WINDSOR – Updated technology will soon allow Bertie County Schools to get its message out to television viewers in Windsor, Colerain and Lewiston-Woodville.

Monday night during the Bertie County Board of Education meeting, Public Information Officer Brent Todd presented plans to have Education Access Channel (EAC) 18 on the air by October 20.

“We are pretty excited to talk to you about the Education Access Channel,” Todd told the board. “As you know, it has been a while since it has been operational.”

Todd indicated he was working with SCALA, a converging digital technology agency, to provide more information to parents, students and the community through the updated television channel.

“We have the opportunity to begin high-tech and very professional looking programs that will reach people in the Windsor, Lewiston and Colerain areas,” Todd said.

He also said the EAC would link to the school district’s website and therefore be able to be seen by anyone with internet access. Todd also indicated the new software would allow the district to target specific areas with specific messages.

A company in Plymouth has been handling the transition, according to Todd, and has most of the data keyed in and ready for start-up. He said there was still much work to be done, but he was excited about the possibilities.

Those opportunities include involving students at Bertie High School and Bertie Middle School in the television station as well as possible designing of courses to allow them to learn more about the media.

“I have seen other school systems that have developed curriculums in this area,” said Bertie Board of Education Chairman Rickey Freeman. “I think it offers another whole field for our students. I believe it is something that would generate interest at the high school and middle school.”

Freeman asked if the new software would allow for live feeds on the EAC and Todd indicated it would.

School board Vice Chairman Alton H. Parker asked if schools would be able to put information out through the television channel and Todd said they would.

“We’re excited about this and we want to see it happen,” Parker said. “We’ll be up at midnight on October 20th expecting to see something.”

Todd said he would be working diligently to try to meet that deadline and believed it would be possible.