television

Sierra Club to Hold Rally Outside Ballston Common Mall

By ARLnow.com

It may be the most exciting thing to happen outside Ballston Common Mall since this happened last year. The Virginia Sierra Club is planning a made-for-TV rally tomorrow at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Stuart Street.

With the help of some interesting visuals, environmental activists will be calling for policies that support cleaner air in Virginia. Specifically, the Sierra Club is asking for public hearings regarding Dominion Virginia Power’s long-term energy plan. They’re also asking for the State Corporation Commission to approve Dominion’s plan to retire two coal-fired power plants in Virginia.

To help put an exclamation point on their message, demonstrators will be bringing along “a 6-foot cardboard asthma inhaler… 6-foot tall mock wind turbines…. pinwheels symbolizing desire for wind energy… and posters and signs calling for a transition from dirty coal to clean energy.” In addition, rally bystanders will be encouraged to place phone calls to the State Corporation Commission requesting public hearings about Dominion.

“Switching to cleaner energy sources can not only reduce dangerous air pollution, but also create high-skill, high-wage jobs for Virginians,” the Sierra Club said in a press advisory. “Activists seek public hearings so citizens may voice their strong support for clean energy and clean air in person”

Flickr pool photo by Tim Kelley

TV Stolen Minutes After Being Delivered to Bluemont Home

By ARLnow.com

It took just three minutes for a flat-screen TV to be stolen from a Bluemont front yard after it was dropped off by a delivery service. Now, the victim is fighting back online.

The N. Kensington Street homeowner posted surveillance video of the incident on YouTube, in the hopes that someone will be able to identify the alleged thief.

The video purports to show a FedEx employee delivering the TV at 12:21 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20. At 12:24 p.m., a man runs up to the TV and hauls it off, possibly to a vehicle seen slowing down during the delivery.

In addition to asking for help identifying the man in the video, the victim is questioning why the pricey TV was dropped off without a signature.

Screen capture via YouTube

‘Top Model’ Auditions to Be Held in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Think you’ve got what it takes to be America’s Next Top Model? You’re not alone — so do hundreds of other women in the D.C. area and thousands around the country.

But if you don’t mind the long odds and want to audition anyway, a casting call is being held at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall next weekend. Fill out this application and bring it along with a driver’s license or identification card between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9.

In addition to seeking Top Model contestants, WDCW-TV (DC 50) is also looking for a models for a Macy’s Fashion show that evening and for a “Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Expo” in September. Even if you don’t get picked, there will be prizes, giveaways and — of course — free psychic readings and massages.

Contestants must be between 18 and 27 years old.

Photo via dc50tv.com

Morning Poll: New Comcast Guide

By ARLnow.com

A week ago Comcast rolled out a new on-screen guide for digital cable customers in Arlington.

The new guide was touted in mailings as faster and easier to use with a few new features that had been requested by customers. Many local customers, however, have taken to our comments section to blast the new guide, which eliminated the sleep timer and picture-in-a-picture functions that were available with the old guide.

Now that you’ve had a week to try it out, how do you feel about the “upgrade?”

Screen capture via Comcast

John M. Couric Dies

By ARLnow.com

Long-time Arlington resident John M. Couric has died.

Couric, the father of former CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, died Wednesday at Virginia Hospital Center of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 90.

Couric started his career as a newspaper and wire service reporter, before eventually jumping into the public relations field. He was a Navy veteran during World War II, according to a Washington Post obituary.

In an interview with the Archive of American Television (see clip, below), Katie Couric discussed her father’s journalism career and his influence on her own career.

New Comcast On-Screen Guide to Arrive This Week

By ARLnow.com

Comcast Digital TV customers in Arlington will start getting a new on-screen guide this week.

The new guide will feature “faster On Demand access, a more user-friendly interface, more detailed program information, improved DVR and search functionality and a convenient menu of shortcuts,” according to Comcast.

Other features include easier access to HD channels through a “quick menu,” expanded parental controls, the ability to save multiple “favorite channel” lists, a “message center,” and local weather information.

“This week, we are launching a new on-screen program guide for our Arlington Digital TV customers that is designed to deliver an improved TV viewing experience,” Comcast public relations manager Alisha Martin tells ARLnow.com. “The changes to the guide are based upon the feedback we’ve received from our customers, who have asked for a faster, easier-to-use interface with increased functionality… The technology will also pave the way for additional enhancements in the future.”

Martin says customers in Arlington should start seeing the new on-screen guide this week. Those customers will notice new colors and configurations in their guides, including color coding for certain programming, like movies, sports and kids programs.

County Asks: What Should We Get From Comcast?

