PITTSFIELD -- A television crew of about half a
dozen people filmed a girls' soccer game,
circulating around station manager K.J.
Flewelling as he described a vision that will
take WMCI programming to viewers around
the world.While he talked, the crew
members acted largely as a self-directed unit.
Flewelling rarely had to give them instructions,
since they operated fairly efficiently on their
own. Camera operators around the field
changed angles or zoomed into the action at
the commands of the technical director, who
watched their efforts from the crew's mobile
headquarters, a mini-van.
The
smoothness of the operation could almost
hide the fact that all of the crew members
were teenage students who provide the
community service as part of a program at
their school, Maine Central Institute. And the
next step for WMCI will benefit the students,
their parents and the community, Flewelling
said.
"Parents in Korea will be able to see
their kids competing in a soccer match or
performing in a drama program," he said.
"The net is allowing a globalized
community."
Flewelling said streaming
WMCI programming through the Web will
provide a variety of applications. International
or out-of-state students who can't make it
home for the holidays will be able to send
video messages to their families and friends
back home. Recruitment staff members Clint
Williams and Sarah Reeves, who travel the
world over searching for likely students, could
stream video images of MCI sports or other
programs through their cell phones or
personal digital assistants.
All WMCI
programming will become available online, so
viewership will expand from the limits of
Adelphia service to encircle the globe.
Flewelling and his students plan to initiate the
live Web stream in about two weeks. Now, he
is looking for a company that will give them a
higher band width in order to accommodate
more viewers. Flewelling said he would like to
see an upload speed of three to six
megabytes per second.
WMCI
broadcasters cover town meetings, sports,
student-directed comedy programs, debates
and other entertainment. Viewers in Pittsfield,
Palmyra, Canaan, Detroit, St. Albans and
Hartland can tune into cable channel 6.
Flewelling directs and gives the program
vision, but the 20 broadcasting students take
care of almost all of the operations, from
Cynthia Pratt and Dan Terhan, who manage
the Web site, to Matt Houston, who serves as
technical director.
Houston, surrounded by
an array of flickering screens and television
equipment beside the soccer field, juggled a
fragmented conversation about Web
streaming while instructing photographers via
walkie-talkie.
"It's probably going to
encourage a lot of kids to step up the quality
and creativity of their work," he said, sliding his
headset down so it hung around his neck.
"They will be broadcasting all over the
world. It will probably be a lot more work, but it
will be worth it."
Joel Elliott -- 487-3288,
861-9252
jelliott@centralmaine.com
MAINEJOBS
