AIRING PROGRAMS

What channel does NOM air on?

Northampton Open Media airs locally in Northampton on Comcast cable channels 12, 15, and 23.

How do I get content aired on Northampton Open Media?

If you are not already a member, you can become a member and sponsor the content yourself. To sponsor the content simply means that a Northampton Open Media member is taking responsibility for the program airing, for indemnifying Northampton Open Media, and for all rights and releases for the show. If you do not wish to become a member you can send the program to us along with an outreach message and we will disseminate that to current membership.  Once your show is filmed, edited, and ready to air, fill out the “Request for Air” form on our website. Please email lwalber@northamptontv.org for more information.

What kinds of things can NOT be aired on Northampton Open Media?

We are a non-profit organization, therefore we cannot show any commercial or advertising related items with a call to action. A call to action is a message that urges viewers of a promotional message to take an immediate action, such as “call now” or “buy now.”  We also cannot show anything with copyrighted video or audio, unless you have received written permission to use them. The program sponsor takes full legal responsibility for all content of the programming they request to air.

Can I advertise my business or service on Northampton Open Media?

No. We are a non-profit organization, so we do not air advertisements. However, we can and do air public service announcements and event announcements given that they are open to the public, not-for-profit, free, or all proceeds benefit a non-profit.

Can I receive financial sponsorship or underwriting for my show?

Please see our section XVI in our Rules and Policies regarding underwriting and grants.

XVI. Underwriting and Grants

1. General Information

1. Northampton Open Media certified producers are encouraged to apply for and receive underwriting or grants that aid in the development, production, distribution, or improvement of programs.
2. Before making any solicitations for program funding, you must meet with Northampton Open Media staff regarding your plans. At that meeting, we will review with you the policies and procedures governing underwriting and grants. The Northampton Open Media name may not be used in connection with any program or solicitation without Northampton Open Media approval.
3. You must explicitly inform all prospective underwriters and/or grantors you are a certified producer acting on your own behalf – not an Northampton Open Media official, and that Northampton Open Media does not assume any responsibility for your program.

1. Grants

1. Northampton Open Media will work with the producers on a case-by-case basis to evaluate the scope of their project and its involvement with Northampton Open Media, Northampton Open Media staff, and Northampton Open Media equipment and facilities.
2. Northampton Open Media will provide a rate sheet and breakout of costs associated with the underwritten project. In this way, the producer can submit this Northampton Open Media authorized form as part of their grant proposal.
3. Funds in the grant budget appropriated for Northampton Open Media will be paid to Northampton Open Media and will not be refunded should the producer fail to meet the terms of the project for which they have received a grant.

1. Underwriting and Donations

1. Support for program production can be in the form of donations of goods or services or sponsorship money in the form of underwriting.
2. 2. Before soliciting any underwriting a producer must meet with Northampton Open Media staff. Northampton Open Media will provide an overview of the regulations regarding underwriting solicitation for programming produced using Northampton Open Media facilities, equipment, or staff. D.

1. Acknowledgement

1. All acknowledgments shall open with “Support for the following program has been provided in part by…” or something substantially similar. Contributors of products services may be acknowledged in the credits with specific references to the type of their donation. For example, “Catering provided by…”
2. Underwriting acknowledgments may include the following: a. Logos and/or corporate slogans, which identify and do not promote; b. Shots of the inside or outside of an underwriter’s business; c. Location and contact information; d. Value neutral descriptions of a product line or service.
3. The following practices convey a commercial impression and are not permitted: a. Qualitative or comparative language or claims; b. Price information; c. Solicitation of direct viewer response of any kind, such as “…. buy one today…”, “…. give us a call at…”, or “…. visit our showroom located at…”.
4. As producer, you have the latitude to establish your own schedule of on-air acknowledgments for specific levels of support, subject to the guidelines above. The variables you have to work with include credit length, type of credit, and frequency. Producers must seek the advice of staff to insure the appropriateness of their acknowledgments.

Where can I see the program schedule and when is it updated?

The program schedule is updated every Friday and can be on our Program Guide.

When and where can I see replays of government meetings?

You can watch replays of government meetings at scheduled rerun times on channel 15 or during the week or by watching them here on our local government YouTube channel.

