About Us
WKMCTV is a student-run facility cable-casting to portions of a three-county area in Central Pennsylvania via Service Electric Cable channel 13. Select educational and cultural programming is also broadcast via Youtube. In addition, the facility operates a fixed transmission link (FCC call sign WLX267) to points within the district transmitting media supporting the educational mission of the Mount Carmel Area School District. The studio facility and control room are located in the Mount Carmel Area High School and are maintained by the district.
History
WKMCTV began with the vision of Mount Carmel Area School District Art Teacher George McFee. Mr. McFee originated this program in 1968, when he embarked on a joint venture with cable company owner and Mount Carmel businessman Steve Jepko to form WJPMTV. The pioneer station was staffed by high school students and cable company workers. Cooperating together they built the first facility on Oak Street in Mount Carmel, using raw materials to construct a studio, control room, work shop, offices and green room above the local cable company store. The value of the program for the students was two-fold. In order to produce a variety of programming, they became skilled in many technologies and crafts that were state-of-the-art and in high demand. Secondly, through production they became exposed to a variety of issues involving education, business, politics, science, and culture working side-by-side with professionals in different areas of expertise. in a short period their efforts became generative as community support for programming reinforced a solid work ethic that celebrated both team and individual accomplishments.
Programming
Each school day, the students produce MCA LIVE, a live news-format program featuring school news, community information, high school sports, concerts, and local cultural features. The program is recorded and replayed in sequence with several hundred prerecorded videos featuring local issues and initiatives. Additional topics includes education, instructional, and cultural interests. Full-length productions of school and community events are broadcast on select weeknights. All the while the underlying goals remains the same. Students learn journalism and technology, become responsible workers, work through processes, and produce quality programming that is of interest to the community around them.
Benefits
WKMCTV incorporates a creative-reflective team approach to implement solutions in real-world situations. This experience allows students to exercise problem-solving abilities and transfer their knowledge across a variety of applications to produce a quality product that displays on a world stage. A student at WKMCTV writes, assembles, operates, discusses, evaluates, compares, measures, interprets, controls, commands, produces, prepares, designs, draws, collaborates, delegates, persuades, decides, adjusts, composes, connects, anticipates, explains, displays, delivers, describes, codes, troubleshoots, captures, compresses, shoots, edits, downloads, develops, organizes, analyzes, improves and directs within the programming, not only in front of peers but at times a live audience. WKMCTV students become proven workers who take ownership of the task-at-hand. Through their experience they move forward with skills and confidence that serve them well in preparing them for success in any field.