Alameda's Public Access TV Unique
By Suzanne Storar

Published by the Alameda Times-Star, Thursday, June 23, 2005.

Press Contact

Ed Schneider
510-814-5682

Start a sentence with the phrase, "When I was a kid," and eyes will roll. The younger generation has heard enough about four-mile walks to school, primitive video games (think Pong) and those unwieldy music discs called LPs.

Why not show the kids a piece of nostalgia instead? Monster Island Theater recreates the classic era of televised horror movies, complete with an enigmatic emcee, every Thursday at 9 p.m. on Alameda Power & Telecom's public access Channel 31.

Tonight's film is "Nightmare Castle," a 1965 work in the Italian Gothic genre. What does Ed Schneider, the station's media director, think of the movie?

"It's kind of perverse and over the top," he says.

In other words, perfect for Monster Island Theater. Past features have included "Bride of the Monster," "The Brain that Wouldn't Die," "The Killer Shrews" and the 1922 classic "Nosferatu."

Vicki Vampyr, Alameda's Ghouly Girl of the Midnight Hour, follows in the footsteps of vintage movie hosts Vampira, Zacherley, Ghoulardi and Morgus the Magnificent. She sets the mood for the evening's film in an introduction written by Schneider, a former playwright, and produced by staffer Mat Wolfe.

The campy vampire has purred praises for "Cat-Women of the Moon" and performed carols for Monster Island Theater holiday specials. In honor of the twins featured in "Nightmare Castle,", Vicki Vampyr will be joined by her own twin sister, Vanda Vampyr.

Another character, Edison J. Nello, has appeared in introductions for films including "Bluebeard." Most of the time, Nello poses as a quiet ventriloquist"s dummy at Alameda Power & Telecom's headquarters. But he comes alive in front of the camera.

Nello and Schneider have worked together for 20 years.

"He seems to follow me around," says Schneider.

Monster Island Theater was one of the local cable provider's first original productions. The concept was easy to create, explains Schneider, with so many horror films now in the public domain. He is proud the staff went beyond simply showing films to offer programming complete with a host, and yes, companion recipes for each film.

"We try to create the whole experience," says Schneider.

Recipes are found at www.alamedatv.org. There's still time to pick up ingredients for bloody marys and grilled spiced beef hearts to complement tonight's film.

Commentary for each film is also found on the Web site. Schneider, author of the plot notes and reviews, finds that watching each film start to finish can be the most difficult part of his work.

"Sometimes they're really bad, and finding five minutes of comments is a feat," he says.

The media director stays busy writing all the Web site content and managing the public access channel, which present both material from outside sources and original programming. Alameda Power & Telecom recently co-produced a Red Cross special on disaster preparedness and will co-produce a special on West Nile virus in conjunction with the Alameda County Public Health Depart.

A new show, "Book Buzz," created in collaboration with local bookstore Spellbinding Tales, feature authors every Tuesday at 8 p.m. Instead of copying the C-SPAN model of filming an author reading aloud from a podium or table, Schneider has added graphics and music to match the featured book's theme.

"We put a fair amount of work into what we do because we see the value of having a public access station," he says.

Other regular features include "Talkin' Baseball" every Thursday at 8 p.m. and "Crime Street", mystery movies and film noir shown every Tuesday at 9 p.m. Later this summer, the station will present "Alameda Drive-In," a forum for science fiction and teen hot rod films, on Wednesday nights. In the works is an original short feature, "Monster Island Beach Party," set to debut in the fall.

While most of the station's shows are in direct competition with prime time programming, Schneider believes the arrival of video-on-demand will increase viewership. He encourages viewers to watch, then rate, Alameda Power & Telecom's programs with Al the TV Watchdog found at www.alamedapt.com.

The Monster Island Theater schedule, movie reviews and, of course, the recipes can be found at www.alamedatv.org.

Currently in the News...