Kids, adults can learn TV production

Anyone with a creative mind and thirst for television can participate in Adelphia's free public access program.

The cable provider's television studio on Agoura Road in Westlake Village is available to people who live in the areas served by Adelphia, including Agoura Hills, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Moorpark.

"This is all funded by the cable company and is the result of a franchise agreement between cities and the company," said Peter Scovill, Adelphia's studio supervisor and access coordinator.

Aspiring broadcasters can either bring in a completed program ready to air or can take workshops to learn how to use Adelphia's equipment and studio to create original shows.

After a free basic introductory workshop, residents may be certified to borrow cameras, lights and microphones that can be used offsite.

Thousand Oaks residents take an eight-hour class; others receive a six-hour version.

Once the basic class is completed, there is an option to take a second individual editing workshop in order to use the editing bay at the Westlake studios. That class varies in length depending on a participant's experience but it's also free, Scovill said.

A third workshop prepares participants to use the studio, which has three television cameras, lights and microphones. Once that workshop is completed, participants can put together a team to use the equipment and create in-studio productions at the Westlake facility.

Thousand Oaks residents are allowed to use the Adelphia studio without training. "They can just come in, perform in the studio and we do the taping for them," Scovill said. The cost is $35 for a 90-minute session. Reservations are required.

Residents of Thousand Oaks receive additional services negotiated by the city, Scovill said.

"There are only three things you can't have in your show-- obscenity, product endorsement and lottery-style games," Scovill said.

The cable company is mandated to air everything that is submitted, as long as it's allowed by the federal government.

"We try to help people make shows. Some are about gardening, religion and events, but a few push it to the limits," Scovill said, adding that cable providers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of content.

Shows are aired on Adelphia's Channel 25 and the studio is open seven days a week.

For more information about the studio and their programs, call (818) 879-5993.