Community Media Review, Vol. 31, No. 1, Spring 2008

2008·2.2 MB·

COMMUNITY MEDIA REVIEW
COMMUNITY
&
MEDIA
Government
Access
THE JOURNAL OF THE ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA (cid:78) SPRING 2008
www.communitymediareview.org

Spring 2008 COMMUNITY MEDIA REVIEW
Volume 31, Number 1
CMR EDITORIAL BOARD
Community Media &
Lauren-Glenn Davitian
CCTV Center for Media and Democracy
Government Access
Jennifer Harris
Center for Digital Democracy
Daniell Krawczyk
Princeton Server Group UP FRONT
Margie Nicholson
Columbia College Chicago Alliance Board of Directors ...................................................................................5
Ben Sheldon
Winds of Change by Deborah Vinsel......................................................................6
CTC VISTA Project
Karen Toering Government Access Programming: Are You Watching? by Matt Schuster ..........7
Reclaim the Media
Government Access Television: More Than Meetings by Ross Rowe ...................9
Andy Valeri
Miami Valley Communications Council
GUEST EDITOR
FEATURES
Ross Rowe
MANAGING EDITOR PEG Tripod Needs Three Legs by Mark A. Hart .............................................10
Lisa Schnabel
Video Voter Creates Opportunities by Betsy Rosenfeld .......................................13
COPY EDITOR
Paula J. Kelly Lost Access in Indiana by Erik Möllberg .............................................................15
NATIONAL OFFICE
Deb Vinsel, interim executive director
Denise Woodson, membership/operations GOVERNMENT ACCESS TELEVISION
Rob McCausland, information/organizing
PROFILES
Lisa Freedman, advertising sales
Station Profile: Louisville Metro TV by Matt Schuster ......................................18
Alliance for
BevCam: The Citizens’ Choice by Walt Kosmowski............................................19
Community
Media The Importance of Purpose by Mark J. Flynn ...................................................21
The New Government Access by Lauren-Glenn Davitian .................................24
Community Media Review [ISSN 1074-
Elk Grove Village, Illinois by Ross Rowe .............................................................27
9004] is published quarterly by the Alliance
for Community Media, Inc. Subscriptions
Enumclaw City Television by Jon Funfar ...........................................................28
are $35/year. Editorial comments and in-
quiries regarding subscriptions, additional Government Programming on Chicago Access
copies, and advertising may be sent to:
Network Television by Czerina Salud .............................................................29
ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA
666 11th St. NW / Suite 740 Creating a Regional Network by Tom Ireland and Andy Valeri ...........................32
Washington, DC 20001-4542
Voice: 202.393.2650 / Fax: [phone]
[email protected]
www.alliancecm.org
Requests for bulk orders considered in advance of
publication. Contact the national office for rates and
delivery.
Copyright © 2008 by the Alliance for Community
Media, Inc. Prior written permission of the Alliance
for Community Media required for all reprints or
usage.
COMMUNITY MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT ACCESS (cid:78) 3
ACM West Region
Fall Conference & Trade Show
“Access Without Borders”
October 24 & 25, 2008
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Denver, Colorado
For complete conference details, workshops and registration,
visit the regional website at acmwest.org
Alliance for ACM West—serving Arizona,
Community California, Colorado, Hawai’i,
Media Nevada and New Mexico
4 (cid:78) COMMUNITY MEDIA REVIEW, SPRING 2008
ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LINDA LITOWSKY JULIENNE TURNER
Southwest Representative Concord Community Television
MATT SCHUSTER
Chair PACT 170 Warren Street
At-Large Representative 1143 Northwestern Avenue Concord, NH 03301
Metro TV-Louisville Metro Government Austin, TX 78702 Voice: 603.226.8872 / Fax: [phone]
527 W. Jefferson Street, 6th Floor Voice: 512.478.8600 x18 / Fax: [phone] Email: [email protected]
Louisville, KY 40202 Email: [email protected] BETTY YU
Voice: 502.574.1904 / Fax: [phone] JIM THOMAS Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Email: [email protected] Western Representative 537 West 59th Stree
Access Tucson New York, NY 10019
KEALI’I LOPEZ
Vice-Chair 124 E. Broadway Boulevard Voice: 212.757.2670 / Fax: [phone]
‘Olelo Community Television Tucson, AZ 85701 Email: [email protected]
1122 Mapunapuna Street Voice: 520.624.9833 x120 / Fax [phone]
Honolulu, HI 96819 Email: [email protected] DISCRETIONARY APPOINTEES
Voice: 808.834.0007 x131 / Fax: [phone] RUSSELL EDWARDS JAMES HORWOOD
Email: [email protected] Northwest Representative Legal Affairs Appointee
2241 72nd Avenue S. / Bldg. C Spiegel & McDiarmid
MIKE WASSENAAR
Treasurer Kent, WA 98032 1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW
SPNN Voice: 253.479.0200 x109 Washington, DC 20036
375 Jackson Street, Suite 250 Email: [email protected] Voice: 202.879.4002 / Fax: [phone]
St. Paul, MN 55101 CHAD JOHNSTON Email: [email protected]
Voice: 651.298.8900 / Fax: [phone] Southeast Region
ALLIANCE EMAIL LISTS
Email: [email protected] The People’s Channel
300AC S. Elliott Road Access Forum
KERI STOKSTAD
Secretary Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Open to anyone interested in community media
At Large Representative Voice: 919.960.0088 / Fax: [phone] topics. Send subscription request to access-fo-
