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Tonight, when you go home and, instead of turning on your TV, you sit down to your computer to watch Henri the Cat with Ennui, Tuberville the Series, Overtime with Bill Maher, Big Bang Bloopers season 4, the AIM video stream – or whatever it is you watch on YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, or your favorite website – you’ll be joining the tens of millions of Americans who are precipitating a media sea change the likes of which we haven’t seen since the invention of television. I realize that it’s become cliché to point this out. I bring it up not because I think that this is new information, but because this seismic shift from television viewing to web consumption has real, immediate effects on Arlington Independent Media. Obviously, as TV viewers continue to migrate to web platforms, AIM will have to move more and more content online, and we’re implementing a comprehensive strategy for taking advantage of the opportunities that the web 2.0 offers media content providers. But, the real issue for AIM is money. As many of you know, AIM is funded through agreements between Arlington County and the cable TV providers Comcast and Verizon. Our operating funds – the money that pays 80% of the staff salaries, insurance bills, utilities, office supplies, etc. – are determined as a percentage of Comcast’s gross cable revenue. Unfortunately, the profits from broadband internet access are not included in the calculation of gross revenue for the purposes of funding AIM. This means that every time a Comcast customer drops cable from their service because they’ve decided that they can watch everything they want online, AIM loses money. --- more at original post http://www.arlingtonmedia.org/blog/2013/02/21/the-decline-of-cable-tv-and-what-it-means-for-public-access/ ---
Putting the power of the media in your hands — that's the idea behind public access television. Now, the Fall River Community Television station based at Bristol Community College is expanding that public access to radio. So, if you want your own radio show, now is the time to step up, BCC says. FRCRadio is looking for community members, both individuals and organizations, who want to be heard on air through the new Internet radio station hosted at www.live365.com. --- more at http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130221/PUB03/302210371 ---
The Redding City Council on Tuesday night put off the approval of a contract to operate the public-access television channels and instead will interview all three applicants. The council made the move in a 3-2 vote, as new questions surfaced during an exchange between council members and public-access operators that at times was tense over who owns the equipment and assets the city is expecting the next operator to use. “This whole thing has turned into a big (can) of worms,” said Councilwoman Missy McArthur at one point during the discussion. --- more at original post http://www.redding.com/news/2013/feb/19/redding-council-holds-off-selecting-next-public/
This is about CAR25, the City of Racine’s cable access television channel. I am a member of the City’s Cable Commission, which endorsed the Skies Fall offer to contract-manage the station. In Wisconsin, citizen commissions such as ours (which is unpaid and advisory) serve as independent watchdogs for the best interest of the people. I think we have a good commission, and I agreed that Skies Fall was the better of two proposals under consideration; but I opposed endorsing it. I thought that while the proposal had engaging aspects, it also had loose ends. The bidders aren’t experienced in this field. They also wanted more money than is now spent, although that’s under negotiation. --- more at original post http://journaltimes.com/news/opinion/commentary-city-should-keep-some-direct-control-over-car/article_bacd35e4-7950-11e2-a848-001a4bcf887a.html
A move to save money and to get better community and city information out to the public has brought public access television to Holland City Hall to be produced by the city's technology services department. The change was result of the budget cuts. The city was looking at a $2 million shortfall at the start of fiscal year 2013, and one cut was trimming the city’s contract with the independent nonprofit MacMedia, which led the MacMedia board to end its contract with the city to broadcast meetings and other public access content. Since then, the city has redirected its cable revenue to upgrade its in-house communication efforts. The city brings in about $300,000 from the cable franchise fees. For fiscal year 2012 $200,000 went to MacMedia to handle public access TV and $100,000 was used to make technology upgrades in city hall. This year with all the revenue coming to the city, the technology department was able to hire two part-time producers and make more upgrades. As a result, what was to be a cut has led to revitalization of the city’s three public access stations, which include government, education and public programming. --- more at original post http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1037511229/Holland-City-Hall-connecting-with-technology ---
The Commerce Industrial Council and the League of Woman Voters on Monday night held a forum for candidates running for three city council seats up for grabs in the March 5 election. The forum was filmed, and will be televised on the city’s public access television channel in the run up to the election. Incumbents Lilia R. Leon, Tina Baca Del Rio and Ivan Altamirano and challengers Joanna Flores, Jaime Valencia and Art Gonzalez faced off on a series of topics. The incumbents are running as a slate, while Valencia and Gonzalez are also running together. Flores is running solo. --- more at original post http://egpnews.com/2013/02/candidates-forum-will-air-on-commerce-tv-channels/ ---
Will non-agenda public comment be televised or not?
