WCCA’s Newest Show Looking to Activate Worcester

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Ashley Klann, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

WCCA's Channel 13 is bringing a new spin to political news and commentary with their upcoming Activate Worcester show.

The show’s primary host, Ron Motta, says a major motivator for their show was the lack of turnout in the last election.

“When we had the last election in November, literally every spot in the city was up, -- school committee, council, state reps. It was the perfect day, weather-wise. The city had 19.8% voter turnout,” he said. “The basic force of Activate Worcester is to encourage people to become more aware of issues relevant to everyday existence.”

The new show will raise important issues, and while Activate Worcester has many connections with the Tea Party, Motta says that they’re looking to expand their reputation and activate voters of all backgrounds.

Tea Party TV?

Motta said that originally, the show was going to be called Tea Party TV.

“The reason why that changed was we thought that there’s enough media in the city, projecting things in a certain light. The decision was early this year to rename and broaden it,” he said. “You keep hearing terms – progressive, conservative. We do talk a lot about fiscal conservatism, but we’re starting to shy away from that word. It’s coded.”

Motta said that regardless of race, color, or creed, they want their show to bring issues to light for watchers. He says they welcome feedback and criticism, too.

Activating Worcester

Motta said that the last election was a real wake up call for him, making him realize how much Worcester needs to be reminded what’s at stake during elections.

“I remember that Jim McGovern came through that polling place to vote. My conversation with him was very simple. ‘There’s no one in this city with a better handle on the politics in this city,’ I said. ‘Explain to me why we have this kind of turn out,’” Motta said. McGovern’s response: this isn’t just a problem in Worcester.

“He said that anytime you don’t have either a national Presidential or gubernatorial senate election, anything else is local, and an off-year election,” Motta said. “People are really not showing up in the way they should for these. What do we do to encourage people to come out and vote?”

Motta said that due to the Presidential election and the close senate race, this year’s turnout will probably be higher, but still only around 50-60%.

“Most people stay home because they couldn’t care less. That’s why I’m very interested in the whole process. How do you get people involved not only in this country, but here in Worcester?” he said.

The Show’s Format

Motta explained that each show will consist of two co-hosts, and one person running the production. Chris Pinto and Sandy Williamson are the other two in the group.

“The key to the thing is that the flow would be what’s two cohosts and one guest – not a panel,” he said. “It’s also conversational, relaxed, and something that would hopefully impart relevant info to the viewer that they wouldn’t normally receive through traditional media.”

Guests to Expect

Motta says that future guests will be knowledgeable in many fields, and subjects will range from issues facing senior citizens to wounded soldiers coming home from battle… and may include Scott Brown.

“I spoke with Scott Brown, and he said he’d like to be on as a guest. We don’t have a confirmed date, but the people at the station said to have a person like him on that channel is a wonderful thing for the station. Whether that will happen is another story,” he said.

Motta said that no matter the topic, the key to the show will be what viewers can do to get active and work to solve the issues they raise.

“Everything you’ll discuss will relate to action steps. That’s what we’re trying to get across. It’s not just a grab bag. Regardless of whether viewers are Libertarian, Democrat, Republican... we want to activate,” he said. “We will have a range of guests from a number of different disciplines and won’t be talking about the same issue every time.”

The first two shows feature State Committee Woman Bonnie Johnson and future guests will include names like Brad Wyatt, Rob Eno, Bill Randall, Kamal Jain, and Tom Weaver.