The Orbit: RCTV in the Age of Cord-Cutting

The following article is from the RMHS school newspaper “The Orbit”


Christopher Matias (’23), Orbit Contributor

An RMHS student sits inches underneath four large sterling screens. Below him is a disco floor of rainbow colored buttons and switches. As an employee of Reading Community Television, he’s watching over a meeting of the Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD). When driving down Main Street it’s easy to overlook the RCTV building, but the ordinary looking structure is a hidden gem inside. 

The RCTV building located 557 Main Street was actually a movie theater from the 1920s to the 1970s. The remnants of its past are still visible inside. When I entered the building I noticed the interesting ceiling design in the first room. The cloud-like pattern is a reminder of the building’s theater days. Scattered about that same room are tables and chairs, telling the story that the room had been used recently for some large get together. Movie posters line the wall down the hall, each corresponding to a different decade. The type of poster displays you’d see outside the theater advertising movies.

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