Newburyport Community Media Center Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Newburyport, MA 01950 DALE GEMINDER Equal Opportunity
Voice: 978.961.0334 Central States Representative Open to anyone interested in equal opportunity
Email: [email protected] AccessVision topics. Send subscription request to alliance-
67 W. Michigan Avenue, Suite 112 [email protected]
RICH DESIMONE
Chair of Chairs Battle Creek, MI 49017 Alliance Announce
Mid-Atlantic Representative Voice: 269.968.3633 / Fax: [phone] Open to members of the Alliance for Com-
500 Main Street Email: [email protected] munity Media interested in community media
Metuchen, NJ 08840 topics. Send subscription request
AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVES
Voice: 732.603.9750 / Fax: [phone] to [email protected]
Email: [email protected] ANTOINE HAYWOOD liancecm.org
People TV
TONYA GONZALEZ
Equal Opportunity Chair 190 14th Street NW USEFUL CONTACTS
DCTV Atlanta, GA 30318 Federal Communications Commission
901 Newton Street NE Voice: 404.873.6712 x203 The Portals
Washington, DC 20017 Email: [email protected] 445 12th Street SW
Voice: 202.526.7007 x105 / Fax: [phone] JOHN BLOCH Washington, D.C. 20024
Email: [email protected] 6 Winter Street Voice: 202.418.0200 / Fax: [phone]
Montpelier, VT 05602 www.fcc.gov
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES Voice: 802.229.4734
JOSH GODING Email: [email protected] Your Federal Legislators:
Midwest Representative PETER ZAWADZKI
Office of Senator_______
Public Access Television Brookline Access Television
United States Senate
06 Lafayette Street 194 Boylston Street
Washington, D.C. 20515
Iowa City, IA 52240 Brookline, MA 02146
www.senate.gov
Voice: 319.338.7035 Voice: 617.731.8566
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] The Honorable_______
United States House of Representatives
NANCY RICHARD SUE BUSKE
Washington, D.C. 20510
Northeast Representative The Buske Group
www.house.gov
Plymouth Area Community Access Television 3001 J Street, Suite 201
130 Court Street Rear Sacramento, CA 95816 U.S. Capitol Switchboard:
Plymouth, MA 02360 Voice: 916.441.6266 / Fax: [phone] Voice: 202.224.3121
Voice: 508.830.6999 / Fax: [phone] Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
COMMUNITY MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT ACCESS (cid:78) 5
From the Interim Executive Director
Winds of Change
(cid:78) BY DEBORAH VINSEL
I
As a 25-year member write this article with mixed feelings. that PEG is a significant response to the loss
of the Alliance, Although I welcome the task as part of my of localism in mainstream media and enact
Deborah Vinsel role as interim director of the Alliance for rules that protect us, instead of protecting the
has served on the Community Media, I do recognize that this conglomerates that wish to eliminate us? We
Central States,
may be the only opportunity I have to use this deserve a seat at the table of media reform, not
Western Region, and
column to address you. The Alliance board is just the scraps left over after the feast!
Northwest regional
conducting a search for a new executive direc- There were some bright spots at the
boards and on the
tor, and the next issue of the CMR will have his conference, however. Through the efforts of
National Board of
or her first letter to you. So, hello to all of you, Barbara Popovic from CAN TV in Chicago,
Directors. In 1999, the
and thanks for sharing this moment with me. a private meeting with Federal Communica-
Alliance recognized
her commitment to I recently spent an inspiring and hum- tions Commission (FCC) Commissioners
the organization by bling weekend at the National Conference on Jonathan S. Adelstein and Michael J. Copps
honoring her with Media Reform. The conference, sponsored was arranged to present information about
the Buske Leadership by Free Press (www.freepress.net), brought the harm caused to PEG access in states with
Award. In 2003, together 3,500 passionate media activists to statewide franchising. The commissioners
she was co-chair of discuss media reform. It was made clear that heard our concerns and confirmed their sup-
the local planning
we have a better chance now than ever before port for PEG. And, more importantly, they
committee for the
to effect positive change as we look to a new asked for our help to frame the message and
national conference
administration in Washington, D.C. provide statistical and verifiable information
held in Tacoma,
The Alliance was well represented by detailing our concerns. The commissioners
Washington. In
members from all over the country. As PEG also encouraged us to make a concerted effort
addition to serving
as the interim people, we all know that access centers prac- to inform and educate our local, state, and
director, Deborah tice media reform every day by empowering national leaders about our cause.
also coordinates the our communities and individuals to speak for One way to get the word out about PEG
Hometown Video themselves. And, while PEG issues were more is by participating in the Keep Us Connected
Awards. Deborah has visible at this year’s Conference on Media Re- campaign. The Alliance Public Policy Work-
worked in community form program than they have been previously, ing Group has done Herculean work planning
media since 1983,
our movement was overshadowed by net neu- the campaign, which launches at the 2008
managing PEG access
trality and media consolidation—the primary National Conference and Exhibition in July.
centers in three
concerns for those gathered at the meeting. You are asked to take part by visiting your
different states.
