By Rene Thompson, Staff Reporter
U-Public changing the face of Albuquerque Public Access Television
Students with an urge to try their hand at working in television can learn the ropes through U-public, the operators of Albuquerque’s Public Access channels.
The non-profit organization offers classes through meetup.com/upublicans which range in price from free to $10 and teach things like how to develop a show concept, how to use production and recording equipment and how to make money through programming, said U-public Director Toby Younis.
The program has offered 75 classes and trained 138 volunteers since July 2012, and has 35 more classes in the works, he said.
Since U-Public began operating channels 17, 26 and 27 in the city, it has offered seven in-house productions and 18 independent productions. More than 30 more are in various stages of production, he said.
“We have been working on bringing in all types of content to public access, from shows such as an online web-series, to educational and local based content, as well as sports broadcasts such as Women’s Liberal Basketball,” Younis said.
Theater major Shelley Carney said U-public’s vision of training and supporting budding TV producers has done a lot to bring public television back into the public forum in Albuquerque.
“U-Public has succeeded in changing the face of public access television with educational and local community based programming, and U-Public’s main focus is to produce shows with quality content that add value to the community,” she said.
Carney, who produces a local talk show called “New Mexico Media Makers” on U-public, said the content on U-public is education-driven and locally-based, which has made it valuable to the public.
“We have a show that educates on how to deal with the death of a loved one emotionally and financially, a show that gives legal advice on many common scenarios from legal experts and we have productions that showcase local community media,” Carney said.
For more information on U-public, visit upublic.tv.