BNN
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Boston Neighborhood Network[edit]
BNN, or Boston Neighborhood Network, is Boston's premier public access station. BNN has been managed by the Boston Community Access and Programming Foundation, Inc. (BCAPF) since Boston's first cable franchise agreement in 1983. Following four years of studies, reports, advisory commissions and public hearings, Mayor Kevin White issued a Request For Proposals that incorporated the concept of a nonprofit “access and programming” corporation. Based on recommendations of the Cable Access Advisory Committee, the Mayor awarded a 15-year license to build and operate a cable system to Cablevision of Boston, which agreed to provide an annual franchise fee in support of public, educational and government access to this new technology.
BCAPF was founded in 1983 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit to “ensure access to channels and facilities for all Boston residents, groups and institutions and to provide public education and training regarding the use of access facilities and channels.” Its founding document, crafted by Attorney Charles J. Beard and others, reflected a far-sighted vision. Among BNN’s stated purposes is to “foster and generate experimental uses” and “to distribute programming, by cablecasting, broadcasting, or by any other means, within and without the City of Boston.” This defined a long-range mission that not only provided immediate community benefits based on 1983’s state-of-the-art technology but also anticipated that further technological advances would always emerge over the horizon.
Tommy's show "Tommy Kerrigan's Real Boston" is a train wreck of his training sessions, efforts at Ghostbusting and his thoughts on the world. Segment's include "Ma's Kitchen", where he bursts in on his Ma cooking and makes her teach the audience how to prepare what's she's making; "Southie Rundown", which is him and his grandfather talking smack about local politics; "Da News", where Tommy and his friends report on what they saw happen that day; and 'This week in Ghostbusting', where Tommy basically gives the Ghostbusters franchise their own commercial based on what they caught that week. Tommy's gotten people to support the station and it's been well-noticed by those who look out for such things as well as the college and townie crowds.
