Rebecca Williams, who used to be Channel's 74 Manager, answers a reader's question, and posses in turn another question, this time to the general public. The topic is on whether the council has a saying on airing council meetings or not. You can read the post HERE along with all comments.
Reader's Question:
My question is can they refuse? Isn't it an obligation on their part to put it on TV? Dottie/Rebecca, can you weigh in on this? Shouldn't the cable commission be pushing this - and isn't it a RIGHT for the citizens of Plainfield. If so, then do we contact the city attorney or the county attorney or the State attorney?
Rebecca's Answer:
I was asked a question about the cable station. To the previous person posting, yes, the city has an obligation to air a tape brought to the station by a citizen. They cannot refuse to air a program, nor can they censor or in any way alter a tape. The laws governing public access are quite different from those of broadcast television. The city cannot "bleep" out language or imagery that might be objectionable, either. There are guidelines for station use in the files at the station. When I was fired from the station by Sharon Robinson-Briggs, there was no competent and knowledgeable person hired to replace me and watch out for the public interest. Even those who have disagreed with my political positions (and affiliations) in the past have told me that they were glad that I kept political agendas out of the station's programming. Unfortunately, the mayor was so eager to get rid of me (and others on her "enemies list," apparently) that she did not think about the good of the station and the public interest it represents. I have heard that the mayor put her husband on the cable board, so you tell me what message that is sending about the public interest. I have not heard Dottie weigh in on the cable board, but I think she is a member. I do know that the station belongs to the residents of Plainfield and that the equipment that was purchased belongs to the residents of Plainfield. I have not ever heard any one at the station or on the cable advisory board ever say anything about the public being brought into the process. I would like to know whether anyone out there has submitted a tape to the station to be aired. Maybe Maria can put out a call on the blog about this. Again, the station cannot refuse to air programs submitted by citizens.
Rebecca
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Rebecca Answers To A Reader's Question
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi,
When I asked if we can submit a video, the person at TV74 was very responsive and welcomed our submission.
Pui Evans
To the person above--that's great! That is not the experience of many individuals who send me e-mails about the responses they have received from the powers-that-be up there.
What is the name of your program, and when will it air? That is the other part of it--making sure that the program guide is up-to-date so that your program gets noticed. It is not the responsibility of the station to publicize your show, however, so you should ask them to restore the on-air program guide (rather than just the web-based one) so that subscribers to Comcast of Plainfield can view the time (or times) your program will run.
Additionally, when I was Station Director, I scheduled "Community Outreach" events and publicized them through the press and the station e-mail subscriber list so that the public could learn more about the station. At this type of event, sample station guidelines and contracts would be available, as well as information on how residents, aka "community producers," would be able to use the station's resources. Before I was fired, plans were in the works to purchase two additional camera/lighting/sound packages, as well as a new digital editing system--the money is there--earmarked and allocated for equipment purchases only. Some of the money from Comcast is to be used for technical and production training workshops. Thus far, I have not heard about any workshops being planned or offered, and the current regime has been in place for more than 2 years. This is really too bad--as many have said, the station seems to be utilized as the "MySpace" page for the mayor, more than anything else. The members of the city council who are willfully allowing this to happen without stepping in are to blame as well.
Rebecca
Post a Comment