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To include yourself or your loved one in "Winder Salutes," please submit the following information to windersalutes@cityofwinder.com :
• Service member’s name
• Rank
• Branch of service
• Years or dates of service
• Status (active, veteran, retired, or deceased) If killed in action, please provide date and location if known.
• Current deployment (if applicable)
• Local hometown
• A military photo
• A civilian photo
Note: Due to the anticipated volume and limited availability of personnel and resources we cannot accept hardcopy photographs. All information and photographs must be submitted via the email address provided above. Please note that any photos received via postal mail will not be returned.
lpanter@barrowcountynews.com
As the Fourth of July comes and goes, many who were or are members of the U.S. military are thanked for their service to the country.
Winder’s television station — WTV21 — and the Winder Cultural Arts Department have put together "Winder Salutes," a public service announcement program to recognize those in Winder and Barrow County who have served or are serving in any branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The PSAs will run 30 seconds, and will be shown on breaks during regularly scheduled programming.
Each "Winder Salutes" program will include up to three still slides of different local servicemen and woman.
To see a sample PSA, visit www.windertv.org.
"The City of Winder is proud of its long standing commitment and support for the men and women who serve our country. We at WTV21 and the Winder Cultural Arts Department are certainly proud to be able to honor our service men and women with a program like "Winder Salutes," said Robert Siple of WTV21.
Marty Spears, station managers for WTV21, said the PSAs were created "just to bring honor and recognition to those folks."
She said Winder Cultural Arts Director Don Wildsmith and WTV21 lead tech Robert Siple came to her with the idea for honoring those in the military.
The television station will probably begin airing the PSAs within the next week or so, Spears said, and she has not put an end date on how long they might run.
The budget for the Winder television station has recently been questioned at Winder City Council meetings.
Kay Pierce, a resident, asked about the now approved 2010 budget for the station, citing that the Barrow County Board of Commission has its meetings filmed, while the Winder City Hall does not.
Pierce said she was curious why the city was to fund the station when the county also used it.
Spears said that one of the reasons she decided to begin with filming the county meetings is because the station reaches not just Winder, but all of Barrow County communities.
"The County Commission affects more of our viewers," she said.
Spears also said that filming Winder City Council meetings is not out of the question.
The 2010 Fiscal Year budget for WTV21 is $199,272, which is down from last year’s budget of $237,800.
Personal services and benefits took a hit in the budget; however, the budget does show a $30,000 increase in outlay.
Additionally, the station is now only available for Comcast customers. Those in the county who have satellite television contracts are unable to receive the channel.
Winder Mayor Chip Thompson said the city had spoken with county officials about taking up some of the station’s budget.
"We have negotiated some with them," he said, "but at this point in time, [any assistance] is doubtful ... We’ll see what we can do when better times come."
Barrow County is currently in the midst of a budget crisis.
WTV21 is a government access channel owned by the City of Winder. It is located at 105 E. Athens St., in the Cultural Arts Center.
The station hosts three edit suites, administrative offices, a server room, a 2,500-square-foot production studio and an area reserved for a future studio control room.
Winder Television produces five original programs, and airs nine local church services every Sunday.
It covers special events such as National Day of Prayer, Armed Forces Day and the Winder Christmas Parade.
