History

Tracing Our Roots Back to 1981

History of Batavia Access Television

Batavia Access Television, Inc. traces its roots back to 1981. In June of that year the Batavia City Council approved the Batavia Social Services Corporation (BSSC) board.

Alderwoman Elsie Smith, who led the charge for community-access, television programming in Batavia, helped to create hundreds of productions for Batavia’s new cable system. She had many great successes with her video ventures, and she helped pave the way for hundreds of volunteers, producers, and others to follow her community-television trailblazing.

BATV is community television designed for your use and enjoyment. We would like to know what we can do for you. Please send an email to: [email protected] or call (630) 937-5413.

History of Batavia Access Television

Batavia Access Television, Inc. traces its roots back to 1981. In June of that year the Batavia City Council approved the Batavia Social Services Corporation (BSSC) board.

Alderwoman Elsie Smith, who led the charge for community-access, television programming in Batavia, helped to create hundreds of productions for Batavia’s new cable system. She had many great successes with her video ventures, and she helped pave the way for hundreds of volunteers, producers, and others to follow her community-television trailblazing.

BATV is community television designed for your use and enjoyment. We would like to know what we can do for you. Please send an email to: [email protected] or call (630) 937-5413.

The primary function of the BSSC was to have a controlling interest in 200 shares of Multimedia Cablevision stock. There was a cable television subcommittee of the BSSC that made several attempts to incorporate, but a charter was never achieved. In 1990 the BSSC was dissolved, leaving 200 shares of stock worth over $360,000. The City of Batavia acquired the BSSC funds and made them available as grants to community organizations, clubs, and groups. Batavia Community Television (BCTV) evolved from the BSSC and was awarded a grant for $36,400. A portion of that money was used to buy equipment and supplies for its volunteer-based organization. Until that time, all BCTV revenues were generated from tape duplications and sponsorships.

Community television in Batavia saw many changes between 1981 and 2000. When the first studio was built in 1983, viewers would tune into Channel 10 to see their favorite, local programs. In 1989 the channel was changed to 44, in 1993 it moved to 43, and in 2003 it moved to 17. The first name change came in January 1996 when BCTV became Batavia Access Television (BATV-43). June 1996 marked another historical moment when the decision was made by the BATV Volunteer Board to hire a part-time program director for BATV-43.

The franchise agreement between the City of Batavia and Multimedia Cablevision was scheduled to expire in 1996. This allowed BATV an opportunity to provide for the future growth of the PEG (Public, Education, Government) access channels on the cable television system (currently operated by Comcast). The franchise agreement provides funding to staff and operate BATV; capital to upgrade BATV facilities and equipment; advertising to promote and publicize BATV; access to a mobile, production vehicle; and 2-way communication with each subscriber.

May 1998 brought the efforts of governmental and civic bodies to BATV. The BATV Volunteer Board of eight years was transformed into the current BATV Board with representation from the City of Batavia; Batavia School District; Batavia Park District; Batavia Library District; Batavia Township; Batavia Chamber of Commerce; and five, at-large, community members. The Board also seats tw0 non-voting members, the BATV Director of Operations,Program Coordinator; and a student body representative from Batavia High School.

In 2011, as part of the expansion of Batavia High School, BATV’s space was enlarged greatly, featuring a state of the art studio and control room, updated office space, and a connecting BHS classroom, allowing students to take advantage of BATV’s new amenities.

YouTube

Uploads from BATV1017

View our recent YouTube Videos right here, or search our shows on Channel 17 & Channel 10.

Facebook

2 days ago

BATV
Happy Homecoming week Batavia!!!Tonight is Wheaton North versus the Bulldogs!! Kickoff is at 7pm and you can catch all of the action on our YouTube, Twitch and Channel 17 channels. The link for our YouTube stream is here:www.youtube.com/live/Nz2HaR4ms4Q?si=0tQ7_DEDIy7g-d4dThe link for our Twitch stream is here:www.twitch.tv/?tt_medium=mobile_web_share&tt_content=channelIf you have ANY issues with viewing the game on the Twitch or Channel 17 channels, we recommend switching to the YouTube stream on your phone or smart TV!GO DOGS!!!!!!!!!!Batavia Public School District 101The Official B-Town Beat Fan Page ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 days ago

BATV
Miss the Homecoming parade this week? You can catch the action and watch all of the floats right here on BATV! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

4 days ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! Starting today at 12PM, you can catch the rebroadcast of last Friday's Bulldog Football against St. Charles North! You can catch the action 12am/pm and 6am/pm for the rest of the week and all weekend! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

4 days ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! If you missed any of last weeks exciting football action at St. Charles North, we'll have the rebroadcast of the game starting tomorrow morning! We'll keep you posted on the exact time as soon as we have it added into our system! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