How do I post an upcoming event to the Northampton Open Media bulletin board?

Simply email press@northamptonopenmedia.org with the event information. The most important things we need are the event name, the date, where it is located, and who can be contacted for further information. Note, because we are a non-profit organization, we cannot display any information about prices.

 

MEMBERSHIP

 

How do I become a member of Northampton Open Media?

Visit the membership page for information regarding membership.

I don’t live in Northampton, can I still be a member?

Yes.

Can I have the membership donation waived?

Yes. Northampton Open Media policies are designed so that anyone can take advantage of all that our studio has to offer without finances creating a barrier to participation. These donations are recommendations, not requirements. You may have a donation waived, reduced, or exchange your volunteer time for it. Please contact us to arrange – 413-587-3550.

What can I do as an Northampton Open Media member?

Northampton Open Media members can volunteer on Northampton Open Media Productions and other Producers’ shoots, vote at the Annual Northampton Open Media Meeting, request air time for programming, and attend classes that we offer in production techniques and equipment use to gain Northampton Open Media Producer status. Once a member is a Producer, they can borrow video production equipment to produce original video content, reserve studio time to produce studio productions, and reserve time in our editing suites. You can read our full Rules and Policies here.

How do I sign up for classes?

Our production classes take place on Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm starting.  The classes we currently offer are Fundamentals of Cinematography, Electronic Field Production with Canon XA-25, DSLR Camera Training,  Panasonic GH4 Training, Audio and Sound Techniques, and Lighting. It is suggested to take them in that order, but it is not required to do so.  After completion of all production courses, you are considered an Northampton Open Media Producer, allowing you free access to our equipment.

Post-production workshops generally take place every other Thursday evening at 7:00 pm.  We currently offer basic trainings to get you started in Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects.

If you cannot make it to a class due to scheduling conflicts, please contact us and we may be able to accommodate.

The intention of all Northampton Open Media equipment use is to create programming for broadcast on Northampton Open Media and to showcase online.   You are required to provide us with a final copy of your productions in exchange for using our equipment and resources.

Who owns the rights to footage or videos I produce with Northampton Open Media equipment?

The Producer owns the copyright to anything produced, filmed, or edited using Northampton Open Media equipment including the right to distribute to other cable systems. Northampton Open Media has the nonexclusive right to distribute on all Northampton Open Media networks over all delivery mediums and make duplicates of the program for fees. If footage or productions produced or edited using Northampton Open Media equipment is at any time sold, rented, or brings in any money to the Producer, Northampton Open Media is entitled to 20% of all moneys received.

Note: Anything creating utilizing Northampton Open Media equipment or facility must be credited on your video as “Produced utilizing community media at Northampton Open Media.”

A note about ownership rights from our Rules & Policies

VII. Media Format and Policy

1. Ownership Rights
2. The copyright for programs produced by Northampton Open Media specifically for regularly scheduled Northampton Open Media programming shall be retained by Northampton Open Media. This includes the right to distribute the program to other cable systems.
3. The copyright for programs produced by Northampton Open Media producers using Northampton Open Media equipment will be retained by the Northampton Open Media Producer. This includes the right to distribute the program to other cable systems. However, Northampton Open Media has the right to make dubs of the program for fees and retains the right for unlimited distribution of the program on an Northampton Open Media network.

 

EQUIPMENT

What equipment does Northampton Open Media have available?

We have lots of high-quality, cutting edge equipment. Please see our “Gear” page for the full listing.

 

How can I reserve equipment, studio time, or an edit station?

Northampton Open Media Members can reserve equipment by logging onto our equipment reservation system, Rueshare. Please note you must have taken the appropriate workshops or completed an equipment test-out to be able to do so.  Northampton Open Media will deny requests that do not follow our rules and policies.

To reserve studio time or an editing station please call us at 413-587-3550. Everything is on a first come, first served basis, so the sooner you reserve, the better. Equipment borrowing is free for Northampton Open Media Members.

 

What editing software does Northampton Open Media utilize?

Northampton Open Media uses Adobe Premiere Creative Cloud edition.

Does Northampton Open Media rent equipment to non-members or members who want to produce content for commercial purposes?

Yes.  Please contact Northampton Open Media at 413-587-3550 for more information.