The answer may come at 6 p.m. tonight in Council Chambers, when the Laramie City Council continues discussion of the new proposed Code of Conduct.
No matter what happens tonight, the public will still have multiple opportunities to comment before the council. Public comments related to specific agenda items will remain unchanged; however, non-agenda public comments could be moved and no longer broadcast on public access television.
Currently, the proposed Code of Conduct would end the television broadcast of non-agenda comment and move them from the end of the council’s regular meetings to the beginning of the council’s work sessions. Work sessions are not televised.
Bruce Moats, attorney for the Wyoming Press Association, said state statute doesn’t require government bodies to provide opportunities for public comment, but that moving non-agenda public comment still raises legal questions.
If the changes are aimed or drawn up in response to one specific group or person, then the council may be illegally curtailing free speech, Moats said.
“When we talk about a reality show atmosphere, I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it seems to indicate (Shumway) doesn’t like what some people are saying, and that concerns me,” Moats said. “That indicates to me they simply just don’t think that some of the comments are appropriate or worthwhile.”
--- more at original post http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2013/02/12/news/doc5119dc6b12414873707731.txt ---
Time is running out for TV 30 to find new studio space, but leaders of the local public access television station are hopeful they can work out a lease arrangement with the town of Princeton to rent space in the former Princeton Borough Hall. The Princeton Council last night approved contracts to renovate space in the former Borough municipal building for Corner House. The building is expected to be ready for the Corner House move by late March. After the move, TV 30 will be the only tenant left in the oldest portion of the Vally Road School facing Witherspoon Street. Some officials expressed the hope last night that the Corner House move would prompt the station to finally move to new quarters. “I’d hate to see TV 30 get lost in the shuffle,” Councilman Bernie Miller said. Administrator Bob Bruschi said the municipality was working on negotiating a lease for the station to share space at Borough Hall. --- more at original post http://planetprinceton.com/2013/02/12/tv-30-still-wants-to-make-the-valley-road-school-its-permanent-home/ ---
The Select Board thought they were holding a public hearing on the upcoming renewal of Comcast of Southern New England's cable television license on Monday night, but instead they ended up hosting a public love-in for Dartmouth Community Television (DCTV). DCTV provides the town with public access, education and government (PEG) programming with a small paid staff, 10 work-study students from UMass Dartmouth, and a host of volunteers ranging from senior citizens to high school students, Director of Media Dr. Cynthia Marland told Selectmen at the outset of the hearing. Operations are totally funded by Comcast cable television subscribers, with 3.75 percent of subscriber charges turned over to the town each year by the cable company. DCTV is hoping to see that turnback to the town increase to 4.5 percent of subscriber bills in the next contract, Dr. Marland said. "DCTV is funded through Comcast, but it is really a town department independent of Comcast," she noted. The increase would add between 15 and 75 cents per month to the bills of Dartmouth cable customers, depending on the level of services they subscribe to, she indicated. The extra revenue would help fund more coverage of town government meetings, new programming, and expanded partnerships with local environmental and arts groups, she said. About 25 residents packed the meeting room where the hearing was held, and got to enjoy a brief video presentation of the wide range of programming regularly presented by DCTV. --- more at original post http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130206/PUB02/302060364/-1/TOWN15 ---
The main qualification to land a job with AccessLocal.TV is an innate curiosity of the world around you. The online news site – an offshoot of Sacramento's public access TV station – is hiring a group of young reporters to produce compelling, local news. But it’s no cakewalk. "What I tell people, for the first time sometimes in their lives, is your opinion matters, your opinion is important and you have the opportunity to share your story on the internet," said Isaac Gonzalez, AccessLocal.TV youth program coordinator. "It's like a light switch for some kids." Gonzalez, who also runs the news site RanSackedMedia, will be working with the group of six young reporters – ranging from ages 16 to 21 – to generate story ideas, content and eventually publish the stories online. Experience in journalism isn't necessary, he says, but applicants should be self-starters who can work independently, as "it's up to them to get the story." --- more at original post http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/79290/Help_Wanted_curious_storytellers_to_produce_local_news ---
When the Community Media Access Center opened its doors in 1997, the dream was to have a place where Santa Rosa residents could learn about video editing and produce homespun documentaries, news programs and other shows to be aired on public access TV along with broadcasts of government meetings and local events. That dream has faded, in part because of changes in technology — residents can take video on their phones and edit on home computers now — and through a deterioration in funding. Last year, the city cut funding for the Community Media Center of the North Bay from $660,000 a year to $300,000. Today, the City Council will discuss a proposal to take a dramatic new step and cut off financial support altogether, forcing the center to close on March 31. We understand the city's tight budget, a situation made worse by the recent news that it needs to contribute another $1 million a year to the California Public Employees Retirement System for pensions. But the city hasn't made its case for shutting down the center. --- more at original post http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130204/OPINION/130209819/1042?p=1&tc=pg&tc=ar ---
Now that the 113th Congress has begun its first session, the public, education and government channel advocacy group American Community television would like to see some legislative fixes for issues that are affecting PEG broadcasters.
