Lynn CAM makes push for council broadcast date

LYNN – The ongoing effort to broadcast City Council meetings is continuing to inch forward.Ken Kinna, executive director of Lynn Cable Access and Media (LynnCAM) said while some progress has been made regarding the potential tapings, it has been slow for the most part.In an effort to speed up the process, Kinna said Councilors at Large Paul Crowley and Judith Flanagan Kennedy toured Salem City Hall, which is similar to Lynn City Hall, to gain perspective on the potential project and gather input.”They are both very much for it and it looks like we’re aiming for the fall now,” Kinna said.Crowley said the tour gave him and Kennedy a good understanding of how the tapings work, how they’re staffed, and some of the logistics that go into the production.”We’re going to try and model it after Salem’s program, which has a permanent, remote set up,” he said. “It’s all controlled by one person in the back room, and it was really invaluable information to learn.”Originally slated to begin taping in January, Crowley said he plans to light a fire under the appropriate people to finish the project, although a firm deadline is still not set.”The fall would be a reasonable amount of time to work out all of the logistics,” he said.As far as funding for the project goes, Crowley said he has identified available funds in a section of LynnCAM’s budget that is allocated solely for government access.”They (Lynn CAM) don’t currently have a project for government access right now, so this should be able to cover the costs and fit well,” he said.While costs for the actual production may be covered, funds still need to be located for the equipment.Confident the money can either be raised or found somehow, Crowley said Kinna told him to shoot for a total of $20,000.Having previously mentioned a fundraiser or advertising to help offset costs, Kinna said neither have been accomplished as of yet.”At this point, I’m going to let the Council do things when they’re ready,” he said. “There are a still a couple of other possibilities to look at (for funding), and we’re investigating, but we’re looking forward to having a government channel.”