Earlier this year I had the great fortune to meet Waldo Cabrera at a Sayville Chamber of Commerce meeting, he was the guest speaker for the evening. Impressed by the confident way in which he walked to the front of the packed room, I was delighted when he turned to face us because his smile lit up the restaurant. Nice, I thought … personable guy … and young … so young looking.

Then he rattled off a bit of his resume – 18 years of professional advertising and marketing experience, working for such clients as HBO, Turner Home Entertainment, WalMart, Burger King, and Time Warner (to name a few); and I thought to myself, “He’s so young looking, was he 8 when he graduated college?”.

As he began to speak about the project that brought him to the Chamber meeting, I realized I was listening to a man of vision and his youthfulness now became an asset! Further, I did not want to miss a word he had to say. Wally Cabrera is the founder of Islip.TV, a web-based television station. (As I said to Engineer Man when I got home that evening, “Remember these 3 words: Islip dot TV. This is going to be something, I just know it.”)

Dear Reader, please do me a favor if you’re 45 or older -- take a second to remember back around thirty-five years ago when you first heard that this guy Ted Turner had a TV station in Atlanta, Georgia (a place I only thought was around to change planes in!). His plan was to start a 24-hour news channel, which he was going to call CNN. Most people back then thought that a 24-hour news channel would not last 24 hours. Today we cannot imagine not having it … and, look at all the other news programs with identical formats we have to choose from. Whoda thunk it?

Back in the 70’s, CNN was the future. Today we have Islip.TV (and we don’t even have to change planes in Atlanta!).

A web-based television station … what is that, you ask? Islip.TV is a cross between a video sharing site and a standard television station. It allows the public at large to create their own channels, upload videos, and share them with the community. It will have original programming, interviews, and features created by Islip.TV’s production team, as well.

While videos submitted by the public will be limited to about 5-10 minutes in length, Islip.TV features will be longer. In the “FILM STUDIO”, you will find classic silent movies with Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. You will also find wonderful musicals, film noir, and The Three Stooges. The “CLASSIC ANIMATION” area contains great Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, and Popeye gems.

Islip.TV has signed on to be the sports broadcaster of a local TaeKwondo Tournament (an event that may not be covered by any of the local or major news outlets). Islip.TV will always support athletics in our town. Realistically speaking, Islip.TV will not be able to attend every event; however, coaches and parents will be able to post their kids’ on-the-field achievements for all to appreciate. If it’s important to you, it’s important to Islip.TV.

Independent producers with programming that does not violate decency standards may request a channel. The ability to have your video seen 24/7 by local people, not someone in Finland, is of great importance to community groups, activists, and local businesses.

As a public service, channels will be available for local politicians. These channels will enable politicians to communicate with and inform their constituents about important local issues. Come election time, these channels will help voters better understand their elected official’s positions on the issues.

Mr. Cabrera has firsthand knowledge of the value of just such a public service educational tool – early last summer, Islip GOP officials approached him to run for office. As a first time political candidate Wally’s quest, to simply get on the November ballot, was a frustrating and ultimately fruitless endeavor. If Islip.TV had been around last year, there’s no telling what difference it could have made in many of the Town’s election outcomes.

One thing for sure, Islip.TV is not your nephew’s video sharing web site.

Right now, Islip.TV has a contest going on called Memories 117. Log on to www.Islip.TV, and check it out. Memories 117 winners, selected by popular vote, will be announced on June 21st, at a red carpet Awards Ceremony being held at the recently renovated, restored, and charming Sayville Cinema. The whole town is getting involved; you don’t want to miss any of the fun, do you? Take a look for yourself – www.Islip.TV … your 15 minutes of fame could just be a mouse click away!

In closing, Dear Readers, like I told Engineer Man, “Remember these 3 words: Islip dot TV. This is going to be something, I just know it.”