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Kent on TV on the World Wide Web
By: Karen A. Chase
10/26/2007 The Kent Good Times Dispatch

KentCT.TV, an Internet TV station featuring Kent Connecticut's own Country Living Internet Television program, became a reality this month when South Kent resident Douglas Branson launched the latest of his Internet initiatives.

A confessed technology junkie, Mr. Branson has a number of sites and Internet business ventures already active on the World Wide Web. KentCT.TV is his latest venture and a demonstration of the programming is on display in the lobby of the Webster Bank on North Main Street. What is KentCT.TV? Mr. Branson describes it as your hometown Internet TV. The Web site is active 24 hours a day and can be accessed at anytime to view video and streaming media of happenings in and around Kent. Mr. Branson said programming will consist of Video on Demand of art gallery offerings, special events, as well as real estate for sale and rent, where to dine, where to stay and places to shop. Nature, sports and news will round out the programming. Mr. Branson said the site offers unique advertising opportunities for Northwest Corner and local Kent businesses. Citing the cost of advertising on traditional network and cable television, Mr. Branson said that Internet TV is more cost effective and that more and more people have access to high speed Internet making them able to view Internet programming. For KentCT.TV a high speed connection and Flash Player (a free download) are needed.You have more flexibility and freedom with Internet TV, Mr. Branson explained. It is information on demand. You can watch anytime you want. He added that it is also an interactive experience facilitated by a number of things: High speed DSL and cable, new faster computers with larger memories and more and more people who are connected including a growing number of senior citizens. Mr. Branson said he did not expect KentCT.TV to take off right away but I do expect it to grow. The station is still in the development stage and Mr. Branson is looking for people who would like to become involved in the project and for sponsors and advertisers. I am looking for guidance from the community, he added, asking rhetorically If you had your choice of your own TV program what would you choose? He said he hopes to be called to cover events as a video journalist, but to do so would require a sponsor or some kind of advertising support to cover the production costs.It takes six hours to edit one hour of video, he pointed out, candidly saying that he did not do all his own editing because of the time constraints. Currently showing on KentCT.TV is a short piece Mr. Branson did for the Watershed Alliance of South Kent (WASK) titled Hatch Pond Crisis, narrated by Kent resident Don Connery, a former correspondent for Time/Life and the author of numerous books. Mr. Branson, who is clearly proud of the piece and committed to saving the sparkling blue pond in the center of South Kent near his home, said of the video, It is on the nature page. I hope a lot of people see it. The more people who see it the more likely people are going to be to want to save it. This is also one of the clips running on the demo program at the Webster Bank. The Web site is now showing video of the Antique Machinery Associations Fall Festival and footage of the last of the Saturdays of Summer Concerts. There is an interview with artist Sandra Filipucci and clips from the Kent Summer Sidewalk Sales Days. The site also has a place where specialty gift items such as mouse pads, greeting cards, mugs, pillows, journals/sketch books and prints featuring scenes of Kent can be ordered.It is good for the town to have something like this, Mr. Branson said referring to his Web TV station. It is useful for the town and for business. This is something that welcomes people to the town. He continued, There is a lot happening in Kent and there is a new generation of people settling here. We hope to grow with the town and show the side of Kent people feel proud of. I hope people will feel excited about this. We want people to get involved and to be a resource for the community and businesses. We are not trying to compete, just add one more link where people can get information. Mr. Branson concluded adding, After my wife and and our two boys moved here I wanted to be a part of the community, to get involved with what is happening. This is a way for me to work and play in the town I love. For more information go to KentCT.TV and click on contact us or call 860-488-9024.

©The Kent Good Times Dispatch 2007