In his Jan. 16 letter to the editor (“BITV should have shot footage of event,”) Mr. Seigel mistakenly asserted that BITV is obligated to cover community events, and also mistakingly assumed that BITV was not present at the BHS open house.

Nonprofit access stations like BITV are not funded to cover community events. They exist to provide residents the opportunity to create, submit or sponsor programs on the cable system that they want to see.

However, BITV has taken it upon itself to think outside of traditional funding limitations, and with community sponsors and public support, has created a weekly newscast (Bnews) that allows us to connect the community with informative stories, breaking news and event coverage.

Bnews has provided on-going coverage of the high school. This week, our school segment features our visionary community and its commitment to provide a fabulous learning environment for our students. Our news team was at the open house.

More importantly, we were given a special tour of the new facility and an interview with Principal Brent Petersen. Bnews showcases how the facility will benefit the students and the public.

The newscast reaches 700,000 homes in Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, and Seattle. It airs daily at 5 and 10 p.m. on Channel 12, and 6 and 11 p.m. on Channel 22, and can be watched at http://www.bitv.org/BNews.htm.

If anyone wants to see more local programming, we enthusiastically invite the community to pitch in, pick up a camera, and help out.

Scott Schmidt

BITV executive director