Former SCTV host defiant after receiving $7G bill

SAUGUS – Chet Stentiford received a $7,000 bill related to production costs for his defunct Saugus cable access station show, “Creative Garden,” which he said the station has no right to do.He refuses to pay.”They’re a nonprofit, it’s free TV. They’re not supposed to be charging,” he said. “They’re making it look like I’m taking advantage of the station.”But SCTS board member James Ravagno said Stentiford did take advantage of the station to the tune of $7,000, which is what it cost to distribute Creative Garden to 14 other local access stations.The bill, which is on SCTS letterhead, is in two parts. The top half lays out what the production cost was for 50 “episodes” that Stentiford recorded. Two cinematographers at $18 an hour for eight hours; editing, one person per episode, six hours at $18 an hour; for a total of 50 segments cost $19,800. However, the amount due under the total is zero.Stentiford did not get off so easy with the lower portion of the bill, which states that the station paid for 14 copies of each of the 50 “episodes” at $10 per copy to be sent to 14 communities, which cost a total of $7,000.”The only thing he’s being charged for is the DVD reproduction cost; that’s it,” said Ravagno.Ravagno said the charges fall under SCTV rules that were originally adopted by SCTS and were put into place “long before Chet started his show. Long before I was even on the board. Long before Chet started filming his 50 shows.”Stentiford agreed that producing the show was expensive, but he said that’s the purpose of the funding the station receives from Comcast: to cover the cost of locally produced shows. He also disagreed with the interpretation of the rules and episodes.”There were only 12 shows,” he said. “Each segment is not an episode.” A show can consist of about three to four segments.Stentiford said when he first started shooting his show, SCTV employees were allowed to go into the field to shoot then go back to the studio and edit.”Right before my last show they changed the policy and said they wouldn’t let them edit shows anymore,” he said. “If they check their records they will see all my programs were completed before they changed the policy.”Ravagno noted that it is not the shooting and editing that Stentiford is being charged with, it is the cost of the DVD copies and distribution.”This has nothing to do with the normal operations of SCTV or SCTS, or the services we provide to the community,” he said. “Chet elected to promote his show to 14 other communities, not SCTV/SCTS; he drove the DVDs to those 14 communities all over the North Shore.”Ravagno said there was never a vote by the board to foot the cost of the video reproduction cost but Stentiford countered that no one ever told him he had to pay for it either.”Those 700 DVDs were far beyond the scope of SCTV/SCTS,” Ravagno said. “If Mr. Stentiford has a problem with his bill he can take it up with our board at the next scheduled meeting.”Stentiford said even if the $7,000 were valid, the station can’t send him a retroactive bill for a show he began shooting in 2012.”I’m not going to pay,” he said. “It’s not even signed, I have no idea who even sent it.”