10-17-24

Corey Lamont
ACM Northeast Conference Reflection
12/14/24

Attending the ACM Northeast Conference was truly inspiring and gave me a fresh perspective on how innovations in A.I. and the evolving media landscape can benefit us at Access Framingham. A.I. is a technology we must embrace in order to succeed in the future. One of the key takeaways for me was learning how we could use tools like ChatGPT to create a chatbot that helps us troubleshoot technical problems. By pulling from user manuals and the equipment we already have, this resource could save us valuable time and streamline troubleshooting, especially when we face unexpected challenges (like the light board issue we encountered recently).

I also realized that solving problems independently, rather than relying on others, is a skill I want to continue developing. Customizing ChatGPT for each staff member’s unique role could make our work more efficient, if implemented thoughtfully. Another exciting idea I want to experiment with is using A.I. to help the Frame team brainstorm and develop new story ideas. By leveraging A.I. to search through our existing resources—like Framingham Patch—we can save time on repetitive tasks and focus more on creative content.

During a panel discussion hosted by Merrimack TV, I saw firsthand how easy and effective it is to develop local content centered around individuals. This reinforced something we’ve discussed before: Framingham is defined by its people. The community thrives when key members engage and innovate, and Merrimack TV's approach validated this concept. They even developed an app where all their content is accessible, which is an ambitious idea that I'm still uncertain would work for us.

On the one hand, having a centralized location for community members to stay up-to-date on local news sounds great. However, my concern is that pushing people to a separate app instead of engaging them through social media might be a challenge. I also believe Merrimack’s app draws more attention because they stream sports games, incentivizing downloads.

Looking at Access Framingham, I think our main challenge is defining our target audience more effectively. After a panel discussion on social media, I realized how crucial it is to know exactly who you’re trying to reach. The fewer platforms we manage, the better, especially considering our limited resources and time. This is a tough issue because the mission of a community access station is to bring everyone together. Framingham is a diverse community, so we may need to narrow our focus and prioritize a specific age group. I believe reaching younger audiences is key because, once we engage them, their parents will follow. Short-form content, with a strong focus on social media platforms, seems to be a step in the right direction. For example, if we used Instagram to consistently stream our content live, it could complement what we're airing on our cable channels.

Ultimately, the conference helped me realize the unique opportunity we have as a local access station to stand apart from corporate media. Without the pressure of being driven primarily by profits, we are in a position to embrace emerging technologies, like A.I., in ways that can boost the creative potential of our community. And that, after all, is our main goal.