Cops comes to Santa Barbara

BY BENJAMIN GOTTLIEB
DAILY SOUND CORRESPONDENT

“Cops!” is coming to Santa Barbara.
No, not the popular Fox television show that has graced many of our TVs over the past two decades, but it’s close.

“Santa Barbara Police Department Cops,” a new online TV show produced by local resident Linda Distenfield, follows our city’s finest as they crack down on drunken residents, break up fights and patrol the streets of Santa Barbara.
Distenfield and her husband Ira Distenfield, who own PRStore, have turned to the Web with a series of show that promise to be educational and entertaining.
“I don’t suggest people drink and drive anymore,” Distenfield said. “We’re out there this time and we have cameras. You should see people’s expressions when we pop out of the back of the police car when they’re being arrested.”
805 Alive, a new WebTV channel on news-press.com will include lots of new and exciting content, according to Distenfield.
“The new concept is called webcasting,” Distenfield said. “We provide interesting shows on the Web such as a cooking show with local chief Renaud of Renaud’s Pastisserie and Bistro and many more to come.”
805 Alive! is a local online channel which showcases over 20 different web segments on a weekly basis. In addition to posting new shows, the channel saves episodes within a sidebar, allowing for viewers to revisit episodes at their discretion.
“Santa Barbara Police Department Cops” tracks the morning and evening responsibilities of the Santa Barbara Police Department. The show, which is expected to air on a weekly basis, highlights many of the police department’s functions and special units, including the SBPD K-9 unit and SWAT training. Other Webisodes include a women’s self-defense lesson, a make-over with local hairstylist Darin Jon and even a segment on graceful aging by local doctor, Uma Rao.
The episodes are shot by videographer Dale Ernest of News-Press TV, who has decades of experience in the broadcast industry, both in radio and television.
“The only guidelines for the original programming on the channel are that it has to be entertaining and educational,” Distenfield said.
Although the project has posed some initial setbacks, the means to establish a viable ‘Webcasting’ channel is in the company’s ability to find content on demand in the local community, Distenfield said.
“The key to running a project like this successfully is to be very well organized and creating something interesting for viewers to watch,” Distenfield said.
805 Alive! can be found on online at the Santa Barbara Newspress website, http://www.newspress.com.