A message from Focus Springfield Executive Director John Abbott:

“To the Viewers and Friends of Focus TV,  we’d like to bring to your attention the Proclamation issued by Governor Baker declaring October 20 as Community Media Day in Massachusetts, saluting the efforts of Community Media stations like Focus and our peers throughout the state for providing information about their Communities that is often unavailable from commercial television news.  This Mission has taken on additional importance during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Since early March of 2020, COVID-19 guidelines have required Focus to restrict access to the studio for our Community Producers, our Staff has been tasked by City Government to provide the Citizens of Springfield with information about the work of City Government Boards and Committees that have continued unabated, despite the COVID-19 restrictions.  Using the Livestream meeting tool on the Internet, Focus has presented over a hundred interactive public meetings, hearings, and public briefings. These events include City Council and School Committee meetings, as well as a variety of less well-known City agencies like the Community Preservation Commission, the License Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Springfield Parking Authority.

The COVID-19 restrictions on the size of public gatherings eliminated High School graduation ceremonies this Spring. In an attempt to mitigate this damage, Focus worked with the Shcool Department and each of the City’s eight High Schools to produce Virtual Graduations,each ofwhich included a  roll call and a photo of each graduating senior, speeches by class valedictorians, and Greetings from Springfield’s.  Focus placed these virtual graduation ceremonies on our website, where they have been viewed by thousands of Graduates, their families, and friends.”