| "It's an interesting way of getting people's attention. It doesn't take a lot of time; we can do it as a regular part of the job, and it's a really good outlet." | |
| Michael Ham, Guam Coastal Management Program |
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Finding creative ways to communicate with the public is important for coastal resource managers. Hosting a primetime television program is helping coastal managers in Guam get their message to people who are sitting in their living rooms.
"We needed another outlet to get to the people we weren't reaching," says Michael Ham, administrator of the Guam Coastal Management Program. The outlet they developed is Man, Land, and Sea, a 30-minute television show that airs on the local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). In its fourth season, 12 Man, Land, and Sea programs are produced a year, with 1 show being aired three times during a month.
Ham says the creation of the show "just kind of happened." Another state agency was interested in making a series of one-minute public service announcements (PSA), and asked Ham and his staff for help. "We went over [to the PBS station] and sat down to talk about the financial side, looking at the cost of producing a PSA. It was in the thousands, and I was trying to figure out how local shows got produced," Ham explains. What he discovered was the station looks for local shows to air, so producing a 30-minute program cost the same as producing two-and-a-half minutes of PSAs.
Ham worked with the Coastal Management Program's public information officer, Dave Duenas, to develop the idea for, and produce the show. The production of the show involves determining the subject, setting up interviews, and scheduling with the station. The Coastal Management Program budgets $30,000 annually for the shows, which allows for much of the footage to be shot on location.
In a typical program, Ham interviews two guests about subjects such as harmful fishing practices, or coral reef education. The interviews are broken up by information sections, such as "Dave's Tips," hosted by Duenas, which is a "how-to" message on topics such as ways to conserve water, or water safety. Guest hosts present "What in the World is That," which focuses on the island's flora and fauna; and "Places and Faces," which highlights environmentally interesting areas, and "people important to the environment or development side of Guam," Ham says.
Copies of the show are available for free from the island's Blockbuster Video stores and libraries, and Ham notes that teachers are utilizing the programs in their classrooms. Work also is underway to put the shows on the Internet.
While the station doesn't have ratings numbers on the program, Ham says public response can be documented by the number of phone calls the shows generate. "It's fun because we are getting feedback from the community that they've seen it, and a lot of people want to get involved, which makes the program more visible," Ham says. "It's an interesting way of getting people's attention. It doesn't take a lot of time; we can do it as a regular part of the job, and it's a really good outlet."
For more information about "Man, Land, and Sea," contact Michael Ham at (671) 475-9672, or e-mail mham@kuentos.guam.net.
