TOWN HOWLERS

PORTSMOUTH, RI

The Town Howlers have gained a lot of publicity for their club and square dancing through the use of their local cable TV company and the efforts of club member Rick Williams.

All cable TV companies are required to provide FREE PUBLIC ACCESS to community members for training, studio, equipment and airtime as a requirement of keeping their license to broadcast. However, a cable TV company may require training before they lend out portable equipment.

In Rhode Island, once you broadcast locally for 3 months, you can request broadcast time on an Interconnect channel that all the cable companies in the state are required to broadcast simultaneously: A: public, B: religious, C: Government. The Town Howlers now broadcast their show I WANNA DANCE state wide on Interconnect A and also on the local cable channels for nearby towns.

Club dances are recorded and then edited down to a half-hour fast-paced production. The show begins with an introduction from hosts Lynda and Rick Williams and seg-ways into alternating square and round dance tips with elements of comedy and closure. Local benefactors are helping underwrite the shows with charitable contributions. They see it as a way for additional advertising with their name, location, and contact number listed in the closing credits. Be sure to check your local cable company regulations on this.

The Town Howlers dance the second and forth Fridays from 8 – 10:30 pm in Portsmouth, RI. They have 100 members and have recently started a new lesson group on Sunday evenings with 12 new dancers that were a result of the show. Not only has the show helped promote square dancing area wide, it has also increased their visitor attendance with dancers hoping to get on the TV show. According to Rick, this shows that dancers, cuers, and callers are not as shy as some may believe.

For additional information visit the Town Howlers website at www.townhowlers.com or contact Rick Williams at williams@wwpdesign.com.