Behind the Scenes at Cambridge's Zany Television Station

If Cambridge is diverse, eclectic, and sometimes bizarre, Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) is its medium.

Among its offerings: A wrestling enthusiast called "The Artman" hosts a wrestling show in which "priests" are beat up each Easter Sunday; well-known street performer Hugh M. Hill '48--a.k.a. "Brother Blue"--hosts both a radio and a television show.

Among the 150 programs broadcast on the station's three channels (9, 10 and 22) each week, there are shows ranging from "Raise the Roof" (which deals with issues of housing and homelessness) to the "Portuguese Entertainment Network" to "Haitian American Teens TV" to "BeLive: Stone Soup."

In fact, CCTV, founded in 1988, is perhaps the best representation of Cambridge in its diverse, eclectic and even strange forms.

In particular, the BeLive shows have gained certain notoriety in the Cambridge community.

Fifty episodes of the free-form talk show are aired each week, and Carson says there is no censoring.

"You can do what you want [on "BeLive"]...it's no-holds-barred TV," he says.

That radical element of CCTV's programming came under scrutiny earlier this year, after a "BeLive: Crapfest" episode depicting sexual acts being performed on a chicken was broadcast at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 and then replayed at 11 a.m. the next day.

"That's not funny," said Cambridge resident Carol O'Malley in the Sept. 7 Cambridge Chronicle. "It's absolutely disgusting. I'm telling you, it's pornography."

CCTV's offbeat offerings come in other forms as well.

"The Artman," who is an intern at the station, co-hosts the show "BeLive: Wrestling Talk with DWF" with his brother.

"Every Easter Sunday we beat up a priest," The Artman says.

The Artman says that a lot of people recognize his brother at the mall because of their show, and that a lot of people watch CCTV in Cambridge.

"Everyone loves wrestling in Cambridge for some reason," he affirms.

Regardless of the controversial nature of some of its shows, CCTV members say the station provides a great introduction to video and television production. CCTV offers classes in video production and computer technology, and free or low-cost access to production equipment.

And though the programs they tape may be zany, television production at CCTV is not laidback.

At the taping of the first episode of "Inside Capitol Hill with Congressman Capuano" last Wednesday, it proved to be complicated and stressful work.

Ground Control

With minutes to go before showtime, the tension inside CCTV's Master Control room is palpable.

Rep. Michael E. Capuano (D-Somerville) is waiting on the makeshift set--two chairs and a fake tree--chatting easily with the program's host, M. Yawu Miller.

But the people behind the scenes are showing more stress.

Director Dawn E. Morrissey is shuttling between the control room and the studio as she instructs the crew about camera shots and sound levels.

"Everybody set to go?" she asks at 7:24, closing the door between the two rooms.

Technical Director Brian R. Leclerc, who has not worked on a production since August, is a bit rusty.

"I'm still not clear as to what is happening here," he says, looking somewhat frazzled.

Morrissey guides him through the plan for the show's beginning--cutting to black, and then to Miller and Capuano in the studio--a few more times.

Moments before the show begins, four Capuano staff members crowd the already small control room to watch the proceedings.

At 7:30, Morrissey turns the bright lights of the control room off.

"Quiet on set!" she yells.

After a practice opening, at 7:39 the taping of the actual program finally begins.

All eyes focus on the two angles of Capuano that appear on television screens in the control room.

He's discussing the partisan atmosphere in Washington, but the topic only seems to matter to his staff members.

"That's lovely," Morrissey exclaims to her crew members as a smooth transition between shots is made.

"Everybody hold your shots, you're doing really well," she says 9 minutes into the broadcast, simultaneously directing camera operators through a headset and the workers in the control room.

Soon, however, a camera shot swerves and loses its focus.

"Hold your shot, Annie! What are you doing?" Morrissey says. But a reassuring "everybody's fine" follows a moment later.

Capuano, meanwhile, has switched to one of his bread-and-butter topics: affordable housing.

But a commercial break is approaching, and Miller must abruptly interrupt him.

"The Congressman should stop talking," Morrissey jokes, bringing chuckles from the Capuano staff members.

Following a two-minute break, Morrissey gleefully claps her hands as a successful transition into the second half of the program is made.

"Excellent! See, that's why you're a camerawoman," she exclaims, as a fade shot of Capuano is deftly executed.

With Capuano answering Miller's questions about health care, education, and the workings of Capitol Hill rapidly and articulately, the rest of the program runs smoothly.

"I think the truth is the best politics and the best government," he says.

Soon after, the credits roll and the crew members stretch their arms. Capuano comes into the control room, thanks everybody, and briskly leaves, already late for his next appointment.

A Natural High

Relaxing after the show, CCTV members discuss their jobs--and their love of adrenaline.

"You get a buzz when you're producing...this buzz, this rush, this high," says George Libbares, one of the crew members for the Capuano taping.

" I love it, it's addicting," adds Libbares, who has been working at CCTV for four years.

Libbares seem just as excited about CCTV's facilities.

One room he describes is Edit 3, where technicians can edit video footage by splicing footage from one tape to another.

"Even though you're only going tape-to-tape, you can still do some kick-ass stuff [in here]," Libbares says.

Then there's the Avid Room, where producers use high-tech digitized footage.

"This is the next wave of video production," Libbares says excitedly.

One hallway has particular meaning.

"This is our Wall of Fame. We kick ass," Libbares says, pointing to the plaques adorning the wall in the main hallway.

Jim M. Lisi, who controlled the lighting and audio for the Capuano show, says he enjoys the artistic, teamwork-oriented video production of CCTV.

"As an artist, it gives me an opportunity for people to express themselves," Lisi says.

That team spirit is a big draw at CCTV.

"Honestly, you meet a lot of interesting people down here, good or bad," says Kevin Carson, the station's facilities manager, audio manager and programming assistant. "That's what keeps me coming back for more."

The learning curve is high at the station. Morrissey, who so confidently directed the Capuano taping, says she only started at CCTV 21 months ago, while Libbares says he didn't know anything about television production before coming to CCTV.

"I didn't know diddly," he says, adding that the awards CCTV has won--including one for "Overall Excellence" at the 1998 Hometown Video Festival--reflect the "really cool instruction" the station offers.

Still, despite the educational programs and experience it offers, the taste exhibited in CCTV's atmosphere of free speech is sometimes questionable.

At 9 p.m., less than an hour after the Capuano taping had finished, "Crapfest" comes on the air, again showing sexual acts being performed on a chicken.

"It's one of our better shows," says one CCTV worker with a deadpan expression.