Paul Kucharski

President
Harrison Resident

I grew up in Connecticut but have been connected to the Lakes Region since 1976. I have resided in Harrison for thirty-one years. I am married, all children are grown and grandchildren are experiencing the beauty and excitement of southwestern Maine now.

I joined Lake Region Television in the 1990’s. Initially filming and editing church services, I continued to support live programming and remote shoots. I have been involved with most school, civic and recreational programs. The Board of Directors invited me to represent Harrison many years ago.

It has been a pleasure to serve on the Board of Directors, especially in my current position as President. I am humbled to have been involved with LRTV for decades, surrounded by amazing, gifted people. All of these people have contributed to the station through the changes in community and technology and made my time at LRTV very rewarding.

I cannot thank everyone enough for making Lake Region Television a wonderful community organization that continues to serve and support the Lakes Region.

Karen Thompson

Vice-President
Naples Resident

I am the owner/operator of DownEast Engraving, Inc. which just celebrated its 25^th anniversary. Though raised in Windham, I have resided in Naples for many years. I have served on the Town of Naples Budget Committee and Board of Selectmen and am a member and past-president of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. I have been a member of the Lake Region Television Board of Directors since 2008 and have served as its Vice-President since 2012 . Lake Region TV has been a great asset to the Town of Naples in its coverage of the municipal meetings, SAD 61 School Board Meetings and various local events including the annual Naples Memorial Day and Independence Day parades, the Brew Fest, and Wooden Boat Show.

Janet ver Planck

Secretary
Casco Resident

I am a retired educator having taught in SAD #61 for 25 years. I have been on the LRTV board for many years and serve as its secretary. It has been great watching the station grow and support the community. I am on the board of Lake Region Community Theatre and we were pleased to have the support of LRTV filming our annual Lake Region’s Got Talent. Being on the board of The Casco Public Library as well, it has been great to collaborate with LRTV. They have filmed our Winter Wonderland of Trees which is helpful in promoting our fundraiser in the community.

Bill Severance

Treasurer
Bridgton Resident

I became involved with Lake Region TV soon after its launch in the fall of 1992 with the intent of only recording and showing Bridgton Alliance Church services on the new community television channel. Having been an electronics hobbyist since age 8 and having majored in physics and minored in math and computer science at Bowdoin College, I quickly became fascinated with the technology of video production. While I had extensive experience in audio production and still photography, my video skills were limited to having filmed a cross-country road trip with an 8mm camcorder. I soon began helping the Station Manager/Founder Wes Wolcott with recording and editing video of other community events. My wife Laurie as well as her parents became LRTV volunteers and for many years were the backbone of our production “crew”. In 1993, I was invited to join the LRTV Board of Directors. Following the departure of Wes Wolcott in the spring of 1994, I, along with Peter Lake and Dick Dunlop was part of the “triunvirate” that managed the daily operation of LRTV. During this period, I designed and worked with other volunteers to build the LRTV studios in the lower level of the Bridgton Municipal Complex making the move out of our small closet space on March 10, 1995. Around that same time I became the sole Station Manager and served in that capacity as a volunteer until August 2005. That period saw a huge expansion in the volunteer base and coverage of community events and the addition of much new equipment. New professional level VHS tape editing decks, better camcorders, a shift to digital tape recording in 1999 soon followed by a shift to digital editing and DVD production in 2000, several iterations of cablecast automation and the design and construction of a mobile multi-camera production truck built into a Class C RV in 2000 were some of the highlights. By 2005, the 60 hour-weeks and as many as 50 multi-camera production truck “shoots” each summer all as a volunteer became too much forcing me to retire and for LRTV to hire a full time Station Manager.

I have continued to serve as an LRTV Board member and its Treasurer and Technology Advisor. Recent projects have included designing and installing multi-camera PTZ robotic systems for the Bridgton and Naples municipal meeting rooms as well as the LRTV studio, custom built computers for video editing, switching and livestreaming, and a new TRMS video server/cablecast system. I’m currently developing specs for a portable multi-camera PTZ robotic system for recording and livestreaming that we hope to build in 2022.

LRTV will be having its 30th anniversary in November 2022. I believe that our volunteers and paid staff have been a tremendous asset to the greater Bridgton community bringing light to the workings of municipal government, informing the public as to what’s happening around them, and highlighting the good work of many local non-profit organizations, schools, and local businesses. We truly have become your “community connection”.

Jacqui Gray

Harrison Resident

Jacqui Gray is the Head of Marketing for UpPurpose, a United Way company that creates social media content and websites for nonprofits. She previously held executive marketing roles in Paid Media, Software Development, and Television Broadcasting. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Maine Women's Conference. Jacqui lives in Harrison with her husband, two boys, and dog Bear.