Franklin TV: A Look Back

Ten Years Ago

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 04/06/2025

When we were building our studio (2013-2014) I documented every phase of construction. Lotsa Pix-n-Vidz in our photo archives. This past week I spent a few evenings compiling many of them into 3D stereograms – the old school origins of today’s hot digital/visual experience – VR, virtual reality. A stereogram is simply two photographs – one positioned for each eye, Left-Right. Think those Viewmaster disks many of us grew up with.

In the midst of my digital rummaging I wondered what we were up to ten years ago.

This is the Franklin Garden Club in 2015. They held a meeting in our Community Room and then recorded a cooking program in our kitchen. The first of many.

We officially moved out of our trailer and into the studio building in Mid-November. Here we are; four months later – partying and producing programs.

We still are. Do you have a program you would like to do? Call us. 508-541-4118.

And – as always –

Thank you for watching. 

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And staying informed at Franklin●news.

Get this week's program guide for Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online  http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf   

Watch Listen Read all things that matter in Franklin MA

Chris Flynn talks about video production sharing studio insights in this episode of our Producers Series (audio)

 FM #1257 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 1257 in the series. 

This session shares my conversation with Chris Flynn. Chris is a videographer and currently the Studio Manager for Franklin TV. We had our discussion at the Franklin TV Studios on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

 

We talk about 

• Video editing tools, studio process, scheduling, etc.

• Nonprofit operation and special effects, enhancing creativity

• “Legend of Maul” one of his video projects  

• COVID allowed the introduction of ‘live sports’ and the ‘studio in a box’

• Multiple instances of live broadcast can happen with 3 YouTube channels; All Access, Education/Sports, and Government channels

• MIAA relationship developing show content, including playoff bracket release

• Broadcast of Thanksgiving football game from Fenway Park

• Scheduling studio space, community meetings, and coordination with outdoor sports (weather dependent) 

• Community meeting room getting busier with more regular us by local groups

• If interested in video production, share what you have produced, to further the conversation

• If interested in being part of your own show, we do have a fully functioning kitchen that works well for a cooking show

• Record some number of shows on a given day, edit, and broadcast over a 2-week time slot

• And last but not least, Chris’ backstory on how he got involved

If you are interested in doing a project in video or audio, contact the studio with your idea. Info@Franklin.tv

The recording runs about 53 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Chris. Audio link -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-1257-producer-series-chris-flynn-05-16-24/

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Franklin TV webpage -> https://franklin.tv/ 

FHS football vs. King Philip at Fenway Park Nov 2023 -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6NKgArCIwM 

MIAA playlist of shows -> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbAODFjFPJ0zPcUN8EMTdBSUmfubROGsw 

Chris did the video for Jamie Barrett’s "The City Known As The Town Of Franklin" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBV8PWayZlo 

Franklin TV programming guide for Oct 11, 2020 touting the live broadcast efforts for school sports -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/franklin-tv-live-sports-events-part-2.html

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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial. 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/   or www.franklin.news 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Director Chris Flynn, hanging in there in the early days of live broadcasts during COVD

Holiday Happenings at The Creative Corner Studio

"‘tis the season! 

www.creativecornerartstudiofranklin.com Christmas and Hanukkah happenings.  

Come, check the studio out!"

Holiday Happenings at The Creative Corner Studio

Shared from -> https://facebook.com/groups/1551606135109407/permalink/3561039884166012/?mibextid=Nif5oz

FlyPacks! It’s a TeeVee Station-in-a-Box

by Pete Fasciano, Executive Director 02/07/2021

"What’s a flypack? It’s a highly portable, multi-camera video production system.

The design goal: As small, light, power stingy, yet capable and flexible as possible. There are ready-to-air video production systems available, but they are very limited in form and function. We wanted a true control room housed in a single go–case. That meant the custom connection of several components into a custom casing. The video switcher, video recorder, audio mixer, computers, and supporting devices are all permanently connected to each other via a wiring harness.

