The sky is the limit as a transformation comes to East Haven Public Television (ETV). The local station is providing new workshops and volunteer opportunities at the newly revamped station.

The station will celebrate a grand re-opening and ribbon cutting at their new studio at 230 Main Street on Saturday, Nov. 19.

"We’re beyond excited to be building a community media center for anyone looking for a creative outlet," said Jay Miles, ETV Board Chair. “At our new location, right on Main Street, we will have our doors open, with tours of the new studio and conversations about exciting digital media opportunities in our new facilities.”

Those opportunities will cover various video and audio production skills and styles with old and new media, including podcasting, live streaming, and digitizing film and other older forms of media. Workshops, either group or one-on-one sessions, will educate registered members of ETV in multi-camera handling and production, headset protocols, video editing, and studio lingo. Miles said he hopes the workshops will allow the station and its staff “demystify” preconceiveid ideas about the capabilities of local television compared to larger broadcasters.

While ETV will continue to cover town meetings and education- and government-related events, the station is looking to move beyond its existing coverage. According to Miles, the station is currently searching for new content to become part of ETV programming.

“We’ve come up with a number things that are above and beyond what most cable access stations have,” the board chair said.

New styles of coverage planned for the refashioned ETV include the recording of live events such as in-studio and on-location musical performances, author talks, and town meetings at community centers. Miles said that ETV would look to be a formal media host for those kinds of coverage, and that the station would be open for a small audience to view live-shot programs in-person.

“If it’s a sports talk show that has a little audience or an antique-style appraisal show, there’s all kinds of things you can do in front of 20 people in our space that get a little more vibrancy. There’s a little more magic in the air when you’ve got a crowd,” said Miles. “It’s going to be a place where I would want to hang out.”

In regards to old and new media, the station will also hold workshops on digital capturing, teaching registered ETV members on the cost-effective process of converting video from older data storage media, including from VHS and DVD formats.

“Everyone's got a box of old tapes at home. Instead of sending it off to one of these places that over-charges you and then forgets to add the sound in, our members can come in and do, or you can hire ETV to do it,” said Miles, adding that the station is in the process of determining rates for the conversion process.

The popularity of podcasting will bring a full recording rig to the new facilities, with the set-up consisting of up to four microphones and video, carving out a spot in the market for creatives and commentators who want to access ETV’s new equipment.

“It really is ETV attempting to be a player and provide resources for people who want to players where the media game is now,” Miles said.

New opportunities in viewership by audiences tuning into ETV also extend to the several town meetings that are in talks to be held in the new studios, a production choice reinforced by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Especially post-pandemic, that’s where the viewership is,” Miles said. “People are kind of, maybe absolutely, looking for their content that. Why should I go to the senior center or the library or town hall to go to a Board of Ed[ucation] meeting when I can watch on my computer or phone? Part of me wishes people were still going if they want to be involved and ask questions. But, the truth is they’re looking for that content digitally.”

A former video production teacher at East Haven High School (EHHS) for 11 years, Miles said the station is also considering hosting media club meetings and teaching sessions for EHHS students. Miles said that in providing greater opportunities for students to explore their interests in a professional environment, he hopes the station will also benefit by learning about the studentgs and they way they use media.

“Anybody under 25 is living in a very, very accelerated, brief social media field. Their TikToks, their Snapchats; there’s as much for ETV to learn from high schools as there is for us to teach them. I think there’s a huge amount of opportunity for sharing our new space and approach with what the students are going to bring to the table as well.”

The grand re-opening ceremony is open to the public and begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. Carfora, members of the Chamber of Commerce, and ETV board members, among others, are expected to be present at the event, which will include an open house tour of the new facilities.

Registration for becoming a member at ETV in order to participate in media workshops and opportunities is available at https://www.easthaven.tv/membership.