Norwood CATV Committee Debates Public Outreach Methods for Cable Television-July 31, 1978

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The Norwood CATV Committee met to discuss various strategies for gauging public interest and educating residents about the introduction of cable television. Among the proposals being considered was an informational brochure containing details about cable television alongside a reply card for residents to fill out and mail back. However, William Arnold, vice chairman of the CATV Committee, expressed serious doubts regarding the effectiveness of this approach, citing historically low response rates to previous town newsletters.

Another method evaluated by the committee was a short questionnaire asking residents about their specific cable programming preferences, including sports, entertainment, news, local events, and documentaries. Pointing to common communication hurdles, committee member Rabbi Moshe Birnbaum noted that people are notorious for not reading their mail, making it unlikely that residents would complete and return a written survey.

Seeking more effective alternatives, committee member Fred Epstein suggested setting up information booths in local shopping centers where members could directly distribute educational materials and gauge public opinion in person. Additionally, Bob Arnold proposed presenting cable information directly at the upcoming town meeting scheduled for August 13.

The CATV Committee planned to finalize its public outreach method at its next meeting, though committee chairman Edward McKenna expressed skepticism that resident feedback would be substantial, believing that the general public simply did not yet know enough about cable television to provide meaningful responses. Despite these challenges, the committee remained committed to informing as many citizens as possible about the uses and potential benefits of cable television.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger