Abington Residents' Comments
about Channel 43

These comments were shared in early 2006 as we were asking to get underway....

 

For Commissioner Myers   - I am in strong support of changing the programming on Abington's Channel 43. I have believed for years that all Township Commissioner and School Board meetings should be broadcast on a regular basis to allow all citizens access to the information and proposals made at these meetings. The time to start that is now.
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For Commissioner Weilheimer – Please Televise
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  For Commissioner  Ring – email Please televise the meetings and get more programming Channel 43, owned and operated by Abington Township in conjunction with the Abington School District is one of the most under-used of the Government and Public Access Channels in this area. Abington residents have long wanted to get the programming upgraded, but have met with no success. I am tired of seeing the scrolling bulletin board and want to see our governmental meetings aired as the first improvement, and then to stick with the issue for more programming.
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 For Commissioner M. O’Connor – email I live in ward 3 and Michael O'Connor is my commissioner. I am very much in favor of broadcasting meetings on Channel 43.

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For Commissioner Ring - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming.
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 For Commissioner Ring – Email  E Committee - Chan 43 in Abington
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For CommissionerRing - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner Gillespie - Caller  - who spoke to the Commissioner  to televise the meetings
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 For Commissioner J. O’Connor (per address) - Email please televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Caller asking to televise
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Email
I've grown up with the Abington channel being no more than colored words.  Sometimes I'd watch the Cheltenham channel - and wondered why abington students couldn't have a similar site.  There are plenty of students who'd love to be involved in an A/V program.  And the board meetings, something which are already filmed, should be shown on the channel as well.  The more opportunity for students to partake in their governmental processes, the better.  Why don't we have a great channel like other districts?  The resources seem to be available.
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Caller- Please Televise
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For Commissioner J. O’Connor - Email   Please Televise the Meetings and Get More Programming   You have my full support!
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 For Commissioner J. O’Connor - Caller Please televise
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 For Commissioner Ring - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Email Please televise the meetings
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For Commissioner  Lynott - Email dear Sir  please televise the township meetings and get more programs.
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For Commissioner Carlin - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming.
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For Commissioner Agostine – Caller-Add me to the list
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For Commissioner Wachter - Email  Channel 43 E-committee
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For Commissioner Wachter – Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner Ring - Email   "Channel 43" Please televise the Township Board meetings, committee meetings and other relevant meetings on Channel 43 so that residents can stay attuned to the inter-workings of their local government.  Thank you,
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For Commissioner M. O’Connor - Caller - Please televise
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For Commissioner  Gillespie – Email   Abington Township Meetings on Channel 43

Dear Mike,  After attending the recent Abington Commissioners Meeting, regarding programming ideas for the Township's Government Access channel 43, my wife and I would like to request that Abington Township meetings be included in the Township broadcast schedule on channel 43.  Most Township residents have very busy schedules, which can make it difficult to attend Township meetings - so in fairness to the taxpaying residents of the Township, broadcasting the meetings on channel 43 would certainly keep the residents better informed about issues facing our community.  As for the suggestion that the minutes of the meetings can be found on the Township website, - there are residents that do not have access to the internet, and sadly, it also can take months for the minutes of the meetings to be updated on the Township website - so this is not an informational option for the community.  Looking forward to seeing Abington Township Meetings on channel 43 soon.
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For Commissioner  Weilheimer - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming

