Through the years the staff of HTV has gotten involved with a number of community organizations. This involvement has ranged from providing crews to tape community events and forums to the production of Public Service Announcements for air on local affiliates. In recent years the students on the HTV staff have earned donations of support for the production of industrial videos, or for providing footage of events sponsored by community groups which can not afford to hire professional videographers and editors. We have also shot school events like the "Every 15 Minutes" program for area schools that have no video production department. Hillcrest is also a "Partner in Education" with local NBC affiliate KYTV. Since 1995, Hillcrest students have covered teen issues in a two-minute package each week on the "Five O'Clock Show." Shot and edited totally by the HHS broadcast students, it's given our program wide exposure, and we've learned more about TV news. The station is quick to provide guest speakers, as well as to offer tips, story ideas, and subtle pointers on technique. Two or three times each school year our student reporters are live on-set at KY3 to introduce their own stories. Occasionally students from HTV shadow professionals at the station, or fill an internship in the summer. The partnership has been identified as a model for other network affiliates by the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation (RTNDF). In the fall of 2002, KY3 received a grant from RTNDF to assist HTV will the purchase of new digital equipment to improve the overall video quality of the "Our Turn" segment at a point when the old HTV cameras were on their last legs. SPS Channel 25 is the cable access channel operated by the Springfield Public Schools. It is here that "HTV Magazine" is aired. This channel is also home to the yearly "Buzz-a-thon" fundraiser. Our studio modulator is the link to taped or live programming on SPS 25 with the flip of a switch. It's a great advantage, but it comes with responsibility as well. The access channel does not allow commercials, and of course the content of the programming must be clean and above board. There is no prior restraint practiced on the access channel at this time. Many local cable stations frequently allow schools to air productions. Contact yours and see what may be available for your school.