North Adams Theater Showing TV Premieres on Big Screen

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Fans of popular series can watch television premieres at the North Adams Movieplex for free this season.

Theater Manager Scott Ingalls said it is a great way new way to experience television.

"It's on the big screen, and I think it is a good opportunity for people to gather and experience a fandom kind of thing," Ingalls said. "The sound is great, the screen is huge, and it is just a nice place to gather and it doesn't cost them anything."

The showings started last Tuesday with the final season premiere of "Sons of Anarchy." Ingalls said, "Once Upon A Time" will play this Sunday night at 8.

The Disney show's modern take on fairy tales will introduce a character from last year's wildly popular "Frozen" animated movie in its season-opener.

There are also plans to run "The Walking Dead" and "American Horror Story: Freak Show" when they premiere in October. He suspects these will be very popular.

"I know people probably think I could just stay home and watch TV, but you can get out of your house and do something," he said. "Yeah, you are sitting there and you are still watching it, but at least there are other fans who like the same kind of thing there."

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.