The North Beach Community TV studio in Ocean Shores was broken into sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, Oct. 7-8, and more than $15,000 in broadcast and camera equipment was stolen, including five broadcast-quality cameras.

Access to the studio on Anchor Ave., just north of the Ocean Shores Lions Club, was gained when someone cut a hole in the door, probably with a portable jig saw, then reached through and unlocked the door. Taken were five cameras, (Panasonic and Sony), Bogea tripods, a 12-channel and a four-channel audio switcher (Behrringer), microphones, sound boards, cables, five silver hard case equipment boxes, many SD cards, boxes of connectors, a red tool bag and other equipment.

The theft has shut down all of the local nonprofit’s capabilities, with the exception of its coverage of Ocean Shores City Council meetings. The City of Ocean Shores owns and stores the video cameras and related equipment used to produce those recordings.

That equipment is also occasionally used for other meetings, such as the recent council study session which had planning commission members presenting that body’s preliminary findings on zoning and the possibility of homeless services facilities seeking to locate in Ocean Shores. All those recordings are aired as local content on Coast Communications Channel 68. They are also available on the city’s website, at www.osgov.com/Recordings.html.

Bill Vandenbush, vice president of the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that has served the people of Ocean Shores since 1982, posted information to the North Beach Community TV Facebook page:

“The equipment stolen was quite valuable to us and was our primary means of recording community events for local broadcast and other sources of distribution. If anyone has information or saw anything unusual in the area on Monday night (Oct. 7) or very early Tuesday morning (Oct. 8), please contact the Ocean Shores Police Department.”

Vandenbush said the amount of equipment taken suggests those responsible may have used a truck or van and almost certainly had an idea of what was in the building.

“The person or persons that stole from us also stole a valuable resource from our community. Please bear with us while we try to rebuild this valuable resource and return to serving the North Beach Community,” he wrote on Facebook.

Anyone with information, or who knows of anyone trying to sell any large cameras, is asked to call Ocean Shores Police at 360-289-3331.