Collaborative Children’s Solutions: CCS-TV
Becoming a Fixture in WNY Broadcasting

By Darlene Brace

   In May of 2021, Pat Smeraldo and his wife Jill, along with Jim McElrath Jr, who are all educators in the community, founded a nonprofit organization called Collaborative Children’s Solutions (CCS). Pat Smeraldo serves as the President, Jill Smeraldo is the Treasurer, and Jim McGrath Jr. is the Vice President. This organization’s primary mission is to collaborate with other local organizations to provide a variety of events, programs, and experiences that help children in the community reach their maximum potential. Many of these activities, such as the Christmas Jingle and Mingle Parade and Festival, and others have been organized in partnership with the City of Jamestown.

   Another extension of CCS, launched in December 2023, is CCS-TV. The CCS team, along with their longtime friend and supporter, Justin Gould, who is a volunteer and former owner of WNY News Now as well as Chautauqua County’s media information specialist, launched this new initiative. CCS-TV was created to engage Chautauqua County youth in responsible journalism, video production, and broadcasting.

CCS-TV is open to students aged 13 to 18 who live in Chautauqua County. They can get involved by joining CCS-TV’s Community Kids Club, featuring adult volunteers as mentors. This club provides a dynamic platform for young broadcasters to showcase their talents and gain practical experience through various projects, both small and large. Participants can conduct interviews with residents and produce a diverse range of programming, including news features, sports coverage, talk shows, game shows, and local special event broadcasts. CCS-TV is designed to empower young voices and inspire futures.

   CCS-TV’s broadcasting studio is located at 113 E. 2nd Street in downtown Jamestown, offering hands-on learning for these young broadcasters. Since its inception, the young broadcasters have conducted live coverage of events such as the Turn the River Green event for St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas in July with the Tarp Skunks, and the Labor Day Festival last summer, as well as the Jamestown Holiday Parade in December. 

   Viewers can watch events live or view recorded live sessions later. These events are available for streaming on YouTube, Roku, Facebook, and the CCS-TV website. You can also access them through the CCS-TV mobile app, which you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store by searching for “CCS-TV.” The app is compatible with both Apple and Android devices.

   The popularity of the CCS-TV event broadcasting has truly begun to take off. In 2024, CCS-TV generated 159,000 views for the entire year. By May 2025, their viewership has already exceeded that number, surpassing 230,000 views. This remarkable growth reflects a surge in community engagement and support, with growing interest in the diverse programming that these young broadcasters are presenting.

   Last year, one of the biggest events that CCS-TV covered was the Christmas in July celebration during the Tarp Skunks game at Diethrick Stadium. The event featured fireworks and was so successful last year that this year, CCS-TV will be broadcasting all 22 of the Tarp Skunks’ home games throughout the season. The grand opening for this coverage will take place on May 29th, at the Tarp Skunk’s first home game.  Additionally, the Christmas in July event will be held again this year on July 25, which will include fireworks, so keep an eye out for upcoming details about this fun family community event.

   CCS is involved in many community events, which are listed on their website. If you want to find out more information about all the CCS events and the CCS-TV programming, go to ccsolutions716.com or visit its Facebook page.

   CCS has become a leader in the community, providing a variety of community events for the area’s children and families to enjoy, learn from, and be engaged with. Their CCS-TV broadcasts enable residents to view all these local events, and it enables the students involved in the broadcasting station to cultivate essential skills, collaborate with peers, and develop their potential as future broadcasters.