Frequently Asked Questions |
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1. My local station doesn't air IN THE LIFE. Why not?
That's a good question. The "gay" experience is part of the American Story - deeply involved in some of its most pivotal moments: The Civil Rights Movement, The Stonewall Rebellion, AIDS Awareness. It's a question that, ultimately, only your station can answer, and best put to it in the form of a letter.
Remember: Viewers like you have the most power in influencing your station's programming. You can do it in two ways that we recommend in this order:
While the actual content of the letter is up to you, remember that simple questions like, "Why don't you air IN THE LIFE at a better time?" or "Would you consider airing IN THE LIFE more frequently?" get to the root of the issue. Although the chances of a program director deciding to air us at a better time based on one letter is highly unlikely, repeated requests can have an impact on the station's programming. The sustained and consistent efforts from you and other individuals will add-up and be remembered. If you would like something to help get you started, you can find sample letters on our GET IN THE LIFE page: http://www.inthelifetv.org/servlet/getitl
If you would still prefer to view it on big-screen, you might consider hosting a viewing party and get a DVD sent to you from IN THE LIFE. It's a great way to build community among your peers, as well as being the perfect opportunity to organize a letter-writing campaign.
As you know, there's strength in numbers. Get your friends, colleagues and anyone else you can think of that would support this effort in a letter writing campaign. You might also consider collecting signatures with a petition drive. You can even make a formal request of the station on behalf of IN THE LIFE. Requests like these have proven to be very effective with getting IN THE LIFE on other stations around the country (e.g. WNJN (Trenton, New Jersey), KCET (Los Angeles, CA), WTTW (Chicago, IL)). Though present and past episodes of IN THE LIFE can be seen or downloaded anytime by visiting our website: www.inthelifetv.org, those without a computer should still be able to see the program on their public television station.
To learn more about it, go to: http://www.inthelifetv.org/servlet/getitl
2. My station airs IN THE LIFE, but the airtimes aren't at a convenient hour. Is there anything that can be done about that?
Yes. You can help us by letting your station know that being able to watch IN THE LIFE is important to you, and that it should find a consistent timeslot in the station's program schedule.
Among the things we do at In The Life Media is to advocate for better and more consistent airtimes from the stations that air IN THE LIFE to increase the opportunities viewers have access it. As you might imagine, at times it can seem an uphill struggle. But we believe it's a critical step in fulfilling our organization's mission: to provide information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, document the ongoing LGBT civil rights movement, and produce diverse images of the LGBT community to create better understanding and acceptance. Unfortunately, being only one of many producing organizations that your station interacts with - and has to balance the needs of - it's sometimes difficult to have IN THE LIFE's voice heard.
For specific steps that you can take to engage your local public television in dialogue about improving its airtime for IN THE LIFE, please refer to the answer to FAQ #1. Public television has a mandate to serve its public. Providing convenient airtimes is an aspect of that!
3. I'm an educator and want to use IN THE LIFE in my classes. Who should I contact?
Educators have long used IN THE LIFE as a teaching tool to prompt discussion, increase cultural competency, and illustrate the human face of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. To learn more, or inquire about using IN THE LIFE for educational purposes, please go to: http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/other/For%20Educators.html
4. I want to support In The Life Media (IN THE LIFE). How can I do that?
A: First, thank you! We rely on the support of individuals and organizations who believe that independent media that tackles the issues and tells the truth, is the cornerstone of any community.
IN THE LIFE doesn't receive funding from the Corporate for Public Broadcasting, or from our distributor American Public Television, or from any of the 246 stations across the country that air our programming.
In addition to becoming a member of IN THE LIFE, there are also opportunities to support us by volunteering at any of In The Life Media's special events or joining our mailing list.
To learn more about supporting us, please go to: http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/joinus.shtml
5. I'm interested in working/interning at In The Life Media. Who should I get in touch with?
We invite you to join our dynamic and hard working staff committed to producing television that produces change for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. To learn more about existing opportunities, please go to our Jobs & Internships page and follow the instructions noted there: http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/jobs.shtml
6. I'm a producer/independent filmmaker and want to submit my reel to In The Life Media. How should I go about doing this?
An important part of IN THE LIFE's 17-year heritage of producing powerful stories about the people and issues shaping the gay experience, nationally and abroad, has been the independent producing community.
To learn more about opportunities for producers, please go to: http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/other/For%20Producers.html |
Documentary stories from the gay experience
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