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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information Berkshire Senior TV is honored
By Louisa Weeden
In September, Elder Services received the “Annie Award” from Pittsfield Community Television, in whose Federico Drive facility the community access cable show, “Berkshire Senior TV,” is produced and taped.
The Annie Award recognizes Elder Services’ “outstanding achievement” in the use of television programming to advance Elder Services’ mission while improving the quality of life in the community. The award was named after Ann Moran, who contributed significantly to the greater Berkshire community through her dedicated involvement with United Way.
Two “Berkshire Senior TV” programs are taped each month, featuring topics of interest to local seniors and the surrounding community. Guests are selected and interviewed by Elder Services’ staff, and the shows are produced by volunteers under the supervision of Elder Services’ Volunteer Supervisor, Angela Fields. The volunteers man the three cameras and orchestrate the sound board and other engineering functions that go into producing the shows. PCTV staff person Norm Schaffer oversees the entire process and provides invaluable direction behind the scenes. The shows are aired weekly throughout Berkshire County.
Elder Services Executive Director Robert P. Dean upon receiving the award for the agency, said, “We are very pleased to work in partnership with Pittsfield Community Television to provide Berkshire seniors and the larger community with the information they need on such topics as Social Security, home safety, reverse mortgages, scams, money management, winter-proofing your home, end-of-life care, long-term care options, housing alternatives, and choosing a nursing home, to name just a few. We thank Bernie Avalle, Norm Schaffer, and the other staff members of Pittsfield Community Television for making this partnership possible and helping us create a professional show worthy of this award.