Of course there is programming for the non-immigrant crowd, aka white folk, aka Pinkies. There’s Coffee with Konnie with the former Mayor badgering local bumpkins to reveal details of their bumkinesque lives. So how long has the old girl been doing that? She must have interviewed every local at least three times by now. Time to call it a wrap eh?
How about Rosen’s Roundtable, starring Gary Rosen, former City Councilor, featuring Worcester’s very own Three Stooges: Stephen (aka Q) Quist, known for inept rants; Brendan Melican's bungling pseudo-analyses; and some guy with political ambitions. Opinion leaders? Hardly... comedians more like it. The list goes on, politicians, seniors, libertarians, wannabes of every color and religion, all looking for their 15 minutes. Not to mention the hundreds of hours of re-runs. All this for a million bucks a year? Heck, that kinda money could buy everyone in Wusta a subscription to the T&G and be they'd be better informed and entertained too.
It would be a feather in WCCA’s cap if were at least the recipient of an honorable mention from a credible professional media association. The fact is they have not, nor will they ever. Oops, I stand corrected. WCCA sponsored programming has over the years received several honorable mentions from a group called Pegasus, the propaganda arm of public access media in America, that hands out awards to anyone. Just for the asking.
And there's WCCA's constant gripping about its financing, demanding it’s “rightful share” of Charter’s capital grants, pressuring the City Manager to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace equipment. But did you know that WCCA has $1,000,000 cash on its books as well as a piece of prime downtown real estate worth hundreds of thousands. With well over a million dollars in assets, how can it be that WCCA constantly feigns poverty?
Interestingly WCCA has never made public its financials or the board of director's minutes. Executive Director Mauro DePasquale has never spoken publicly about WCCA’s fat bank accounts, yet makes a point of continually berating the telecommunications industry about its incomprehensible greed. What's that saying about people who live in glass houses? So what’s WCCA's Board of Directors doing about all this? They’re ultimately responsible for WCCA. What’s their take on the situation? The future? What are they doing to wean WCCA off the public dole, if that’s even an issue for them. What happens if the law changes (as it has elsewhere) and Charter’s wallet finally snaps shut? Is there a plan B? The answer: none of the above. Why should they, they still got laws that let’s them milk the taxpayers. No strings attached. Zero accountability.
If the board of directors were forward thinking, instead of being self-satisfied social engineers constantly patting themselves on the back, they’d take steps to transition WCCA into the 21st century. Including a sorely needed changing of the guard - someone with fresh ideas and a track record of change. Less political. Younger. A woman perhaps. An experienced business manager with fund raising skills. Musicians need not apply.
After 20 years at the helm how is it that Executive Director Mauro DePasquale hasn't taken the initiative to secure its future? Why hasn’t WCCA done annual on-air fundraisers or auctions. Sought sponsorships from local businesses. Use WCCA supporters to seek donations - all 5 of em. Recruit celebrities (what, here in Wusta?) and politicians (may be a detriment) to help raise money. Can it be Worcester doesn't care? Wusta is reknown for its apathy. Why haven't locals rallied to WCCA's cause? No interest? The question folks should be asking, why doesn't WCCA help itself? Answer: Because it’s easier to live on the dole.
The reality is, WCCA, its board, and its supporters are an anachronistic demographic group from an era when their brand of social involvement was de rigueur. Times have changed and WCCA’s mission has become redundant; considering only a handful of locals care about it. Let alone watch it.
The fact is, taxpayers are at wits end, having to deal with a shaky economy, the shenanigans of politicians and their freewheeling spending, constantly dipping into the taxpayers wallet to finance another boondoggle: WCCA.
If public access TV is a necessary and viable concept as its supporters maintain, then why can’t it stand on its own two feet?
