George Stoney Interview

George Stoney is considered to be the “Father of Public Access TV” in the U.S. He advocated for public access channels on local cable TV systems. He trained some of the first persons to manage public access production centers. He pioneered the first national organization for PEG media centers - now known as the Alliance for Community Media.

He is also a pioneer documentary film producer having started in the ’40’s. He has been a professor of documentary studies and production at New York University since the late ’60’s. In this interview he stresses the importance of making public access media centers serve the public good and increase the scope of community communications.


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Full interview with George Stoney.
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http://www.archive.org/details/01_georgeStoneyFullInterview


In the first clip George speaks about Challenge for Change project that influenced his concept of Access TV.
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http://www.archive.org/details/02_Stoney_Clip1_ChallengeforChange

Here George recounts how the Alternate Media Center was an incubator for community media.
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http://www.archive.org/details/03_Stoney_clip2_AlternateMediaCtr

George recounts how the marriage of community media with cable TV was proposed.
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http://www.archive.org/details/04_publicAccessIsBorn

The first 12 public access directors are chosen and trained. (Hear more about this in the Sue Buske interview.)
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http://www.archive.org/details/04a_theFirst12PublicAccessDirectors

The city of Reading, Pennsylvania was the home of one of the first public access TV centers.
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http://www.archive.org/details/06_readingPennsylvaniaEarlyAccessCenter

George warns of the biggest pitfall for public access media centers and points to one antidote.
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http://www.archive.org/details/07_pitfallsToAvoid

Advice for Access TV trainers and hosts.
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http://www.archive.org/details/08_tipsForTrainersAndHosts

George notes a foreshadowing of public access in his early radio work.
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http://www.archive.org/details/09_earlyInfluenceRadioShow

George recounts an example of using video as a tool to resolve community tensions.
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http://www.archive.org/details/10_videoAsASocialTool

George speaks about using film to shape the image of his subjects to others in the community.
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http://www.archive.org/details/11_videoAsAToolToShapeImage