Hometown Cable to soldier on following programming shift

CHAMPLAIN | Calvin Castine never thought when he launched "Hometown Cable" in 1983 as a community project that it would flourish into a local institution. But it has, beaming the lives of ordinary people directly into local living rooms for three decades. Hometown Cable's lease with Spectrum for Channel 24 ended Dec. 2, marking the conclusion of round-the-clock community news provided by the network. Castine declined to discuss specifics, but said continuing the program in its current format would be cost-prohibitive moving forward. Local programming will continue on public access (Channel 30) and via Hometown Cable's YouTube channel, which currently boasts over 1,400 subscribers. WIDE APPEAL Hometown Cable has been running local community events daily since 1986, "and has been going 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the past 21 years," Castine said. He has filmed an average of 500 new local events annually, covering everything from student assemblies to natural disasters like the 1998 Ice Storm. The effort served Champlain, Rouses Point, Chazy, Mooers, Altona and Ellenburg, and was jam-packed with content until the final week of broadcasting, including athletic events and municipal meetings. Recent features included a look at a new apple processing facility at Chazy Orchards and a tour of the newly-refurbished Rouses Point Civic Center. Castine wore many hats, but always had help from his wife, Judy, as well as a team of volunteers. "We've tried to make it a good cross section and a broad range as possible so it appeals to everyone," Castine said. Looking back, he said it was difficult to zero in on just one highlight over the years. But Castine really enjoyed profiling local people with interesting lives. He pointed at an interview with Jimmy Meseck, a Mooers Forks sawmill owner, as a favorite segment. "He was such a down-to-earth intelligent man," Castine said, "the type you pass and maybe not pay attention to. "That's one of the things I enjoyed in what I've done," he said. "I've met so many interesting people and shared their stories." Bob Venne's "What's Going On Here" program also proved to be extremely popular, he recalled. And the station also provided a platform for the late Gordie Little for many years. Castine also attended every sendoff of the North Country Honor Flight since its inception. "I've always tried to consider it the community's channel and not my channel," Castine said. "I've always approached it as how much good you can do for the community — it was a community service." WATCH ONLINE Over 7,200 videos have been posted online so far, a number that grows daily as Castine continues to upload content from his video library, which he said numbers more than 20,000 clips. Challenges remain. "We hope to continue to record as many as possible, but funding will now become an even bigger concern, with the loss of our advertising revenue," wrote Castine in a letter announcing the change. Castine worried that elderly viewers won't have day-to-day access, and programming will be more difficult to locate. "They are some of the most ardent watchers of what we produce here," Castine.

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Hometown Cable to soldier on following programming shift

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