Bethel Park Cable TV hosting Zombie Walk fundraiser
Joe Natali, a volunteer with Bethel Park Cable TV, mans the camera during a shoot.
Volunteers with Bethel Park Cable TV take an interview on location.
Without volunteers, there would be no cable access programing in Bethel Park, a member of the municipal cable television board said.
“We call them ‘the magic ghosts in the back,'” said Susan Roberti. “They are never seen, but we couldn’t do it if we didn’t have these volunteers. They are always there with smiles on their faces, ready to help.”
To recognize the efforts of not only the BPTV volunteers, but also all of the dedicated volunteers in the community, the Bethel Park Cable TV Board is sponsoring a scholarship fund and finding unique ways to fund it.
The scholarship program began in 2011 with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Economic Advancement Program. The grant was obtained by state Sen. Matt Smith D-37th District. At that time, Smith was representing the 42nd legislative district.
The initial $5,000 provided four scholarships over two years.
The board has been selling DVD copies of the station programs to keep the program funded.
Now, just in time for Halloween, the board is holding its first event fundraiser, a zombie walk.
The walk will take place Oct. 25 at the Bethel Park High School parking lot. All proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund.
So far this year, the BPTV volunteers have produced more than 374 programs, said David Cable, facility director.
“That’s more than one a day,” said Cable, the only paid employee of the station.
The 10 regular volunteers and 10 volunteer producers are responsible for every aspect of the programing at the station from lighting to camera operation to editing.
“They were the inspiration for me setting up the scholarship,” Cable said.
One of the first scholarship recipients was BPTV volunteer Mike Mast.
“It was great to get this for doing something you love doing,” said Mast. “Everyone should come volunteer, there is always something fun going on.”
While Mast went on to study at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he still volunteers at BPTV.
The scholarship is not only available to high school students going on to college, but also to adult volunteers looking to further their education.
“It’s not so much about grades as it is about civic involvement,” Cable said.
BPTV is about volunteers and giving anyone who wants the opportunity to learn all aspects of television production, he said.
“We want BPTV to be a teaching station, that’s what this is about,” said Roberti, who is also the hostess and producer of “Talking Tailwaggers.” “Anyone can come in and learn.”
Some of the volunteers began as students, lugging around cameras and recording events such as community day or graduation. Others came to the station as an adult looking to learn a new skill and learning editing by captioning live council broadcasts.
The average age of the current volunteers is between 20 and 30, said Cable, with many of them being with the station for over 10 years.
“It’s fun work,” he said.