ACT would like some measure that restores funding for PEG channels in the 10 states that eliminated PEG funding. in defiance of the spirit of the Cable Communications Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-549) the 10 states- Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin have negotiated state franchising deals that enable the cable operators to not fund PEG channels.
The Act does not mandate funding for PEG channels — it leaves the option up to local cable franchise authorities, and apparently local means statewide — but if federal lawmakers did not care whether PEG channels receive funding, why was that stipulated in the Act?
The lack of funding in those states is forcing PEG channels to exist on reserves, and many do not expect to last for long. Atlanta’s access channel People TV is hanging on precariously until March 31 because the city agreed to partially fund the PEG channel until that date. People TV’s funding was scheduled to end on Dec. 31. In addition, funding ended Jan. 1 for Cincinnati’s media bridges, which manages that city’s PEG channels.
“We’ve got to have that funding restored in those 10 states,” said Bunnie Riedel, ACT’s executive director. “That funding is not federal or state money, there’s no government money involved, it comes from the cable operators.”
A quick fix that would help struggling PEG channels would be legislation that amends the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-104) lifting the restrictions on the use of capital reserve funds. Currently, those funds can be used only to purchase equipment or for construction. The Telecom Act needs to be changed so the funds can be used for operational expenses.
--- more at original post http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/peg-wish-list-for-new-congress/114238 ---
Require cable operators to provide program listing information for Public, Educational and Government access stations I would like to propose that we require cable operators nationwide to provide program listings for Public, Educational and Government access channels (PEG) free of charge. Today, most cable operators do not provide any program listing information for these channels causing them to be long strips of 6-12 hour blocks of nothing, causing confusion for the customer and making content impossible to find. The technology exists to fix this, and access channels can easily provide their program lineup to be included in the Electronic Program Guide (EPG). Without this, Access is fading into the background as people aren't able to find local programming the same way they find commercial programming. Created: Feb 01, 2013
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Bainbridge Island’s own cable channel, BITV, faded to black two years ago. Now city officials are sending signals that a new channel could be coming online. City Manager Doug Schulze briefed the city council at its Feb. 13 meeting on his aims to establish an island cable channel —especially since money for a public, education and government channel has been piling up. “With the Comcast franchise agreement, there is a portion charged to each subscriber on a monthly basis for a community channel,” Schulze explained. Even though Bainbridge has had no local channel over the past two years, the fee included in cable bills has remained intact. “The funds have been accumulating, it’s around $95,000,” Schulze said. --- more at original post http://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/192521281.html ---
Dear Editor: I am baffled by the discussion city leaders are having regarding the fate of JCTV. Some have suggested that the station could get funding from a government grant presumably from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). That is simply not possible now or ever. CPB provides funding for stand-alone public television stations not cable stations such as JCTV. The station does qualify for funds from the city’s franchise agreement with Mediacom, and there is more than enough money there to fully fund the station at its current level and more. Most communities pay for their access channels with funds from the cable franchise agreements. Columbia pays for three. City leaders should explain why they are not doing that with JCTV. --- more at http://www.newstribune.com/news/2013/feb/20/your-opinion-public-access-channel-not-public-tele/
Technology is rapidly transforming the relationship between people and their government, as underscored this month by the first live broadcast of committee meetings at the Ohio Statehouse. The broadcasts, at http://ohiochannel.org or through public-access TV, so far have gone off without a hitch. And while many might think the title of the first episode, “Finance and Appropriations Committee,” a bit eye-glazing, the broadcasts couldn’t have begun with a more important subject. This is the committee that is hashing out Gov. John Kasich’s proposed biennial budget, which is the playbook for which services government will provide — or not. Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, opened his Feb. 5 committee meeting by explaining the change: “We are attempting to make it a little easier for the public and interested parties to participate in the process by using electronic technology.” In other words, ordinary Ohioans now can get an inside look at the proverbial legislative sausage-making. So far, thousands have done just that, according to the number of views tallied on the site. Online viewers also can pull up the panel’s agenda and read documents that show witnesses’ prepared testimony. While full sessions of the House and Senate — with their passionate speeches and often-contentious votes — have been broadcast live for years, committee hearings have required people to drive to Downtown Columbus, find parking and navigate the Statehouse catacombs. --- more at http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2013/02/18/reality-tv-comes-to-the-legislature.html ---