Why, when the winds of change have representatives and senators if you attend
She is currently the
become a fan for media reform, are we not the conference in Washington, D.C., or by
executive director at
recognized as an important and effective tool making an appointment with their staff in
Thurston Community
Television in Olympia, to be used to promote and implement reform? your state if you are not attending. For more
Washington. Why, with more than 30 years of growth information about how you can participate, go
despite all that has been thrown at us, are we to www.alliancecm.org and follow the links to
dismissed with the admonishment that “the the campaign web page.
Internet will take the place of PEG?” Why, Our elected representatives won’t act
with the hundreds of thousands of hours on our behalf if we don’t ask them to. “The
of locally created, locally presented, locally winds of change are blowing,” said Commis-
relevant programming aired on our chan- sioner Copps. It is up to us to determine their
nels each year, do policymakers not recognize direction. (cid:78)CMR
6 (cid:78) COMMUNITY MEDIA REVIEW, SPRING 2008
From the Board Chair
Government Access Programming:
Are You Watching?
(cid:78) BY MATT SCHUSTER
I
started working in government access be one of the best values there is for program- Many of us who
television as a non-paid intern in 1994, ming. Where else can you find, for example, work in community
while working on my master’s degree gavel-to-gavel coverage of local government
media know about
in telecommunications at Michigan State meetings, election coverage of local races, and
this secret and
University. As an eager graduate student information from the health department and
looking to gain as much hands-on experience other city agencies? All this programming the surprising
in video production as possible, the oppor- happens with yearly budgets that are often less number of people
tunities were endless. Little did I realize that than the average cost of a 44-minute serialized
who watch the
this internship would be my introduction drama on commercial television.
programming.
to the field of community media, and that The value that government access pro-
I would still be working in government gramming adds to communities cannot be Viewership
television more than ten years later. measured. Today, local government chan- surveys conducted
I like to call local government program- nels are creating innovative programming
in numerous
ming one of our “dirty little secrets” because that reaches beyond the standard approach
communities have
more people find themselves engaged and of providing access to the local government
supported the
interested in the programming than they care and a conduit for elected officials to express
to admit. Community media programming their views. Local government channels are idea that our work
is often the punchline of people’s jokes— serving as agents of change in their communi- reaches many local
“Wayne’s World” is still fresh in people’s ties. Whether you want to participate in your
viewers.
minds. When asked, many people will not democracy by watching elected officials in ac-
readily admit to watching this programming tion, or improve your health by learning how
on a regular basis. However, I often hear those to cook more nutritious meals, or find some
same people comment on something they tips to be “more green,” local government
watched the other night when they had a hard programming is your source.
time falling asleep, or when they were channel Those are just a few examples of the diver-
surfing. And many people mention how they sity of programming that can be found on local
found themselves watching the local city coun- government access channels throughout the
cil, whether for entertainment or information. country. So I ask, “Are you watching?” (cid:78)CMR
Many of us who work in community
media know about this secret and the surpris- Matt Schuster is chair of the ACM Board of
ing number of people who watch the pro- Directors. He manages the national award-
gramming. Viewership surveys conducted in winning goverment access channel MetroTV in
numerous communities have supported the Louisville, Kentucky. Previously, he was cable TV
coordinator/station manager for Lake County,
idea that our work reaches many local viewers.
Illinois, and Meridian Township, Michigan. All
In fact, the number of viewers often matches
three channels received multiple national awards
those of programs rated in the top 50 on
from NATOA and the Alliance’s Hometown
cable.
Video Festivel, including Overall Excellence in
With the cost of traditional television
Government Programming. Matt also serves
ranging from $73,000 per minute and up,
on the ACM Central States Region Board. He
and the costs of new “serialized” web video received his Master of Arts in Telecommunications
ranging from $1,400 per minute to $2,200 per from Michigan State University. Contact him at
minute, local government programming may [email protected].
COMMUNITY MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT ACCESS (cid:78) 7
COMMUNITY MEDIA
REVIEW
CALL FOR
CONTRIBUTIONS
We invite interested
ACM Members with a flair for
reporting to provide articles
(500–1500 words) for the
Summer/Fall 2008 CMR
Double Issue
The topics:
ACM Post-Conference Update and
Keep Us Connected Campaign
The deadline for copy:
August 1st
If you are interested in contributing,
please contact the CMR Editorial
Board ([email protected])
CALLING ALL
VENDORS…
Don’t miss your chance
to advertise in our
Double Issue.
Get your message out to
our members through
Community Media
Review.
Contact Lisa Freedman at
[email protected] or
202-393-2650 to reserve
your space in this
special issue now.
Reservations due by
August 15th.
8 (cid:78) COMMUNITY MEDIA REVIEW, SPRING 2008