Q. Is Berks Community Television the same as the cable company?
A. No. Berks Community Television is a non-profit organization totally independent of the cable company. Comcast and Service Electric Cablevision are the local cable companies that carry Berks Community Television's programming to over 100,000 households in 63 of Berks County's 76 municipalities.
Click here to see a map of our coverage area.

Q. What does Berks Community Television do?
A. Berks Community Television telecasts live community programming on a wide variety of topics on BCTV, and manages the City of Reading Municipal Access Channel (MAC) and public access. MAC programs include city council meetings and workshops, planning and zoning meetings, and informational programs about city departments and/or urban issues. 

Q. Is Berks Community Televison the same as Public Television?
A. Both are non-commercial, non-profit television programming services. As a community television system, Berks Community Television devotes most of its time to local programs produced by volunteers. Berks Community Television produces town meetings, issues forums, candidates nights and election returns, as some PBS affiliates do. The mission of Berks Community Television is to provide a vehicle for community dialogue, a source for information, and a forum for the exchange of ideas. The mission of PBS is "to present programs that educate and entertain, inform and inspire - free and accessible to everyone." PBS affiliates purchase most of their national and international programs. Public television is broadcast. Berks Community Television is cable-delivered.

Q. Who owns Berks Community Television?
A. Berks Community Television is an independent non-profit corporation incorporated as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Gifts to BCTV are fully tax deductible. BCTV is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing a cross section of community leadership. In a "non-legal" sense, everyone who becomes a subscribing member of BCTV is a stakeholder; as well as our volunteer producers, technical volunteers, public and private funding sources, and of course our viewers.

Q. Who runs Berks Community Television?
A. A board of directors composed of volunteers from various segments of the community sets BCTV's policies. A professional staff manages the day-to-day operation and oversees the volunteer programming effort.

Q. What makes Berks Community Television special?
A. It's run by and for the community and programming is live and features interpersonal interaction. This means that homeviewers can participate through the telephone and that BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION 's unique split-screen technology is used whenever a program originates from more than one location. BCTV encourages phone calls to our programs that are concise, adhere to the rules of common courtesy, and address the issue at hand.

Q. How can I find out what's on?
A. Through our listings in the Sunday Reading Eagle, Reading Eagle, the cable preview guide and in TV Host. We also list our upcoming program schedule on our community bulletin boards on BCTV and on MAC. Also, you can check our listings on this website by going to our programming schedule.

Q. How can I get a copy of a program that was already on?
A. Call us at 610-374-3065 or print out our program dub request form and send it to us at 645 Penn St. Reading, PA 19601. Note: Three months after the program first aired, it may no longer be available; call us to make sure.

Q. Does Berks Community Television do more than programming?
A. Yes; there is a complete production service, in which, for a fee, a business or individual can have a professional videotape produced for their own use. The profit from this service is used to support BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION. For more information on this service contact bctv@bctv.org.

Q. What are the other sources of funding for Berks Community Television?
A. Local government provides a major source of funding for the services we provide.
Area corporations, and various state and local foundations also contribute through
our business underwriting program, program grants, etc. To learn how to underwrite a program contact Ann Sheehan. BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION also raises funds through an annual membership campaign and through our annual Octoberfest Auction & Fund Drive.

Q. Who decides what goes on?
A. A program committee, chaired by a member of the Board of Directors, reviews program proposals and oversees BCTV programming. In addition, a program director on the staff does the actual scheduling of BCTV, MAC and public access programs.

Q. How can I or my organization get a program on Berks Community Television?
A. Gerry Maginnis, our program director will talk with you about your idea and will give you a program proposal (or you may get one here). If your proposal is approved by the program committee, she will schedule time for you.

Q. Don't other places have a system like Berks community Television?
A. No. BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION is a one-of-a-kind system. Other cable access facilities have adopted pieces of the BERKS COMMUNITY TELEVISION format, but no one else has been able to successfully duplicate its concept and philosophy.

Want to know more... watch the short version of our documentary BCTV at 30 online.  

Click here  (broadband connection)
Click here  (dial-up connection)

To order a copy of the full-length version (1 hour) please contact us at 610-374-3065 or fill out our program dub request form online.

Berks Community Television
645 Penn Street. Reading, PA 19601-3543
Tel: 610-374-3065 • Fax: 610-374-3890 • Email: bctv@bctv.org