BronxNet, the public TV network which serves the borough, has expanded its operations to include a new location in the South Bronx at 441 Westchester Avenue. Officially named the BronxNet Media + Technology Studios at La Central, it is a short walk from the Hub, the commercial heart of the South Bronx at Third Avenue and East 149^th Street.

 

Elected officials joined network executives and personalities for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 11. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson joined other elected officials including State Senators José M. Serrano (S.D. 29), and Luis Sepúlveda (S.D. 32), Assembly Members Chantel Jackson (A.D. 79), George Alvarez (A.D. 78), and Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11).

 

Gibson spoke starkly about how the borough is viewed by some, and how BronxNet can help change a popular narrative. “For so long, The Bronx has been short-changed, ignored, denied opportunities,” she said. “We’ve often been last in everything good and first in everything bad. But I got news for everyone; we are changing the dynamic! We are shifting the conversation, and we are embarking on public and private partnerships that will invest in our borough.”

 

Although the new studio won’t be fully open to the public until September, network executives want the public to know that it will be welcoming all local residents to learn and participate in its operations. There are plans to institute pilot programs for youth and students during the summer, according BronxNet executive director Michael Max Knobbe.

 

With 14,000 square feet of space, the production facilities include an immersive media studio with a green screen cyclorama to help film science fiction stories, in addition to documentaries and narrative films. An innovation lab will help those interested in game development, augmented reality, and immersive media experience. Production will be monitored from two control rooms, and for residents who undergo a training period, access will be made available to cinematography, lighting, and audio equipment.

 

Gibson has a far-reaching view of what BronxNet’s expansion can mean for Bronxites. “We talk about The Bronx. We talk about it [as] being a borough of opportunity, a global destination,” she said. “We want to make sure that we create access and opportunity for future generations and a pathway to the middle class. Creating local jobs, stimulating our economy, giving young people opportunities like internships that not [just] lead to jobs but will lead to careers.”

 

Among the possible jobs that the new state-of-the art studios will make possible, mentioned by Gibson, are old and new fields. “When you think about this new media and technology center, when you think about video animation, media production, journalism, producing, filming, think about all the careers that will come out of this space,” she said.

 

BronxNet has served the borough as a TV network service since July 1993. Starting operations on the campus of Lehman College, it has grown its viewership to over 350,000 homes locally, and cumulatively to over 1 million viewers through its website.

Gary Axelbank, longtime host of BronxTalk and The Bronx Buzz, was a student at Lehman College in the ’70s and remembers walking through the basement level of Carman Hall and wondering what that space would be good for. Almost 17 years later, it became the location of the original BronxNet studios. Axelbank spent 15 years as a radio DJ before starting a new career at BronxNet.

 

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Axelbank spoke with Norwood News, saying, “BronxNet gave me the opportunity to live out my passion for my hometown. When the notion of BronxNet came about, I was like ‘Wow! This is my dream come true!’” he said. A year after the TV network started broadcasting, Axelbank was approached by an executive with an idea for a talk show. “That is how BronxTalk began,” he added. It was October 1994.

 

Interviewing a wide variety of guests over four different decades, Axelbank sees the mission of BronxNet as vital to the community. “What we’ve been able to do is connect Bronx people with their elected officials, with their issues, with their arts, with their culture” he said.

 

District 11 City Council Member Eric Dinowitz joined Gibson and her office in presenting a check for $574,000 to BronxNet Media + Technology studios. The councilman credits the work of the TV network with helping residents make their concerns known. “BronxNet is helping Bronx residents make their voice heard,” he said. “As our borough president mentioned, for too long, the Bronx has been left behind and you are doing this critical work in moving The Bronx forward.”

Knobbe sees a future where those that are skilled in digital technologies will not only be better prepared for jobs but will also play a pivotal role in the stories that get talked about concerning the borough. “Where there are great tech inequities, we are providing experiential learning and work force training for youth and the public while promoting digital inclusion,” he said. “That’s community development, that’s economic impact.”

 

BronxNet can be viewed through local cable Optimum HD channels 67, 68, 69, 70 and 951, 952. On Verizon FiOS it is available on six HD channels — 2133, 2134, 2135, 2136, 2137, and 2138.