FAQs
- Getting Your Public Service Announcement On KCAT
- Getting Your Program Onto KCAT
- Airing Programs On KCAT
- Will KCAT Videotape My Event?
- Is KCAT Available For Professional Production?
Getting Your Public Service Announcement Onto KCAT
KCAT airs public service announcements (PSAs) at no charge to community organizations. PSAs typically air on our community message Board, which is on the air numerous hours each day.KCAT also accepts videotaped PSAs.
PSAs are reserved exclusively for non-profit organizations, schools and government.
Guidelines & Tips for submitting PSAs for our community Message Board:
- PSAs must be submitted at least two weeks ahead of the anticipated "start" date. Note: Four to six weeks of lead time is preferred. The longer we have it, the longer we can air it. Last minute PSA requests cannot be accommodated. Event-related PSAs must come with a "kill" date that tells us when to stop airing the announcement. Generic, on-going PSAs do not need a kill date. PSAs must be for the benefit of non-profit, educational or government institutions. The announcement must not promote a commercial business, product or service.
- Please remember that your message must fit onto a single TV screen. Therefore we suggest that you be brief and to-the-point. 20 - 25 words is best.
- We strongly suggest that your message include a phone number or Internet contact for viewers who want more information.
- If you wish to include computer-ready graphics we may be able to accommodate your request. Please submit in a Power Point, JPEG, TIFF or BMP. Please consider television screen ratios when submitting graphics.
Guidelines for Videotaped PSAs:
- We accept PSAs in the following videotape formats: DVD (preferred), DVCam, DVCPro, Mini-DV, SVHS, or VHS. (Note: We cannot air Beta or ¾ inch formats.)
- Lengths should be :30 or :60 seconds. Longer PSAs will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- We occasionally have time slots available that can accommodate long-form PSAs that are sometimes used as part of presentations to community groups, etc. If your organization has such a tape, we will consider airing it as a program. PSAs must be for the benefit of a non-profit, educational or government institution. The announcement must not promote a commercial business, product or service.
- PSAs must be submitted at least two weeks before their start date. Note: four to six weeks lead time is preferred.
- Event-related PSAs must come with a "kill" date so that we do not air the PSA after the event has taken place..
All PSAs are subject to the review and approval of KCAT and must meet our overall programming guidelines. Submission of a PSA does not guarantee that it will air. Scheduling is done at the sole discretion of KCAT
Getting Your Program Onto KCAT
KCAT airs two types of programs: Those that are produced by KCAT and programs that are produced elsewhere and submitted for cablecast.
Programs produced at KCAT are created by community volunteers. These volunteers are trained in video production and use our facilities to create programs.
Programs that are pre-produced elsewhere can also be submitted for cablecast on KCAT. Such programs must have a community sponsor, a resident of Los Gatos or Monte Sereno, who requests that the program be carried on KCAT.
For both types of programming the producer, or community sponsor, must sign a standard agreement, provided by KCAT, that sets forth certain requirements and collects basic information about the program including technical information (length, tape format, etc.). The producer/community sponsor also attests that the program meets all applicable legal guidelines including copyright laws.
Programming priority is given to KCAT productions. We also require at least two weeks lead time for the scheduling of programs. This is important to remember for programs that are event-specific.
For further information call KCAT at 408-395-KCAT.
Airing Programs On KCAT
KCAT is a Community Access television station. Many of the programs that we air are produced independently, including programs from other Community Access stations. Residents of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno are invited to submit programs for air on KCAT. We do, however, have the following guidelines:
- All programs must be free of commercial material.
- Programs may not violate copyright laws. In the case of programs produced by a third party, written permission must be obtained by the producer or copyright holder.
- Programs must not be defamatory or contain obscene content as defined by law.
- Programs must meet KCAT's technical standards.
- All programs must have a community sponsor who will be responsible for providing copies of the program, and who will assume overall responsibility for the program's content.
KCAT maintains the right to schedule all programs. This includes the day and time of the cablecast.
There are other specific guidelines. For further information contact KCAT at (408) 395-5228.
Will KCAT Videotape My Event?
KCAT is a small, nonprofit volunteer-based organization. As such we are somewhat limited in our ability to cover events. Unlike commercial TV stations we do not have news crews who are "ready to roll" at a moment's notice.
If you have an event that you would like to have videotaped, either for your own records or to have aired on KCAT, please submit your request at least 30 days prior to the event. We will evaluate each request and determine if any of our volunteers are interested and available to shoot the event.
Please note that KCAT will ask you to bear the production costs which will vary depending on the complexity and length of the event.
Is KCAT Available For Professional Production?
One of the ways KCAT helps to pay for our productions and operations is through the rental of our studio and other facilities for professional productions.
KCAT features a 3-camera studio with two cyc walls, lighting grid, audio and graphics capabilities. We also have a professional "fly pack" available for field productions. Our rates are highly competitive. In addition KCAT has professional directors, camera, audio and other production crew available for hire. We can also help facilitate the hiring of talent, writers, editors and other production professionals.
Because KCAT shares are our facilities with Los Gatos High School we are somewhat limited in the times in which we can accommodate studio rentals.
For details on pricing and availability please call KCAT at 408-395-KCAT.