The flypack can be deployed on a compact 2x4 foot table – or in the back of an SUV. It requires only 160 watts (a cigarette lighter) and weighs only 40 pounds.  Packed up, it’s a box – 18x16x12 inches as a custom case, cut and assembled from Coroplast. It easily flops open in under a minute, and can accept 4 cameras, the 2 computers for graphics and Zoom sources, and up to 6 microphones. The only connections are the cameras, microphones and ethernet. There are also optional video Program and Zoom-screen feeds to external displays for hosts and guests on camera. Program audio is also available for a P.A. system. As a remote production system, our flypack is totally ‘out there’.  The typical setup time in a meeting room is 30 to 45 minutes. Laying out the longer cable runs required at a playing field takes a bit more time.

When a thing works well, do it again. So we did. We assembled two more flypacks.

Battle tested through a season of successful sports events, we’ve made some minor improvements. We are now assembling two more systems to address the rising need to cover more simultaneous events on the road – as we work to build back better."
 

And – as always –

Thank you for listening to wfpr●fm.

And, thank you for watching.

 

FlyPacks! It’s a TeeVee Station-in-a-Box

We assembled two more flypacks

Get this week's program guide for Franklin TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) online

http://franklin.tv/programguide.pdf  

or for archive purposes  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dlYS997N-bILUpIuSDIqp5_FFze8wjJ4/view?usp=sharing

In the News: Franklin dancers take lead in dropping gendered titles; AAA traffic outlook for the 4th of July

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Kathy Brophy has always been a leader, not a follower.

In the world of ballroom dancing, those titles are traditionally gendered – male dancers lead while female dancers follow. But once Brophy took the hand of Maria Melchionda during a dance lesson to prepare for the “first dance” at their 2002 wedding reception, she knew she would take the lead.

Fifteen years later, Brophy, a Millis resident, continues to lead as a competitive pro/am smooth and rhythm-style dancer, practicing at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Franklin. But for the past decade, she’s been limited to same-sex dance competitions and barred from dancing in mainstream competitive dance contests - unless she were to follow and dance with a man.

Traditionally, and according to the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) rule book, a couple is defined as “one man and one woman.” Competitors can only compete in NDCA sanctioned events as a follower if they are a woman and as a leader if they are a man."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190701/franklin-dancers-take-lead-in-dropping-gendered-titles-from-fred-astaire-ballroom-competitions

https://www.fredastaire.com/franklin/

"Hitting the road to the beach, campground or a family barbecue during the July 4 holiday? You won’t be alone.

AAA predicts a record-breaking 48.9 million Americans will travel during the holiday, up nearly 2 million – or 4.1 percent – from last year. A projected 1.3 million Massachusetts residents will be among those traveling, with about 1.1 million by car, according to the motor club.

A strong economy, record low unemployment and significantly lower gas prices are driving forces behind the increase, said Mary Maguire, AAA director of public and legislative affairs. The average gas price in Massachusetts is $2.64 a gallon, $.23 lower than this time last year."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190701/aaa-expects-record-breaking-travel-numbers-during-july-4-holiday

https://twitter.com/aaanortheast

"Our students are an integral part of what we do and who we are"

The Franklin radar picks up this find from Boston Voyager. It turns out that Encore Music celebrates their birthday on Sep 29.

"Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Ostrow. 

Lisa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far. 

My business partner, Patrick Dreier, and I, founded Encore Music Academy and Recording Studios on a bit of a whim. In August, 2011, we were both teaching music out of our homes, and running a recording studio out of Pat’s basement. While on the phone one day, I tossed out the idea of opening a school together, which was met with silence. I traveled to Canada that week and when I returned, Pat called and said, “About that idea you had …” to which I replied, “What idea?” and that is how Encore was born. Just one month later, on September 29, we signed Encore into existence!"

