2012 Student Photo and Video Contest

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

Bob Morrison never left home without a camera. He knew that today might bring the shot of a lifetime and he always wanted to be prepared to capture it if he could.

From athletic events to City festivals, Bob could often be seen capturing the spirit of The Little City with a still or video camera and encouraging others to do the same. Bob’s extraordinary photographs are often showcased in art shows, schools, and businesses throughout the City.

All of us lost a great talent and good friend when Bob passed away in 2009. He was a selfless contributor of his time and talent to Falls Church City charities, an enduring friend of FCC-TV, and a long-term member of the Falls Church City Cable Access Corporation Board.

It is in his memory that the Board of Directors established the Bob Morrison Prize for Photography and Videography to encourage students to capture images of Falls Church City - My Hometown.

2012 Student Photo and Video Contest
Sponsored by Falls Church Cable Access Board, FCC-TV
Take Your Best Shot at winning the 2012 Bob Morrison Prize for Photography and Videography. The contest is open to all Falls Church City students between grades K and 12.

Cash Prizes
$50 first place still photography K-6
$50 first place for a short video K-6
$200 first place for still photography
$200 first place for a short video.

Click HERE for the entry form.

Cox Cable Channel Change

Monday, August 15, 2011 | Comments (0)

Cox Cable Subscribers will Find Falls Church Cable TV On a New Channel in September

FCC-TV, the City of Falls Church’s cable TV station, will be switching from analog to digital format and moving from Channel 12 to Channel 11 on the Cox cable network on or about Sept. 14. Citizens who subscribe to Verizon Fios and RCN cable will continue to watch FCC-TV on the  same Verizon channel 35 and RCN channel 2.

On Aug. 8, the City Council approved an amendment to the City’s franchise with Cox Communications to address advances in technology. Currently Cox Channel 12 is analog and is shared by the City of Falls Church and the City of Fairfax.  Advances in technology have made it desirable to convert the City’s Channel 12 on Cox from an analog format to a digital format. Cox will provide the necessary equipment for the conversion and will provide the City a one-time grant of $50,000 for capital technology equipment.

With this change on  Cox, the City will have a full – time stand alone channel, instead of sharing Channel 12 with Fairfax City. Anyone who subscribes to Cox cable across Northern Virginia can watch FCCTV on Channel 11 beginning Sept. 14 instead of only being able to watch FCC-TV if they are located in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County as well as in Falls Church City.

With the conversion of Cox from analag to digital, Cox subscribers who already have digital set-top boxes (more than 80% of Cox customers in the City) will not need to do anything. Subscribers who do not have digital set-top boxes can either receive a free digital box from Cox with no rental cost for six months followed by standard monthly equipment rental fee of $5.99 per month per box, or view the new Channel 11 programming using a QAM tuner (QAM stands for quadrature amplitude modulation, the  format by which digital channels are encoded and transmitted via cable television providers). Most TVs sold after 2006 include a QAM tuner. QAM tuners can also be bought separately. Additionally, all cable providers are rapidly converting to digital format so subscribers will need to upgrade  if they wish to receive other channels beyond the City channel. For more information about digital boxes contact Cox at 866-271-7285.

The City’s general government and school facilities will be provided free digital boxes for all general government and school cable drops installed  per the franchise agreement.

As part of the City’s agreement with Cox, the cable company is airing a public service announcement about the channel change for 60 and will post a channel crawl on Channel 12 to alert viewers. This City is also publicizing the channel change on  www.fallschurchva.gov, www.fcctv.net, and in the eFocus newsletter, the schools’ Morning Announcements, and on Facebook.

No Early Dismissal

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | Comments (0)

Driving restrictions lifted

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 | Comments (0)

Dear MEHMS and GMHS Families:

Snow removal crews have been able to widen the Leesburg Pike entrance to Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, so the traffic pattern restrictions imposed yesterday have been lifted.  You may now use the Leesburg Pike entrance.  However, please remember that it is illegal to turn right from Leesburg Pike into that entrance as indicated by the posted traffic sign.  This restriction was imposed by the Virginia Department of Transportation in 2005 for safety reasons.

Also, please be advised that all after school and evening activities scheduled for tonight will go on as scheduled. 

FCCPS Communications    

Schools Remain Closed

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | Comments (0)

The Falls Church City Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday,  February 11, 2010 (Code Red).  Day care and ASAP will also be closed and all evening activities have been cancelled.

Reminder:  The FCCPS has exceeded the four snow days built into the school calendar.  Monday, February 15th (Presidents’ Day), and Monday, April 12th (Professional Day) are designated as makeup days.  Please plan to send your children to school on those days.  Additional makeup days will be determined after the FCCPS resumes a normal schedule, and we will keep you informed as those decisions are made.

Calendar note:  The second school board budget work session has been postponed until Saturday, February 13th at 12:30 p.m. in the Central Office Conference Room, 800 W. Broad Street, Suite 203, Falls Church.