Company tapes meetings for Web site

The organization plans to expand to other Mahoning Valley communities.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Those interested in attending Youngstown City Council or Mahoning County commissioner meetings but can't be there are just a few clicks away from watching the meetings on the computer.
The New TV Inc., a three-man nonprofit organization, attends city council, county commissioner and Youngstown Arts and Entertainment District Association meetings, and makes them available within 24 hours of the meetings on its Web site: www.theyoungstownchannel.com.The organization also videotapes other events of interest including festivals and First Night Youngstown.
"We bring the government to the people," said Dennis Roller, the organization's president and chief executive officer. "This is for people who don't have the time or ability to attend meetings."
Those with computers that have Window Media Player installed or can download it are able to watch the meetings.
Plans for more
But New TV officials plan in the near future to provide other options for viewing the meetings including Web-enabled cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other Web devices, said Dirk Fischer, the organization's vice president and chief operating officer, and Timothy Sokoloff, its chief technology and information officer.
"We've opened a TV station on the Internet," Sokoloff said.
The group has taped Boardman Township trustee and Girard City Council meetings, and plans to go to other communities, Sokoloff said. The organization recently established a Boardman Web site -- www.theboardmanchannel.com -- that shows a recent trustee meeting.
One goal is to show meetings live on the Web site.
"Technically we can make it more accessible if we expand our technology," Fischer said. "We're trying to expand, but there's only so much three people can do."
Fischer, who has a television background, and Sokoloff, who has a technology background, have other jobs. Roller is retired from General Motors and serves as YAEDA's president. New TV works out of office space at the Ohio One building.
"It's more a labor of love than anything else," Fischer said. "It takes up every spare minute. We'd like to concentrate on it, but it doesn't pay the bills right now."
Right now, the organization uses a "commercial grade" video camera, but Fischer said he is able to improve the sound quality in post-production.
Original company
The three originally organized Falcon Technologies last summer as a for-profit venture, but changed its name, focus and profit stature in January.
New TV focuses solely on government meetings and community events while Falcon also produced other programs, Fischer said.
"The Valley is crazy about its politicians," he said. "We want to make government more accessible to people."
The Web site has received a lot of words of encouragement, but for it to continue, outside funding is needed, the three say. They envision companies underwriting the meetings shown on the Web site in a process similar to PBS. Fischer was an educational technical consultant at PBS 45/49 WNEO.
For information on underwriting meetings, contact New TV at (330) 259-0412.
skolnick@vindy.com