Continue reading the article online at Boston Voyager
http://bostonvoyager.com/interview/meet-lisa-ostrow-encore-music-academy-recording-studios-encore-music-education-foundation-metrowest-franklin-millis/

image from Encore Academy webpage

Drummers' Studio to host Lenny Kravitz drummer Franklin Vanderbilt

The Drummers' Studio (TDS) - Franklin, is honored to welcome Franklin Vanderbilt drummer for International Rock Star, Lenny Kravitz. 

Franklin Vanderbilt drummer for International Rock Star, Lenny Kravitz 

Franklin will conduct a Clinic and Workshop on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 covering his "L.O.C.K. Theory" concepts. Parents and all musicians are highly encouraged to attend. Come take advantage of this great opportunity to meet and speak with such an amazing and accomplished musician. The Clinic will run from 10:00am to 12:00pm and is open to the public. Autographs, pictures and raffle will be held at the end of the clinic Q and A. The Hands-on Workshop runs from 1:00pm - 5:00pm. The Hands-On Workshop is "Split level" for intermediate and advanced drummers.

Franklin Vanderbilt was born April 13, 1978, Franklin was raised in Chicago's West side. By age 5, he was playing a Ludwig kit given to him by his Father and Grandfather.

Influenced by his Uncle, Robert Vanderbilt, Franklin played in church and school bands throughout his teens. Chicago Jazz and Blues legends such as, Ramsey Lewis, Willie Pickens, Pat Mallenger and Clarke Terry became his musical mentors.

Photo by Karen Bystedt

Franklin's music education continued thru high school than on to Eastern Illinois University with renowned percussion professor and Vic Firth Signature Artist, Johnny Lee Lane. During this time, Franklin formed his first band, the Franklin Vanderbilt Experience. The band played the legendary Chicago music scene where Franklin met influential Chicago Rock and Roll, Blues guitarist, Gregg Parker. Parker encouraged Franklin to expand his music to include Rock and Roll, along with his Blues and Jazz repertoire.

In 2000, Franklin left Chicago to play with Las Vegas jazz pianist, Ghallib Ghalab, and went on a Worldwide tour with Grammy nominated Jazz/Urban dance music group, Liquid Soul.

2002, legendary R&B/Funk diva Chaka Khan came to Las Vegas and hired Franklin for the next 2 1/2 years, during which time, Franklin performed and/or recorded with Jazz-Fusion pioneer, Stanley Clarke, Rock guitarist, Richie Kotzen and Bass guitar legend, Billy Sheehan.

In 2005, Franklin had the honor of playing with 22 time Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder and in 2007, 4 time Grammy winner, Lenny Kravitz invited him to become a member of his band. Franklin has been touring worldwide and making TV appearances with Lenny Kravitz for the past 9 years, minus Cindy Blackman-Santana appearances in 2015.

This event is sponsored by TDS, Remo, Vic Firth, Ludwig and Paiste drum companies. Tickets for the Clinic are a suggested donation of $20.00. Please call for Workshop details. The Drummers' Studio is a state-of-the-art music facility located at 244 East Central Street in Franklin. We offer Piano, Bass Guitar, Drums and Guitar lessons. For tickets or Workshop fee information, please contact, Kris Russell at 626-676-2486 or 508-520-1414. Email us at thedrummersstudio@gmail.com or visit www.thedrummerstudio.com

Franklin Historical Museum Event At Almont Gallery In Medway - Aug 28

A unique event allowing a rare opportunity to view selected vintage photographs from the collection of the Franklin Historical Museum will be held at Almont Gallery and Studios August 28th. The public is invited to view classic vintage photos from the museum’s collection which have been digitized for clearer and closer viewing. The images will be shown on giant poster size digital display units hung throughout this one-of-a-kind gallery. 

This is a unique chance to see Franklin’s historic photographs like you’ve never seen them before. Many of the photos are labeled with dates and information, but guests will have the opportunity to name people, locations and events not previously identified. The images date from the early 1900s through the 1950s and include photos of FHS Athletic teams, police and fire department photos, factory and mill images, family photos and many more.

