A group of west suburban towns has banded together to create a new wrinkle in public access programming: a consortium known as WHBC. The call letters stand for Willowbrook, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge and Clarendon Hills, the four communities to be served by this unusual public-access entity through Continental Cablevision.
The station`s public access coordinator, Julianne Murray, expects manpower benefits to be derived from this pooling of resources.
”We have a larger group of people to draw from,” Murray said. ”With a lot of production you need a lot of people. We want WHBC to be a quality station. We want to be known for our shows.”
Programs already tentatively in the lineup, which will be regularly cablecast in January, include a weekly talk show centering on issues facing the local police. There also are plans for a show called ”Teen Winners,”
which will profile exemplary youngsters, and an as yet untitled comedy show.
”We need actors for that,” said Murray, who added that WHBC also will be using programming produced by other area public access stations.
The consortium will operate on three channels.
During the day, Channel 51 will carry an electronic bulletin board announcing community news, and from 6 to 9 p.m. daily will cablecast local programming.
An uninterrupted listing of government news and announcements will be carried on Channel 52, and channel 53 will cablecast a similar listing of school board news and events, Murray said.
A programming preview is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 18 through Dec. 21 before regular programming begins January 8.
