Tom Brokaw? Who dat?

Since I first arrived in Copceac in November, 2005, my first host-mother here was asking me to help her with her part-time job of running the local television station.  I really wasn't interested, which made for an interesting living situation and may be at least partly responsible for me moving out.  I felt there were bigger fish to fry - getting running water, better heating, improving schools - than improving a device that would allow Moldovans to spend even more time than they already do (which is a lot) in front of the boob tube.

But as I continued to hear about this idea from her and after discussing it with the mayor and local attorney, I came around to the idea of fixing up the local TV station - and here's why...  There is no local media outlet in this village.  Everything is by word of mouth - which, at least, as it relates to my activities seems to spread through the village at warp speed.  But in other areas that do not concern the sole American living here, news proceeds more slowly and often gets garbled along the way.  In America, the media often expose and focus the public spotlight on abuses, which eventually lead to reform.  Nothing like that happens here because the media is often completely or semi-state run.  If independent, journalism is such a new field that stories do little more than repeat what talking heads say and fail to delve deeply into the issues, let alone take part in any kind of self-directed investigative journalism.  So, from a reform- and democratic-minded point of view, with a goal of bringing more information to the 10,000 residents of Copceac so they can make better decisions about their lives, I began to see value in revamping the local television station.

Apparently, during the Soviet times there was a pretty decent station here, but now the antennae is broken, the video camera is broken, and editing is done by copying one VHS tape onto another.  Nowadays, most of the "shows" consist of text scrolling across the screen while some random still picture creates a background.

So, we wrote a grant to the US Embassy's Democracy Commission Small Grants Program, and yesterday I found out we won!  The grant will give us about $5,000 to repair the antennae, purchase a new mini-DV video camera, a computer, and several miscellaneous products.  Though no Steven Spielberg, I have some experience making short films on my computer, so I will help teach those working at the TV station how to use the new technology to produce quality news programs.  I may even do a beginner English language weekly show once the project gets off the ground - or maybe something called "Cooking Without Potatoes."

Looking at this whole project from a more general standpoint, I think it's a good example of how PCVs tend to not fully understand their sites when we first arrive, but eventually figure things out.  I had some preconceived notions about what was needed - water, better schools, etc.  And while I still maintain that those things are important, there are other groups within the village working with some success on those problems, they're issues that are probably too big for just me, and they don't really fall within my area of expertise.  [Really, what do I know about water pipes and drainage systems?]  But, after some time here and learning the layout - and matching that information with my own interests and skills - this PCV came up with a successful project, or at least one that I hope will be.  I'm sure more will come on this topic as we move to implement the funds that were awarded.