Description
View Point Television (VPTV) was a simple idea constructed by our host Kris J Pierce as he was winding down his political career. He recognized that when it came to political, social and community based issues, there were not platforms that allowed for all views of those issues to be presented to the public. He feels that a well informed public only positively benefits the community as a whole. Kris went through his personal and professional networks and arranged for a meeting to ascertain if a platform could be created to bring all the ideologies together in order to have productive conversations. This was where the idea for View Point with Kris Pierce was born. In order to maintain our independence it was decided to utilize the Omaha Public Access System via Cox Communications.
Our Format -
Once the decision was made to do a weekly public affairs television program using the Omaha Public Access System, we needed to decide just how to present this new program. After a meeting with Cox Communications, we established our timeslot; Saturdays at 10:30am. That one event forever molded the future of VPTV. We decided that View Point would be modeled after Sunday morning news programs such as, Meet the Press and Face the Nation; bringing together the best experts and educated advocates, on the issues we were covering. Early in the planning it was decided to not become a platform for extremists, who only want to hear the sound of their own voice. Our goal instead was to educate viewers of all points of view on issues of importance to them.
One of the positives in adopting a Sunday morning news format, rather than one normally seen on Public Broadcasting, was we would not become an hour long program of just talking heads. We also adopted the practice of taking commercial breaks. Though use of the public access system bars the selling of commercial time, our leader Kris Pierce, had the idea to take that "commercial" time, and partner with nonprofits and community organizations to broadcast public service announcements. We currently partner with great organizations like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, and the National Safety Council.
