December 2006

MNN Remembers Zak

Dec 29, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

JOSEPH BERNARD ZAK 1926-2006Joseph Bernard Zak, the elderly punk rocker and member of the MNN show "Team Spider," died on December 13th at St. Luke's hospital. He was 80 years old. Zak prided himself on being the “Most Prolific Songwriter in the History of the World," writing approximately 30,000-40,000 original song lyrics. Zak was born in 1926, in upstate New York, and was apparently raised by Franciscan priests. He studied to become a priest himself, mastering several languages and religious texts. His sharp tongue soon got him expelled from the brotherhood and he was forced to join the Navy, serving in the Pacific during World War II. Zak went on to become a teacher and mentor at a home for delinquent boys, a night watchman and a hotel doorman before joining Team Spider. Zak's legacy lives on...

Team Spider on MNN Wednesdays at 10:30 pm on TWC 57/RCN 85/MNN.org. See www.teamspider.com for more info.

Looking Back and Moving Forward: A Year in the Fight to Save Public Access TV!

Dec 20, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Back in September 2005, a cluster of anti-Community Access TV legislation emerged in the Washington—and we faced the greatest threat to Public Access TV in its thirty-five year history. Today, after fifteen months of campaigning and organizing by MNN’s producers, supporters, saveaccess.org, and our community allies, the threat is still real—but we have a clearer understanding of what may happen in the future. In recent months, since the Congressional Bills have been stalled, the telephone companies have been putting their efforts into lobbying for a statewide franchise system—and attack Public Access TV and the local franchising in this way.

Here’s an update on our campaign efforts to Save Public Access TV on the local, state and national level:

What’s happening nationally?

On June 8th, the House or Representatives passed the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (COPE Act) by 269 votes to 152. A companion bill immediately followed in the Senate’s Commerce Committee. But the Senate bill...

MNN's 2007 Grantees

Dec 14, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

MNN's Community Media Grant Program now in its 14th year, just announced its grantees for 2007. Community Media will allocate $170,000 to support community-based groups throughout Manhattan in learning how to produce or expand their skills for television programming production.

The Program’s mission is two-fold: It enables groups to increase their media capacity in reaching to a broader constituency, while providing new and fresh programming for the channel.

Twenty groups representing the arts, immigrants and youth, among others, were awarded grants ranging from $3,500 to$14,000 in three categories. The grantees include:

For the Curatorial Category (Groups use existing video and film material to create special programming): Rooftop Films, Third World Newsreel, African Diaspora Film Festival, The Urban Visionaries Film Festival and Asian Cinevision

For the Tactical Media Toolkit Category (Groups receive a media package that includes a camera and a computer): NEDAP, Mexicanos Unidos, Time’s Up, The Sikh Coalition, FIERCE, and the Brecht Forum.

For Training & Production (In addition to equipment, groups also receive production trainingl):...

AIDS @ 25

Dec 14, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

From Dec. 1-10 MNN presented a special program series called AIDS @ 25 that focused on the need to sustain awareness of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. We featured never-before-seen programs such as "AIDS in the Black Community" and "SIDA en la Comunidad Latina."

You can still catch repeats of the series programming on our four channels, and we hope you can take the time to fill out our important survey to voice your opinion on our programming. We also have a page of resources related to AIDS @ 25 that includes more information on our programs and information on HIV testing in New York.

NYC Premiere of Uprooted this Wednesday!

Dec 11, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

Join us for the New York Premiere of UPROOTED (2006)
Directed by Donia Mili

Wednesday, December 13th @ 7pm @ MNN

Recorded in occupied Palestine, UPROOTED explores questions and forms of resistance witnessed and experienced in this permanent war zone.

The film attempts to answer the question of what constitutes resistance, and examines the tendency prevalent in the post 9/11 world to classify all resistance as terrorism. Featuring a hauntingly honest narration and striking imagery, the film is the work of self-proclaimed "guerrilla filmmaker," Donia Mili, who took up a camera for the first time in order to tell this important story.

Join the Director for a Q & A after the film.
FREE TO THE PUBLIC.

MNN'S OPEN STUDIO
537 W. 59th Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues in Manhattan)
Trains: 9/A/C/B/D to Columbus Circle
N/R/Q/W to 57th Street

Please RSVP to ...

Survey for AIDS Programming Series, Dec. 1-10

Dec 4, 2006 By Manhattan Neighborhood Network

We hope you've been able to catch some of our special programming in conjunction with World AIDS Day. If you have, please take a moment to fill out an online survey to help us produce even better programming in the future.

The ten-day programming series continues through Dec. 10. (Check listings on our schedule.) We will be airing shows from our vast archives from the past 15 years, as well as re-airing the new shows that debuted Dec. 1.

On December 10th, be sure to catch special programming curated by MNN's Youth Channel, in collaboration with UNICEF's International Children's Day of Broadcast. The programming will air on TW 34/78 RCN 83 from 10am to 6pm.