In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with residents across the Big Island confined to their homes and businesses and venues shuttered, Nā Leo TV (NLTV), the island’s only public-access TV station, worked to help keep the community connected.
Micah Alameda, assistant general manager and head of marketing at NLTV, recently told Big Island Times that the station has weathered the pandemic relatively well.
“Throughout the entire pandemic, we were fortunate enough to keep all of our staff fully employed,” Alameda said. “That allowed us to continue to service the island community in a slightly different way, with the priority of keeping our workforce and community safe.“
NLTV adapted to the pandemic in terms of its programming as well, he said.
“With our island's gathering numbers capped at 10 indoor and 25 outdoor, the delivery of our community annual events like the Kea'au Christmas Parade or the Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival had to change,” Alameda said. “This created an opportunity for us to deliver for the island on a larger, digital scale, such as the 2020 American Cancer Society Relay for Life or the two-day, 14-plus hour government-sponsored 2021 Sustainability Summit.”
The station even created special programming to help keep the public informed, Alameda said.
“We also have our weekly live 30-minute series called ‘COVID-19 Talk Story,’” he said. “This program aims to inform the public about what's going on locally with the pandemic by keeping them up to date with government and community stakeholders' latest information. This has included but is not limited to testing, case numbers, financial assistance, relief programs, vaccine rollouts and all-around community information.”
There are a variety of ways for Big Island residents to connect with NLTV, he said, from watching on their cable provider to checking out video and more on NaLeo.tv. Residents can also find out about creating their own public-access show on the website.