital file technical requirements and file naming conventions can be found here:

Technical Requirements for a Digital File

channelAustin will be closed on July 2, 3, and 4 in observance of the July 4th Holiday.

Thank you very much to everyone who participated in the EXSE Spoken Word Showcase! To all the poets and crew...thank you for sharing your talent and helping us make this one the best one yet! To all the channelAustin Staff...thanks for all your hard work! To Selah Vie, the host, thanks for doing a great job!

The editing of the showcase is finished and ready to premiere! The EXSE Spoken Word Showcase (produced in honor of National Poetry Month) will air tomorrow, Friday, April 24th from 3:30pm-12 midnight on Channel 10.

The Producers Forum held on Saturday, April 18, was a great success. Staff fielded questions from about 20 producers on the pending facility upgrades to our building network and the studios. Please note that we have now posted a Facility Upgrade Timeline and a FAQ on Facility Upgrades. These are linked from the top menu.

April 10, 2009

channelAustin is finally getting its $1,000,000 upgrade. Installation of new cables in the building and studio upgrades will start on Monday, April 13. As part of this work, all equipment in master control and the main studio control room will need to be removed and re-installed.

channelAustin will not go off the air. However, there will be a month-long period when programming will be limited to the playback of pre-recorded programs.
This all means that beginning June 1, and for the month of June, we will not have any live shows from channelAustin studios. It also means that all pre-recorded programs submitted after June 1 will have to be digital files. channelAustin will hold a number of Digital File Delivery Tech Bars for producers who are still delivering programs on tape.

During this period, the program department will make sure that all channels are programmed 24 / 7. All submitted programs will be scheduled within 7 to 21 business days. We are exploring the possibility with the City of establishing remote locations where producers can do live shows and send the signal back to the station through the iNet.

Also, due to the work on the building, there will not be a Summer Series. In addition to the time needed to work on master control and the main studio, there needs to be time for producers to be retrained and recertified in studios. Main Studio, Mini Studio, and the new Micro Studio training will begin in late summer.
In May, the Training Department will start to offer classes on the new HD cameras and other equipment that has arrived in the building, as well as free Tech Bars and forums on the Open Media system and on Creative Commons licensing.

If you have additional questions about any of this, please remember there is a Producers Forum scheduled for Saturday, April 18, at 3:00 PM. The first hour will be an open forum and in the second hour will demonstrate the Open Media system. Space is limited for the forum. If you wish to attend, please register in advance with Producer Services at 478-8600, Ext. 10.

* New Roof *
We are very happy to announce that work on the new roof will begin on Monday, March 23. The construction crew plans to be on site between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday. When weather prevents work during the week, it may be done on Saturdays. We will do our best to keep you informed if this occurs.
We are told there will be a great deal of noise with the construction on the roof and the weatherproofing work so channelAustin will not schedule use of the studios during this time. Construction is expected to last at least through the end of May.

* Producers Forum *

Out of respect for board secretary Cathy Beaudoin, the Board of Directors has canceled its meeting scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 26, at 6:30 PM.

channelAustin is seeking a well-qualified individual to fill a Training Specialist position.

For details see channelAustin employment opportunities.