In the end, there was little contest over who is best qualified to run Redding’s local public access television channels. The Redding City Council on Tuesday will consider awarding an operator’s contractor to the Shasta County Arts Council, which stood head and shoulders above with its proposal to run the community’s three public-access channels, according to an independent panel that scored the three applicants. The panel endorsed the arts council after giving it a score of 165.83 of 183 points. That leaves Redding Community Access Corp. likely out of a contract, having placed last in the rankings with 100 points. --- more at original post http://www.redding.com/news/2013/feb/15/redding-mulls-public-access-tv-contract-with-new/?partner=RSS
Six Cablevision employees lost their jobs Wednesday, said Kristine Conte, a TV news reporter for the cable company who was among those laid off. An additional five employees will be jobless in a month, she said. The two anchors who lead a nightly news program, Donna Reyer and Kerry Donovan, and a photographer will stay on, Conte said. The news program will continue to air, said Cablevision spokeswoman Kelly McAndrew. The layoffs are a result of Cablevision merging two of its departments, the local programming division Conte worked for, and MSG Varsity, a TV channel dedicated to high school sports, academics and activities in the tri-state area. The merger means that MSG Varsity will start airing local public affairs and educational shows later this year, according to Cablevision. The public access channels that aired local programming will continue to exist, though the show lineup is still under development, McAndrew said. --- more at http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130215/BIZ/302150352/-1/NEWS ---
The city’s public access channel is hoping to get roughly $30,000 in equipment upgrades in the upcoming months that will improve the station’s efficiency and allow the continuation of 24-hour programming. Kenner officials are looking for tweaks to the city’s budget that will allow Kenner TV to upgrade the cameras, servers and monitors the station uses to put together broadcasts of city meetings and community television programs. One of those tweaks involved saving roughly $22,000 on an upgrade to the city’s telephone system, said Valerie Waguespack, the city’s director of information and technology. Waguespack said KTV needs the upgrades because its existing equipment has become incredibly outdated and unreliable. Not only is the equipment old, but some of it was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. KTV’s two employees are constantly tinkering with equipment to keep it functioning, but that can only work for so long, she said. --- more at original post http://theadvocate.com/news/5168342-123/kenner-officials-seek-upgrades-for ---
The Ellensburg City Council and members of the Cable Television Commission met Monday night to discuss the future of Ellensburg Community Television, and public access TV in general, in the face of ongoing negotiations with Charter Communications and Central Washington University’s desire to suspend its support of the channel.
They ended up leaving with a few more questions than answers, and directed staff to research possible options for the future of ECTV, public access TV and the city’s fiber optic network, another part of the 15-year-old deal with Charter.
As part of Charter’s initial offer, the city would have to pay for the use of the network, which had been free. The Council asked staff to research the idea of installing a fiber optic network for the city and finding whether the costs would be feasible.
In theory, the city could build its own network and create another revenue-generating utility, according to Bob Titus, who has been overseeing the city’s network and the Charter negotiations.
In the case of ECTV, which has been housed at the CWU library, Council directed staff to research options for a new office for ECTV and the possibility other organizations could provide similar services.
Charter’s offer also reduced the number of public access channels in the city from four — ECTV, CWU’s two channels and a channel for the school district — to one or two.
--- more at original post http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/free/news/council-wrestles-with-future-of-public-tv/article_bac95674-7548-11e2-b363-001a4bcf887a.html ---
Casablanca may have been on Cheryl McGinnis' mind Monday.
"I look forward to this being the beginning of a great relationship," said McGinnis, president of Clarkston Board of Education to Independence Township Supervisor Pat Kittle. "I hope this is the first of many opportunities, showcasing the fact our two boards can work together."
Kittle presented ideas for a public-access television partnership between the township and school district at the Feb. 11 school board special meeting.
Independence Township's public access program, Independence TV, is funded by PEG fees collected on subscribers' cable bill. The PEG channels are intended to showcase the public, education, and government.
"My opinion is we've been doing a lousy job," Kittle said.
People aren't using Independence TV's Maybee Road facility despite recent renovation and equipment upgrades, he said.
"Clarkston High School has the opposite problem, with kids lined up to learn," Kittle said. "But the high school's equipment is antiquated, not suited to its purpose."
