Programming available on the local cable access channel will be significantly increased according to the plans of the Cable Access Committee. In response to Hastings City Council asking about a request for camera equipment, Councilman Bill Redman, spokesman for the committee and its secretary, outlined the plans at a recent council meeting.

To take cable to the next level, the committee requires a professional camera set up, and have a quote for a Panasonic premium professional camcorder and its accompanying equipment, hard drive, tripod, case, memory card, battery and shoulder rig support, for a total of $5,476.84.

Redman said some 20 Barry County businesses have already agreed to have their operations videotaped for a cable show, and more are being contacted.

The committee envisions streaming a wide variety of programs on the city’s website and possibly You Tube, he said.

School athletic contests and play-offs, entertainment events like performances at Thornapple Plaza and by the City Band, school’s extra-curricular activities like plays, village and township board meetings, school concerts, historic society meetings, and almost any non-profit venture are candidates for the cable channel. “Your imagination is your only limitation,” he said.

The cable committee has been working of the idea for about a year, but it will still “take some time to pull this together,” he said. They will need lots of ideas and volunteers for running programming, taping events and on the access committee itself. Area high school media class members may be interested, he said. There will be no selling of ads for space; they will seek donations for sponsorships.

The access committee is made up of Redman, Chair Randall Schaefer, Vice Chair Dan LaClair, John Clemence, Tom Huis, Jon Hook, and advisor Tony Clark.

Those interested in volunteering for any part of the committee’s effort can contact Redman at 269-838-0893.