Wareham Community Television has announced a rebrand into Wareham Media, a “transformation” that doesn’t just bring a snazzy new logo but also stakes a claim on the future of community television. 

“As we embrace the future of community television, we are excited to introduce a range of new services and companies to better serve our community and beyond,” said Wareham Media CEO Michael Schochet. 

Schochet said the company’s former brand, known by the initials “WCTV,” has a reputation within Wareham. He added community access television is changing, with more emphasis being placed on streaming, and the ‘television’ side of things has a “stigma” associated with it.

Wareham Media will keep the things people love about the WCTV brand — “We’re Wareham’s community television. That’s not changing,” said Schochet. He said the company is still out in the community, covering the town meetings, working with the school on educational programs and more. 

However, the company has added a wide range of offerings beyond its traditional suite. 

One such offering is 501 Media, a “niche video and film transfer business” that helps people digitize their old family memories. 

“People started to ask for it without us advertising it,” said Schochet. 

WCTV, as a community access television station, had a lot of equipment for old media formats laying around its studio, said Schochet. Wareham Media just needed to repurpose it to make it available to the public. 

Wareham Media is also expanding its sports filming operation under the name Southcoast Live Sports and is offering media production of all kinds — from marketing campaigns to documentaries, from commercials to ‘sizzle reels’ — under the name of Gateway Media. 

“We are thrilled to embark on this new chapter as Wareham Media and expand our impact throughout the South Coast community,” said Jim Gilbert, executive director of Wareham Media. 

“We wanted to move toward the future,” said Schochet. “We’re more than a community access television studio.”