Justy Ghost The Horror Host

Last time I posted, I talked about my first, and failed, trip to Traverse City to become a producer on our regional public access station.

Well, after the class I went down for was cancelled, I began working on dismantling the Monster Movie Show and transitioning to a new show, one that I was going to entitle “Shocking Theater”

It didn’t take long. I came up with the simple plot based on DC Comics “Infinite Crisis”. In “Infinite Crisis” all of the prior continuity changes became the fault of Superboy-Prime and his now legendary “Retcon Punch”.

In the final episode of the Monster Movie Show, The Retcon Ray, Dr. Monster makes a weapon that will wipe out reality and rebuild it from scratch. Doing that gave me a chance to create a new set and “fix” the show’s continuity much in the way “Infinite Crisis” was meant to do.

And I created Shocking Theater from the bones of the Monster Movie Show.

And then I started taping new episodes to get ready for the next Producer Orientation course.

Yep, all throughout that, I was checking the course schedule everyday to see when the next one was.

And it fell on June 9th, 2010.

So I went.

And since it was in the evening, I was able to only take one day off for it.

The day was a normal day down in Traverse City, and when it was time I went to the UpNorth Media Center’s offices in the LIAA and spent a couple of hours there for orientation.

Basically all it was was a tour of the building, the studio, the editing suites, and then they went over the history of the LIAA taking over the public access station, their rules and regulations, and a video about fair use that they were shown by a representative from the EFF during a talk earlier in the year.

At the end, we all said our goodbyes and I went back to the bus station to head home.

And now, on the day I post this, I become the first television horror host in Northern Michigan since the late great Count Zappula because at 11:30pm, Shocking Theater will make it’s debut on UpNorthTV.

-Justy Ghost, The Ghost in the Machine.

A few months ago I decided I should do something different with my Horror Host program, The Monster Movie Show. I decided to make it more like other Horror Host programs across this great land. I decided to get it on Television.

Now, while I was aware of devices like Tivo, Roku, and various media center pc solutions for getting my show to play on the actual television set, I craved the ease of someone just flipping the channels and finding my show, so I did what any insane person did.

I googled Public Access Television for my local area.

I didn’t expect much as I have done this search a few times before with absolutely no results, but for the first time I found something.

It seems that a local politician in a neighboring community was recording their city council meetings for broadcast and mentioned the name of the station that they were being broadcast on in an online newsletter he was publishing for that community. The station was UpNorth TV.

He didn’t post a link, of course, but at least it was something more than just typing in “Public Access Television Harbor Springs” into Google.

And I found their website very easily. I finally found our Public Access Station.

But it wasn’t run by Harbor Springs, Petoskey, or any other city in Emmet, Charlevoix, or Cheboygan counties. It was out of Traverse City.

But they did broadcast throughout northwestern Michigan, and they were the only Public Access for my local, so I searched their site, UpNorthMedia.org

First thing was to see if they had a Horror Host already, and they didn’t.

Then was to check on the production values of their existing shows. Not bad, but I knew it was something I could do as well from home.

And finally, I looked at the BIG things: the rules and requirements for having a show on their station, and what rights, if any, that I may be giving up.

Their rules can be boiled down to this: You’re responsible for your content. No copyright infringement, no illegal activities, and make sure it’s safe for broadcast.

Okay, I can do that.

The requirements were a little more difficult. Unless I lived within one of the few communities that was supporting the channel, I’d have to become a member of their non-profit and pay $50.00 dollars per year. I also would have to take a class to become a producer.

The money wasn’t so bad. $50.00 for a year? I pay more than that in hosting costs and can afford the once a year cost if it means becoming an official Television Horror Host.

The class, not so easy. Because I live 2 hours north of Traverse City, I’d have to take a full day off to be able to attend a 3 hour class, and since I ride a bicycle or walk everywhere, I’d have to take the bus down.

Okay. I’ll do it, but only if I don’t lose any rights.

And I don’t. It stays my copyright, and I’d only have to allow them first airing rights if I used their equipment.

Fine and dandy.

I make the time in my schedule and I make plans for the next class on May 19th 2010. Hell, I’ll even take 2 days off since the class starts at 11am and my bus won’t arrive until noon. Two days in Traverse City and away from work. I can deal.

The trip goes smoothly until I get down there and check into my cheap motel room.

That’s when I find out that they cancelled the class due to lack of participants.

Yeah.

And they don’t have another one scheduled yet.

Great.

Two days wasted.

So I go home, not a producer, and spend the time working on the transition from solely on the internet to becoming both an Internet and Television Horror Host.

And I’ll tell more of the story later.

-Justy Ghost, The Ghost in the Machine.