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For Commissioner J. O’Connor - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming
Good luck! If I can help, please let me know. My commissioner is Jay O'Connor, Ward 4. -
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For Commissioner  Weilheimer - Email Yes, do sign us up for any information. We do care about the issues in our area.
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For Commissioner  Gillespie - Email  Please Televise the Meetings and Get More Programming
Just saw this e-mail today, though I know it's past the March 1st meeting. I'd love to see meetings televised. My commissioner is Mike Gillespie. Thanks,
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For Commissioner  M O’Connor (per address) - Email Concerned Citizen Request
Please televise the meeting, get more programming, and work on the music and sound accompaniment of your announcements- it's awful! Thank you.
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For Commissioner  Weilheimer - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner  Ring (per address) but thought Commissioner was Lynott - Email "Channel 43"  Thanks to one and all for your efforts for Abington citizens. I have contacted the commissioners and urged them to immediately start airing the commissioner's meetings on TV. I feel we do not need 24 hr. programming, let's just go with what we have available now which are the meetings and some school activities. We are a first class township and we should proudly show it.
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 For Commissioner  Weilheimer - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming  Re Channel 43:  My family would watch this channel, not for entertainment, but to see our township government and school district in action.  To see the Commissioner's meetings, committee meetings and School Board meetings would be a real asset. I hope that our commissioner, Gail Weilheimer, will support our wishes. Thanks for your attention.
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 For Commissioner  Weilheimer - Email  Please show the meeting
To Whom it May Concern:  Please begin airing the Abington Township Commissioner meetings on Channel 43.  My husband and I would watch every one.Thank you very much for your effort to implement this programming improvement!
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For Commissioner  Carlin - Email - township meetings
Just recently, I became aware of the fact that the Township Commissioner's meetings could be televised on local channel 43 very easily. Without addressing the reasons why this has not happened to date, I would strongly suggest that this be done immediately so that all of us can become involved and understand the problems in this township and how they are being addressed. I cannot see any reason for this not to happen, as it can only lead to getting all of the Abington Townships residents to become involved and to want to participate in local questions.
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For Commissioner Agostine - Email  Please televise the meetings.  Do not want an elaborate studio either.
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For Commissioner M. O’Connor - Email Please televise the meetings and Get more programming
Our commissioner is Michael O'Connor.  The Cheltenham channel has some good programming from the high school. It would be good to involve Abington students in producing programming. Perhaps Jenkintown could be involved as well.

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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Email Please televise township meetings Please improve the content on channel 43.
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming Channel 43, owned an operated by Abington Township in conjunction with the Abington School District is one of the most under-used of the Government and Public Access Channels in this area.  Abington residents have long wanted to get the programming upgraded, but have met with no success.  Please consider improving the programming so as to be helpful for residents, starting with announcements of government meetings.
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 For Commissioner Zappone - Email "Chan 43" PLEASE TELEVISE THE MEETINGS AND GET MORE PROGRAMMING  OUR COMMISSIONER IS DENNIS ZAPPONE
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For Commissioner  Benzak - Email Please Televise the Meetings and Get More 
My commisioner is Les Benzak, Ward 6. I have long thought that meetings should be televised. There is really no excuse not to. We can't all go to meetings, especially those of us with young children. And yet, so many decisions get made that affect our children and the only citizens involved tend to be the ones who don't want to spend any money on the schools or the parks.
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For Commissioner Agostine - Email Please televise… In the Times Chronicle of 03/05/06 Commissioner Agostine is reported as saying that many of her residents do not have cable. I question that generalization and would like to know the basis for the Commissioner's statement. Is it fact or belief only? Please let me know if you are unable to get an answer to this question from Commissioner Agostine.  Thank you.
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For Commissioner  Lynott - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming

Mr Lynott is my commissioner
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For Commissioner  Weilheimer (per address) - Email Please Televise the meetings and get more programming
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For Commissioner  Ring - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming My Commissioner is James Ring. I think that as a "public access" channel, the Boy Scouts have as much right as anybody to use some airtime to publicize its program. Thank You,
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For Commissioner  DiJoseph (not sure) - Email Please televise meetings and get more programming. Just to have access to school board meetings for those who cannot always attend would be so helpful to all abington Township residents. Thank You
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For Commissioner  Agostine - Caller  Doretta Agostine Ward 7 Commissioner – Not sure how I can help—please keep me informed.
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For Commissioner  Schreiber - Caller Please televise the meetings Lori Schreiber ( is commissioner)
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For Commissioner Weilheimer - Email Please televise meetings, etc.
This is an important issue. I'm uncertain of who will be funding the equipment and running the cameras. This should not be funded by the Township or the School Board. Their budgets are tight enough. I live in Ward 1 and my commissioner is Gail Weilheimer.
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For Commissioner  Agostine - Email  please televise the meetings, Doretta ( is Commissioner )
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Ring  - Email Please televise the meetings and get more programming Please let Jim Ring know we care about this.
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For Commissioner Ring - Caller in support
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DiJoseph - Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming
I would like to see the township televise meetings.My commissioner is Carol DiJoseph.
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Lynott - Email please televise meetings and GET MORE PROGRAMMING!!! If I have to read one more time about delinquent taxes, I think I will scream!!! I can't believe this issue has been dragging on as long as it has been. Aren't there more important things going on? Hope to see a better channel 43 soon.
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Benzak - Email  Televise the meetings  Why is it that more and more political meeting are trying to keep tax payers in the dark? And how come the "new Commissioners" don't have a problem with televising the meetings?  Maybe we need more "new Commissioners" (Way to go Les and Lori). Lets go Abington. What are you waiting for? It's there use it. TELEVISE THE MEETINGS FOR THE TAX PAYERS!!!!!!!!!!
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For Commissioner  Wachter – Caller Add us to the list
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For Commissioner Gillespie - Caller - who also  said she called her Commissioner
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For Commissioner Zappone - Caller add me to list
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For Commissioner  Gillespie - Caller  I am in support of televising
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For Commissioner  Lynott - Caller  I am in support of televising 
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For Commissioner  Wachter - Caller in support and will call Commissioner
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For Commissioner M. O’Connor – Email   Channel 43 E-Committee
Ward 3 Michael O’Connor
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For Commissioner Weilheimer -  We would like all public meetings of Abington Twp. to be televised on channel 43 We live in Ward 1 and our commisioner is Gail Weliheimer

 Also we had emails  where the Commissioner was not named --- for example

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Email :
Please televise the meetings and get more programming- Regarding the Channel 43 issue.  I believe that we should use this venue as Cheltenham does theirs and televise - Public meetings, so the elderly and the just plain extremely busy people can see what is going on in the township and get more involved. -School activities - such as school plays, concerts, etc. -Make this channel available to our budding artists and film students throughout the school district. I have long believed that this is the most boring station on the channel line-up - although it is useful when there is a snow day!  Thank you,
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Email  Please televise the meetings and get more programming
Please add the (deleted) household to your committee. We too would really like 'our' tv channel to be much more than the mindless scrolling PowerPoint that it is. There is absolutely no reason that it can not be a vital informative asset to Abington.

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EMAIL
I don’t understand why the meetings have not ever been televised in the past? Other townships televise meetings.
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 Email  Please Televise the Meetings and Get More Programming  Let's move into the electronic age like our neighboring districts.
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 Email RE: E-Committee For Channel 43 in Abington In addition to the items detailed below, you may want to consider interviews with a variety of residents in our area. For example: famous athletes (I understand Reggie Jackson grew up in Wyncote), artists, actors, journalists, writers, business persons, teachers, etc.
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Many  Emails simply stating:   Please televise the meetings and get more programming.

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And these emails that we considered NOT in support of televising that did not name the Commissioner

EMAIL: I'm not interested in watching any meetings, but would like to see youth sporting events. Thank you.

EMAIL: I DO NOT WANT MY TAXES TO GO UP !!!!!!!
( Editor's note: in our opinion, we agree - and that is exactly why we need to all be WATCHING what is going on and participating as fully as we can in our government, and why we should use our already available camera and resources already available. I assume that this writer, however, thought that the taxes would go up in order to be able to air the meetings.  )
 

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|Channel 43 Overview  |  What  Abington residents are saying  |   Contact someone about this issue  |   Your Commissioners |

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Abington Township revamped the entire Township website at the end of 2015 and broke all the links to the information. In 2017, under Richard Manfredi, someone inexperienced was assigned to redo the entire website again. The public was not asked what problems they would like to see fixed. Their new plan was not well thought out, so everything was very hard to find and there were giant paragraphs you had to slog through in order to find the pertinent one or two lines that you needed. Or if you were lucky enough to even find the meetings and agenda page, there was (and still is) a whole page of nonsense on top, so you think you're on the wrong page. Zoom limks are burrid in a giant paragraph, so people can't find them to attend the meeting. They know about these  problems - but have just decided to ignore us.... for the whole of Richard Manfredi's time here (with Tom Hecker's consent).

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 We will be repairing our broken links in this Abington Citizens site, too, and fixing some of our many, many typo's as much as is possible. (Yes, it's quite evident that, unlike the Township, WE don't have a paid staff of 275+ or a $93 million budget).

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