Cable TV and Ham Radio Public Information and Relations Almost every town has a Cable TV system. Most offer locally originated programs and Public Service Announcements. They offer great opportunities for promoting Ham Radio. Some Hams have arranged for local cable TV to carry ATV (fast scan Amateur TV) on one of the cable channels. Some have their local repeater audio on an audio channel of the Cable TV. Cable companies are usually looking for innovative, interesting, low-cost sources for material. Contact your local cable company programing department and discuss it with them. Let them see/hear a representative sample of what you would have them put on their system. There are some Cable channels dedicated to community announcements. So, send them announcements! Your local club meetings and events, Ham classes, Exam sessions etc. They can be used to inform your members of upcoming activities and also to INVITE interested persons to attend. It also is another way to get the name of our hobby in front of the public eye. Many Cable TV companies have a standard FORM which they may prefer you to use to submit your announcement. It often is in the form of their Screen Layout with little blocks for each letter on a line or "page". Contact your local cable company and ask them if they have a recommended form or style for your submission. You'll find them listed in the Yellow Pages. Be on Oprah or Phil Donahue! Well, maybe not Oprah and Phil but their local CATV counterparts. Many CATV local origination channels have talk or interview shows. They are almost always looking for new, interesting guests and topics. You or your group could contact the program and offer yourselves as guests. You could focus on one or two specific aspects of Ham Radio each time as well as a general introduction to Amateur Radio. Just remember to assume that your audience knows absolutely nothing about our hobby. Keep it simple and interesting (try to think of a parallel situation, like a group of Rocket Scientists, Nuclear Physicists or Brain Surgeons trying to entice you to join their club). Demonstrations! Many Cable TV companies look for activities that they can Videocast on one of their channels. Generally they like local events with local people involved. Field Day, Demonstrations, Exhibits, Exercises, Drills and etc. may make interesting viewing on a cable TV station and positive publicity for us. Let them know, as much ahead of time as possible, about your event and extend an invitation to them. Be sure to emphasize the 'local-ness' of your involvement. Local people, local places, and other local tie-ins are important motivators for local cable tv companies. Cable TV and Ham PR page 2 A regular HAM show! You or your club or group may want to consider conducting Ham CLASSES on Cable TV. If so, contact your local Cable TV company and discuss it with them. They probably will welcome a new, local program. They may even record your series for distribution to other Cable stations in their group for "reruns". Code practice can be held on Cable too with audio and decoded text available. And once you are set-up for that, promote it in local papers, on local radio stations (TV stations may not want to advertise a competing medium) and with signs in local stores. There are many possibilities. In general, Cable TV is an untapped resource for exposing the public to the fun of Ham Radio. The number of homes wired to CATV is growing daily, lets make Ham Radio a familiar sight on Cable TV. Also see the WB2FIG article. Al Carp, K1HLZ ARRL EMA PIC (617) 437-0111 Write: HAM, Box 545, NeedHAM, MA 02192