Technical Difficulties

Lyme Regis Community Media Association

The current position is this: The only computer we have that is capable of editing video is about to become defunct. This means that we are unable to edit video, and therefore unable to upload video to the website. We already have a backlog of around 8 hours of film, and obviously, there is little point in recording further events if we can't edit what we have already. So until further notice, no further programmes will be recorded.

To add to this, our only professional camcorder (CanonXL1) is in need of serious and expensive repair, and we simply can't afford the expense of this.

The Community Media Association came into being in October last year as a natural progression from LymeRegisRadio and has always been organised by enthusiasts and volunteers. In just the last few months, we've recorded events and produced DVD's for B Sharp, filmed Carnival Week, produced our own 3 hour DVD now selling in local shops, produced and released an album by local singer/songwriter Simon 'The Beard' Leach, and launched LymeRegisTV.We record an average of 3 items every week, including events, meetings, interviews, and festivals plus our own promotions and presentations.

We still have CD copies of every thing we ever recorded,, which adds up to a phenomenal 1,000 plus CD's. I don't think anyone in town has avoided our microphone or the eye of our camera over the last 6 years, and if we've done nothing else, we've made a deep and detailed record of the life of Lyme Regis during this period. (2004-2009) At present, these CD's have little value, and perhaps time will be served best if I package them up and leave them in the loft for someone to find in about 50 years or so! In a few years time, everyone we filmed will be desirous of seeing how they were then, and overall, should see how Lyme was then.....

We know that Lyme loves our project, we know this from the many emails we receive, we know it from the daily thousand people who log in and view our programmes, we know it from comments from locals on the street, we know it from the visitors who recognise us and tell us they regularly tune in, we know it from our performance in Google and other search engines. It's a shame that we've failed to convince local 'bureaucracies' of the value of this work. Bill McCallum and myself have gone through hoops over the past year trying to find funding, but it seems that whatever we demonstrate, we are assumed to be just another website, which neglects the fact of our involvement in every group and organisation in the community. Beyond this, I don't know what else to say.

To continue, without expanding the project, we need at least the following:
Laptop Computer (60G hard drive, minimum 2G memory)
Canon XL1 repair.
Internet and Hosting fees for next year.

We are doing our best to resolve difficulties and hope to be continuing broadcasting soon.
Thankyou.