If you love Franklin, love history, love photography and love unique social events, you won’t want to miss this chance to see these vintage photographs come to life. If you find a favorite image, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase the photo.

Almont Gallery is located at Medway Mills, 161 Main Street, across from Choate Park. The event starts at 3:00PM and runs to 6:30PM, light refreshments will be served. 

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing our collection. Admission is free of charge.

Almont Gallery and Studios

You can be in the studio audience! Apr 14th

We would like to invite the public to be part of a studio audience at our new Cable TV studio.  

We are inviting the public to a series of thirty-minute shows on topics trending in education with a focus on raising resilient children.

The first is to be held on April 14th at 9:30 a.m. at the studio on 23 Hutchinson Street.

The topic is:  Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids, featuring Jay Horrigan, who has a wealth of experience through his involvement with sports programs at all levels.

The new studio is beautiful... we are so lucky to have it in our town.  This is a great opportunity for people to visit and interact on topics of interest.

I am hosting the program

       Anne Bergen
(recently retired principal of Horace Mann Middle School)

main entrance to Franklin TV studio on Hutchinson St

Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids - be part of the studio audience!

We would like to invite the public to be part of a studio audience at our new Cable TV studio.  

We are inviting the public to a series of thirty-minute shows on topics trending in education with a focus on raising resilient children.

The first is to be held on April 14th at 9:30 a.m. at the studio on 23 Hutchinson Street.

The topic is:  Giving Youth Sports Back to Our Kids, featuring Jay Horrigan, who has a wealth of experience through his involvement with sports programs at all levels.

The new studio is beautiful... we are so lucky to have it in our town.  This is a great opportunity for people to visit and interact on topics of interest.

I am hosting the program

       Anne Bergen
(recently retired principal of Horace Mann Middle School)

main entrance to Franklin TV studio on Hutchinson St

Franklin Art Center is moving - Sep 1

This was shared on Facebook and in case some of you that only visit here or only read via email missed that news, I am sharing here....

Franklin Art Center - 391 East Central St

Post by Franklin Matters.

Raise high the roof beams, carpenters!

The new Franklin TV studio is under construction at 23 Hutchinson St (between Union and Wachusett) . It will be transforming what was most recently an Indian market to a start of the art TV and radio production studio. Operated by the community TV group as a 501(3) organization it may be ready open later this year.

The interior of the main building is being re-done. There will be a garage and more studio space added for the addition in the back. Franklin.TV is currently operating from the mobile trailer on site while the construction is underway.

On July 15th progress is visible outside

concrete laid and ready for the walls to be framed

side view of rear entrance

footing laid out for the walls to rise

By Saturday, July 19th the walls had risen!

walls framing up

side view of new walls for addition

And by Monday evening, the buildings are being connected and ready for the roof beams!

rear studio with garage entrance

side view of rear entrance - 2

roof sections being prepared

Photos from a walk by during April can be found here (there was snow on the ground at the time, so in the warmth of July the snow may have a cooling effect!)
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/04/franklin-tv-studio-renovation-progress.html



With apologies to JD Salinger for borrowing the title of his novella

Six One Seven Studio - Open House - Jan 9th; 4:30pm to 7:00pm

Hello! 

Just a reminder that the team at Six One Seven Studios would like to cordially invite you to our first open house event on January 9th at 4:30 PM. We are a new Franklin based video production company and would like to celebrate our arrival in Franklin with you, and many other Franklin based businesses.  

Stop by any time between 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM. We are located at 25 Kenwood Circle,  Franklin, MA.  

Please check out our brand new studio, and meet our team of video professionals.  

We hope to see you there and look forward to meeting you! Please spread the word!  

Check out the studio here: www.vimeo.com/82308994 

Please check out our website www.sixonesevenstudios.com were you can view some of our previous work, and see what we're all about. 

Please RSVP by emailing Linda Conley at HMEA lconley@hmea.org 

Or feel free to contact me directly with any questions.