BATV
We're currently aware there may be issues with the channel, please watch the game on our youtube stream right here! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! You can catch all of tonight's action right here on BATV! On youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqVAphUxkJ0On Twitch:www.twitch.tv/bataviatvAnd on good old TV Comcast Channel 17! Which ever you like, catch all the exciting action as the Bulldogs head to St. Charles North to battle the North Stars! Kick off is at 7PM! GO DAWGBatavia Public School District 101tThe Official B-Town Beat Fan Page Pagebataviatv streams live on Twitch! Check out their videos, sign up to chat, and join their community. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! You can catch tonight's Bulldog action LIVE right here! You can also catch the game LIVE on tv channel 17! LINK: www.twitch.tv/bataviatvDue to the technical difficulties we've been having, tonight's stream will NOT BE ON YOUTUBE. After some technical troubleshooting, we have to use our twitch channel stream to send audio and video to our tv channel. What this means for you the fan, is if you would like to watch the online stream, it WILL BE ON OUR TWITCH CHANNEL!!LINK: www.twitch.tv/bataviatvWhile the layout is a little different, it operates essentially the same. When you click the link, you may have to press the play button on the screen, however it will play the exact same as your used to. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ACCOUNT TO WATCH! THIS WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING IF YOU WANT TO WATCH ON TV!If you are confused or need help at all, we will have someone on hand to help and answer any questions you may have. Just message us directly on facebook, and we'll assist Batavia Public School District 101aThe Official B-Town Beat Fan PageB-Town Beat Fan PageSteam Football Test ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 weeks ago

BATV
Pints by the Pond and more at the Batavia Park District this month! Take a look at all of the upcoming events in our Park Bench segment. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.

YouTube

Uploads from BATV1017

View our recent YouTube Videos right here, or search our shows on Channel 17 & Channel 10.

Facebook

2 days ago

BATV
Happy Homecoming week Batavia!!!Tonight is Wheaton North versus the Bulldogs!! Kickoff is at 7pm and you can catch all of the action on our YouTube, Twitch and Channel 17 channels. The link for our YouTube stream is here:www.youtube.com/live/Nz2HaR4ms4Q?si=0tQ7_DEDIy7g-d4dThe link for our Twitch stream is here:www.twitch.tv/?tt_medium=mobile_web_share&tt_content=channelIf you have ANY issues with viewing the game on the Twitch or Channel 17 channels, we recommend switching to the YouTube stream on your phone or smart TV!GO DOGS!!!!!!!!!!Batavia Public School District 101The Official B-Town Beat Fan Page ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 days ago

BATV
Miss the Homecoming parade this week? You can catch the action and watch all of the floats right here on BATV! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

4 days ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! Starting today at 12PM, you can catch the rebroadcast of last Friday's Bulldog Football against St. Charles North! You can catch the action 12am/pm and 6am/pm for the rest of the week and all weekend! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

4 days ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! If you missed any of last weeks exciting football action at St. Charles North, we'll have the rebroadcast of the game starting tomorrow morning! We'll keep you posted on the exact time as soon as we have it added into our system! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

BATV
We're currently aware there may be issues with the channel, please watch the game on our youtube stream right here! ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

1 week ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! You can catch all of tonight's action right here on BATV! On youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqVAphUxkJ0On Twitch:www.twitch.tv/bataviatvAnd on good old TV Comcast Channel 17! Which ever you like, catch all the exciting action as the Bulldogs head to St. Charles North to battle the North Stars! Kick off is at 7PM! GO DAWGBatavia Public School District 101tThe Official B-Town Beat Fan Page Pagebataviatv streams live on Twitch! Check out their videos, sign up to chat, and join their community. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

BATV
Hey Batavia! You can catch tonight's Bulldog action LIVE right here! You can also catch the game LIVE on tv channel 17! LINK: www.twitch.tv/bataviatvDue to the technical difficulties we've been having, tonight's stream will NOT BE ON YOUTUBE. After some technical troubleshooting, we have to use our twitch channel stream to send audio and video to our tv channel. What this means for you the fan, is if you would like to watch the online stream, it WILL BE ON OUR TWITCH CHANNEL!!LINK: www.twitch.tv/bataviatvWhile the layout is a little different, it operates essentially the same. When you click the link, you may have to press the play button on the screen, however it will play the exact same as your used to. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ACCOUNT TO WATCH! THIS WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING IF YOU WANT TO WATCH ON TV!If you are confused or need help at all, we will have someone on hand to help and answer any questions you may have. Just message us directly on facebook, and we'll assist Batavia Public School District 101aThe Official B-Town Beat Fan PageB-Town Beat Fan PageSteam Football Test ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 weeks ago

BATV
Pints by the Pond and more at the Batavia Park District this month! Take a look at all of the upcoming events in our Park Bench segment. ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Twitter feed is not available at the moment.