Falls Church residents are invited to a reception and open house at FCC-TV, the local cable access station, which is housed in George Mason High School at 7124 Leesburg Pike, on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. There will be refreshments and tours of the studio with explanations of the uses of the studio equipment.

Recently, the citizen board of directors invested over $125,000 in new and upgraded equipment to prepare the station for the return of GMHS students of videography and television production. The station now ranks as one of Northern Virginia’s best equipped.

Besides offering students a chance to learn with the latest technology, the station’s video production facilities are available to citizens who wish to create telvision programs. FCC-TV is carried on Cox channel 11, Verizon 35 and RCN 2.

The evening will include a brief meeting to elect offices and the presentation of two community awards. The first award, named for long-time resident and Falls Church volunteer Roger Neighborgall, recognizes the leadership of former FCC-TV board president Robert Loftur-Thun, whose vision led to the redesigned and equipped studio.

The second honors Nicholas Benton, editor and publisher of the News-Press. He is being recognized for taking the unpopular step of hiring Helen Thomas after she lost her position among members of the White House press corps over an unfortunate statement. Thomas, who had supported the advancement of women in Washington journalism, was ostracized by many of those whose careers she had assisted. Thomas wrote a column for the News-Press, which she said gave her life a new purpose.