We've spun off the Public Access Cable TV station from Comcast, and we're having a huge, marvelous rave-up of a party to celebrate.

Everyone in town is invited to see the newly realigned digs at their old location and have a sip and a munch, and drink a toast to freedom of speech. That's what'll happen this Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the newly formed cable station that the public owns.

Splitting off from Comcast as a separate entity when the latest contract was renewed last year, Mayor John Bell incorporated the newborn company with the likes of Mark Orlando, Stacey Randell and myself as directors. Orlando and Baird were brilliant enough to elect Randell as president and — teaming up with the award-winning station manager, Sinikka Nogelo — the pair quickly achieved ignition, launch, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, bylaws, policies and so many boiler-plate business items that would make lesser mortals pale.

Launch support also came from David Babson, Howard Fritsch, Greg Bach and John McNiff, among many others. The original board threesome then added Rockport's Ann Patrice-Hickey, Essex's Daisy Nell, Manchester's Paul Jermain and Gloucester's Dave Marsh to the board over the past six months.

Starting a company is like riding a bike. It gets way easier as you get going. That first six months, you have to pedal harder as though going up a hill. Lucky for us, we had the product already out there in the marketplace on channels 12 and 67. We just had to switch over the foundation pins but while keeping the crane operating, so to speak.

The station never missed a second of its obligation and its privilege to provide this other means of press freedom and free speech. Press freedom? Yes, when TV cameras or newspaper reporters are in the room, light is shining in on government, because it allows you to see what is transpiring in boards and councils. The free press is really the antidote to the dangers of the democratic process. Otherwise there would be no counterweight to the power of government. It works with My View columns, letters to the editor and public access shows. Active citizens should be trying all three.

Now, shows can be short and to the political point, but they don't have to be. Shows here are already concocted to spin art, music, video effects, humor, boating, neighborhoods, contests, Fiesta, parades, the life of the town. The equipment is very much like your home computer.

So where's your show? Perhaps when you come to the party, you'll get an idea. There will be clips of all the shows in our local line-up.

Where's that Glosta cooking show that should be running? Or that rowing show where the rowers take you around Gloucester Habba with camera mounted? Janet Green Garrison does a show on Yoga. How about weight-lifting, sewing, boat building, gardening, plumbing, local house repair, wall building, painting? All are shows waiting to be produced. And you don't have to make 30 shows. First make one. And the more different the show, the better.

A local politics show, modern dance, tap, clubbing, local bands, a Glosta YouTube show featuring local home-brewed vids on cable. More and different sports shows? Surfing, soccer, more cooking, Italian, French, Brazilian, vegetarian. Imagine a Treasure of Gloucester Archives show, a regular Schooner Adventure Show, Gloucester Museum show, a library show, how about a Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center show?

There could be a tour of the cruise ships show, a rock hopping show, a Gloucester architecture appreciation show, a retrospective photos of The Gloucester Daily Times show, a Cub Scout or Girl Scout show, an exploring wild spaces show. These would be fun shows to have on the air. By the way, all the Cape Ann high schools have great video equipment, too; they should get their own combined school show and promote the heck out of it. Think of the energy resource there.

So come give the new station your shout-out after work Thursday, March 6, at Unit No. 38, Blackburn Industrial Park. Same old place, different look.

Come hurrah the Gloucester High School shop class for assembling all our new furniture. Come tipple some wine and munch some goodies with us. Channel 12 doesn't have as much corporate muscle behind us as we used to, but we can move a whole lot faster and our outlook and policies are ever closer to our public.

For example, soon Channel 12 will be cablecasting the council meetings live with multiple cameras. Live means you see everything as it gets done, out in the open.

The press can't get any freer than that and neither can a launch party. This Thursday — who says there are no free launches?

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Gloucester resident Gordon Baird is co-managing director of the West End Theater and producer of the "Gloucester Chicken Shack" TV show.