By ARLnow.com

Every 10-15 years, the ‘franchise agreement’ that gives one company a virtual monopoly over cable TV service in Arlington is put up for review. The current agreement with Comcast is expiring in 2013, and the county is asking for citizen input into whether it should renew the company’s franchise, and under what conditions.

Right now, if you exclude fiber optic TV provider Verizon FiOS, Comcast is Arlington’s sole cable provider. Under its current franchise agreement, Comcast provides a number of guarantees, including customer service standards, regular system testing and maintenance, and free internet service for Arlington Public Schools. It also makes annual contributions to support the television channels run by the county government, county schools and by public access organization Arlington Independent Media. (About one percent of your cable bill goes to support AIM.)

Arlington, a lucrative market for cable operators, must now decide what to ask for as part of another 10-15 year agreement with Comcast. As part of that process, the county will be holding a number of focus groups that will discuss ways to improve cable service and while providing additional community benefits.

The focus groups will involve specific interest groups with a stake in the outcome of the franchise negotiations. A total of eight focus groups — each open to the general public — are planned for the month of June. Among them:

  • K-12 Schools, Teachers, Staff, Students, and Parents (June 16)
  • Local Government Agencies and Departments (June 20)
  • Emergency Services, Federal Agencies & Institutional Network (June 20)
  • Non Profit, Health and Human Service Organizations, Civic Societies and Groups (June 21)
  • Arts, Culture, Music and Heritage (June 21)
  • Churches and Faith-Based Organizations (June 22)
  • Neighborhood Organizations, County Board Commissions (June 22)
  • Higher Education, Healthcare Institutions, and Businesses (June 23)

“These focus groups… provide a chance for interested community members to learn about the franchise renewal and to share opinions about future services that could be available to our community through the Comcast cable system,” the county said in a press release. “The process of granting a new franchise to Comcast deserves serious consideration and public input.”

See more information on the meetings on the county’s web site. The focus groups will be conducted by The Buske Group, a consulting firm that’s assisting the county during the franchise renewal process.

Photos from Taste of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

You would have thought that gray skies and the threat of rain would have persuaded more people to stay at home but, alas, Sunday afternoon’s Taste of Arlington in Ballston was as crowded as ever.

Long lines snaked up and down the rows of food and drink vendors, at times making for human (and dog) traffic jams. The lines moved relatively fast, though, and most restaurants had enough food on hand to last well into the 4:00 hour. The award for longest line goes to Sangam Restaurant (1211 N. Glebe Road), which was practically offering an entire Indian dinner (complete with dessert) for two tickets.

There were numerous local ‘celebrity’ spottings, as presenting sponsor WJLA hauled out half of its news team and as local pols angled for votes. Among those spotted in the crowd were WJLA reporters Pamela Brown and Scott Thuman, as well as County Board reelection candidate Walter Tejada, Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate Theo Stamos and state Senate candidate Barbara Favola. We even spotted David Gaines, the host behind the classic Arlington County TV segment, “Know Your County Wastewater Plant.”

Here are a few photos from around the festival.

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Columbia Pike Documentary Video Earns Emmy Nod

By ARLnow.com

A county-produced video about the Columbia Pike Documentary Project has received a regional Emmy nomination.

The video was produced by Arlington Virginia Network producer/photographer/editor Roger Munter. It’s nominated in the Historical/Cultural category along with video segments from the Washington Post, Baltimore’s Fox 45 television station and others.

Munter’s video follows a group of residents that has been documenting life on Columbia Pike through photographs and oral histories.

‘America’s Most Wanted’ Canceled

By ARLnow.com

After 24 seasons on the air, America’s Most Wanted has been canceled, according to an Arlington resident who works on the D.C.-based Fox TV show.

Employees were notified about the decision on a conference call this morning. The show has been scaling back its production over the past year, which led to speculation that it was ultimately going to be cut from Fox’s schedule.

America’s Most Wanted has filmed crime reenactments all around the D.C. area, including in Arlington.

A “Save America’s Most Wanted” Facebook page has been set up to try to convince Fox to keep the show on the air.

Katie Couric Returning to Arlington for Book Signing

By ARLnow.com

CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric is coming back to Arlington for a book signing.

Couric, an Arlington native, is a graduate of Jamestown Elementary, Williamsburg Junior High and Yorktown High. On Wednesday, May 18, she will return to Arlington to sign her new book, The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives, at the Pentagon City Costco (1200 S. Fern Street).

The book signing will start at 11:00 a.m., according to Costco’s web site. Couric recently announced that she will be leaving the CBS anchor chair in June, when her contract expires.

Hat tip to @DCCelebrity

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