Combining the two would be ideal, he said.
His proposal is to create an independent authority to manage a combined public access operation, transfer about $300,000 in recently purchased video, lighting, editing equipment to the high school, and capital lease payment of about $200,000 a year to the school district.
The proposal would provide students with much needed new equipment and access to community television, something they currently lack, said media teacher Scott Banks.
--- more at original post http://www.clarkstonnews.com/Articles-News-i-2013-02-13-250484.113121-sub-Aim-to-partner-for-public-access.html ---
This past week, we’ve had quite the discussion around Cecilia Kan’s WashPo piece describing a plan by the FCC to create a national WiFi network by making the right decisions about how to allocate spectrum between licenses for auction and what to leave available for the unlicensed TV white spaces (“TVWS” aka “Super WiFi” aka “Wifi on steroids”). As Kang describes, the FCC’s opening of sufficient spectrum for for TVWS could lead to “super WiFi networks (emphasis added) around the nation so powerful and broad in reach that consumers could use them to make calls or surf the Internet wihout paying a cellphone bill every month.”
Needless to say, the article faced much pushback, despite a subsequent Washpo clarification to indicate the FCC was not, actually, planing to build a network. Amidst the various critics, there were some general defenders of the concept. My colleagues at EFF noted that increasing the availability of open spectrum for WiFi-type uses , and my friends at Free Press argued that such a free public wifi network (or, more accurately, series of networks) is in fact possible if the FCC makes enough good quality spectrum, suitable for broadband and usable out doors, available on an unlicensed basis.
I will now go a step further than any of my colleagues. I will boldly state that, if the FCC produces a solid 20 MHz of contiguous empty space for TV White spaces in the Incentive Auction proceeding, or even two 10 MHz guard channels that could nationally produce two decent sized LTE-for unlicensed channels, then we will have exactly the kind of free publicly available wifi Kang describes in her article. Or, “Yes Cecilia, there really is free national public wifi. Don’t let the haters and know-it-alls tell you otherwise.”
“What’s that?” I hear you cry. “Has Harold gone mad, fallen at last into some whacky socialist dream? Has he forgotten everything he ever learned about how hideously complicated and expensive it is to run a network? Who will provide the backhaul? The customer service? Why would anyone do it? Or is Harold talking about one of his evil socialist tax schemes where we either use tax-payer money to build some muni-wifi boondoggle or force poor little innocent carriers (who are making 97% profit margins on their broadband systems) to carry public trafic under some “public interest” theory?
No (although I’m not averse to either, as it happens). I mean what I say. If the FCC makes the right spectrum choices, it is inevitable that we will eventually get to the kind of ubiquitous and easy to use publicly accessible WiFi access Kang describes in her article.
--- more at original post http://tales-of-the-sausage-factory.wetmachine.com/cecilia-kang-is-right-there-really-could-be-a-free-national-wifi-network-of-networks/ ---
Santa Rosa, Calif.’s City Council on Tuesday rejected a plan that would have cut off funding to the city’s public access station—the Community Media Center of the North Bay—forcing the channel to close March 31. The Community Media Center has been in existence since 1997 and it provides coverage of government meetings as well as offering the public video production training. The center’s current contract—for $300,000, which is 80 percent of the center’s budget—ends on March 31. Council members indicated rather than see the facility close they want recommendations on how the media center, and the public access it provides, might survive. However, the council also wants the center to seek other funding streams. --- more at original post http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/114267 ---
Governor Deval Patrick stopped by SCATV on January 29, 2013 to talk about his vision for the State, and his new tax plan. The governor appreciates the ability to speak on public access TV because access stations allow him plenty of time to explain his point ov view, and extend each show's reach through repeating programs throughout various dayparts. Watch the show on channel 3 or on line here: http://bit.ly/X8rP4n.
More than 200 member organizations participated in the Alliance for Community Media’s (ACM) survey of community media centers’ 2012 election program offerings. Community media centers often serve as the only source of local news and information, and ACM’s survey results reinforce the value of — and critical need to preserve — community media centers in throughout the U.S. The survey was conducted Fall, 2012 to assess the (i) amount of 2012 election programming produced or carried by community media centers; (ii) the type of election programming aired; and (iii) the involvement of community partners in developing election programming. Participating centers represent a mix of public, educational and governmental non-commercial cable channels from around the country, including urban and rural centers. Key findings include:
--- more at original post http://www.allcommunitymedia.org/latest-news/alliance-for-community-media-survey-results-demonstrate-impact-of-community-media-centers ---
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