Channel 7/BRCTV has been off the air as of this past weekend, but Station Manager Cody Mitchell wants to reassure the community the shutdown is, hopefully, temporary. The station, on the second floor of the Boothbay Region YMCA building, is in the throes of some major upgrades.

Mitchell said changes and upgrades are necessary for the station to continue broadcasting. Over the winter, the equipment used to air the programs Channel 7 offers, failed, and now the station is trying to raise the funds needed to replace it, and get back to business as usual, with some changes for the better.

Along with obtaining needed, new equipment and renovating the station, Channel 7 will be expanding into educating interested people in the art of storytelling and film-making. Mitchell is helping teach a media/film-making class, giving lectures once or twice a week, with English teacher Mark Gorey at B00thbay Region High School.

His plan is to expand the program to the BRCTV station.

Mitchell said his hope is that Channel 7 will become an organization that goes beyond the standards of a public access station.

“We realize we must become a place where young students and adults alike can come and learn video and music creation,” he said. “We want this to be a place where the community can communicate with itself in the most modern ways, and above all, a place that is open and accessible to anyone who wants to share a story or express their belief.

“I really want us to be accessible to the community. I want video production to be a practical thing. We hope to get a big enough group of people together who are interested in learning, and are available to cover events.”

Mitchell believes everyone is capable of learning storytelling. “There is an infinite number of ways to tell a story. You can tell a story in any medium, with all kinds of different tools. We'll be covering all kinds of different mediums.

“I'm looking for volunteers who want to become involved and be taught how to use a camera, how to film, and how to edit,” he said. “We want to get a core group of people together who are interested in getting to know how to go out and film events, make videos, or any media, and in turn satisfy the desires of the community.”

Mitchell said the expectation that Channel 7 will produce sports coverage is unrealistic. “The key thing I'm working toward this year is getting students from the school involved in sports productions. It's important that the community knows that we are facilitators. We facilitate the production of art and media. We need the community to come up with ideas – come in and talk to us. We’ll guide you through the process.”

And he hopes that when he teaches someone how to film, he or she will teach someone else. There are camera packages available at the studio for volunteers to use. “Come in, grab a bag and a tripod, and go film an event or a show.”

“Now is a critical time in BRCTV’s history that will speak for its future. We want to make ourselves much more relevant in the community. We're not just a public access station.”

As for the future of Channel 7, Mitchell said there are big things coming down the road, hopefully very soon. “We're expanding our services here. We're going way beyond just a public access station. We're getting into education and communication, and we're developing more and more services that we can offer to the community.”

Will BRCTV continue to provide services to the community and grow into its full potential? Mitchell said that's up to the community to decide. “We need your support both financially and through volunteerism.”