Bryan Roberts
Creative Director | Executive Producer
857-202-7690 25 Kenwood Circle Franklin, MA 02038
www.sixonesevenstudios.com
TELLING YOUR STORY

Six One Seven Studios: Use Facebook to Easily Grow Your Business

Six One Seven Studios December Newsletter Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. December 2013 • How To Use Facebook Advertisements • Facebook Advertisement Best Practices Check out our new website. Click here! Facebook Twitter Let's start with why you spend money on Facebook and how it can help you reach customers. Facebook has more than 1 billion registered users and 618 million daily active users, with those totals continuing to grow. If you sponsor a page or posts and target your ads to a specific audience, you can actually: Grow your Facebook audience. Increase traffic. Boost visibility in the market. Generate leads. Leveraging this capability by creating highly targeted campaigns will result in more successful ads. Think about who you are targeting and why. Who are the main users of your product / service? Is a majority male, female or both? Are your customers typically older or younger? Where are most of your clients coming from? Use Facebook Insights, Insights provide measurements on your Page's performance and are available after at least 30 people like your Page. Find anonymized demographic data about your audience, and see how people are discovering and responding to your posts. This will help you get an idea of the gender, age and location of individuals who like your page and use this data when creating your ads. Learn more how to access Insights click here. The individuals who like your page indicate the type of people who would respond positively to your ads. Focus your ads around these statistics and choose options that make sense. Customize Ads to Your Target Market Once you've focused your target market, the next step is creating ads that cater to that particular group. If the majority of your client base is female, create ads that speak to women. If your brand relates to adventure and family fun, add a photo of a family and create an exciting statement with a call to action. Create Ads That Stand Out Since businesses are only allotted one thumbnail photo and a maximum of 135 characters, you've got to make it count. Use clear, up-close images to really make an impact. Avoid images that are ambiguous or zoomed out. People are more apt to click on ads that interest them and draw in their attention; vibrant and clear images are attention grabbers. It is also important to have interesting text along with your image to encourage a click. An enticing photo may cause individuals to look, but the text is what ultimately makes someone click. Here is an example of an ad that stands out. American Express created an ad that said "Small business owner? Earn points faster for your business. Click here to learn more!" American Express ads are consistently great. The headline and the first line of body copy are questions. There is a "Click here" for the benefit call to action. The later is clearly more catchy, invokes the readers' interest, and includes a call to action. Using text that makes an impact is very important to the success of your ad. Specials and discounts are also catchy and can be successful in advertisements. Continuously Test Your Ads Continue to test your ads to find out what works and what doesn't. It's beneficial to run several ads for a certain period of time and see how they perform. Switch up the pictures or text in ads that aren't performing well and look for any measurable improvements. Run the successful ads in a campaign, but remember, people are continuously changing their tastes and new trends surface, so it's important to always re-evaluate your target market and create ads accordingly. Facebook is the most affordable way to reach a huge number of customers and make them aware of your company's product or service. 1. Strong Call To Action: Always include a clear, simple call to action in your Ad's copy like "Click now" 2. Offers & Discounts: Clearly highlight the benefits (features, discount, special promo) of your product 3. Fun Images: Use a catchy image relevant with the text. The image is the most important element of the Ad. 4. Get To The Point: Text in your ad needs to be right on target and straight to the point. If you want them to Like your page, simply ask. If you want to sell a point, get right to it.    Six One Seven Studios provides complete video, media and graphic services to help get your project from start to finish. Although, if you asked us what we really do, we help people tell their story. We help them tell it well. We help them tell it powerfully. We help them be noticed. We capture the highest quality images and concepts to make your story stand out. We ensure that every project captures and communicates the right message and gets the right results. www.sixonesevenstudios.com 888-234-0405 hello@sixonesevenstudios.com

Copyright © 2013 Six One Seven Studios, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have contacted Six One Seven Studios in the past. Our mailing address is: Six One Seven Studios 430 Franklin Village Drive Box 120 Franklin, MA 02038 Add us to your address book