Television For the People: LMC-TV Offers Community Access

Public access television was—and still is—what YouTube is to the current generation; a platform by which the average person can call the shots when it comes to content, no matter how quirky or over-the-top it may be.

Local TV station, Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Television (LMC-TV), has opened its doors to the community, inviting everyone who, “lives, works, volunteers or goes to school in our community,” to produce, direct, and create their own programming to be aired on one of LMC-TV's three public broadcast stations. Even people right off the street are welcome.

The content is entirely community-driven. “We take each inquiry as seriously as the next,” said says Associate Director Jessica Pozzuoli Buschel. “We cannot censor nor do we decide what’s best for the community. The community decides that!”

Program selections range from a cooking show by local amateur chefs, a political roundtable discussion or a local author promoting a new book; LMC-TV is the willing medium.

“LMC-TV upholds the integrity [and] the pride of our community by letting the community decide what's important, by letting the community broadcast their opinions and concerns, by letting the community tell us what to air. We give everyone an equal opportunity to use our station to communicate with one another,” said Buschel.

Residents are allowed to use the two TV studios or produce programming out in the field. However, disseminating important and relevant information is not LMC-TV’s only purpose, it is also an avenue for aspiring filmmakers to showcase their work and a place for those interested to take classes and hone their skills. This summer, the station will be offering workshops for everyone from novices learning to use a camera to those adept at the intricacies of Final Cut Pro (film editing software).

The station also provides a valuable service for the residents of many southern Westchester communities, as it is a steady and reliable source of local news. It has been broadcasting local events, information on area non-profits, government-run programs, alerts, and messages since 1984.

LMC-TV broadcasts on both Verizon and Cablevision networks. It is on channels 33, 34, and 35 on Verizon and 75, 76, and 77 on Cablevison. The broadcasts reach residents of  Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye Neck and even parts of Scarsdale. LMC-TV also has a growing web presence administrated primarily by Buschel.

The station is offering two Filmmaking workshops this summer at the studio at 145 Library Ln. in Mamaroneck. The first starts on June 27 and the second on July 18.  It also runs a number of free-with-membership classes such as Basic Video Editing with Final Cut Pro and Field Production for small, intimate groups during the year. For more information on the classes offered at LMC-TV visit their website here.