What is the Our Town series and how did it begin?

In the spring of 1996, WPSX was looking for an idea.  The station wanted to more directly involve the public it serves throughout its 29-county coverage area in central and north central Pennsylvania. By adopting the concept of "day-in-the-life" picture books, which profile the people, places, and happenings of a specific town or area, an idea formed. Instead of using still pictures, video would become the medium. And instead of printed captions, the people who did the videotaping would become narrators.

With a documentary series in mind, Channel 3 looked to the people of the featured communities to determine the content of each show. A town's people know what makes it tick; they know what makes it special.  They experience their town as a home, all times of the day and all days of the year.  It would be through their camera lenses that the WPSX viewer could gain a sense of the place's character and culture.

Beginning in the town of Bradford, PA, WPSX turned the role of program producers over to the people, who volunteered their time and talent.   We asked them to showcase their town in the ways they saw best fit.  With the freedom of a blank tape, camcorder, and plenty of enthusiasm, they were on their way.  Roaming the streets, ducking into cafés, and listening to the high school band, viewers are treated to the many personalities, perspectives, and possibilities the town has to offer. Attending weddings and anniversary celebrations, the town's stories and secrets are unlocked before the viewer's eyes.

Five years later, we've completed our 19^th show in the series, Our Town: Emporium. Channel 3 is happy to say that we've achieved our goal of involving the public in the station while experiencing community life through the camera lenses of its residents. As a wonderful bonus, we have made many new friends.

Thanks to the people of the featured towns, we've been able to give viewers a sense of feeling, being, and living in the communities in our coverage area.