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MEDIA DEMOCRACY COMES TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY
Fresno community groups struggle for media access
MEDIA DEMOCRACY COMES TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY
by Mike Rhodes
Don’t like what you see on the television these days? Think you could do better? Well, if things go the way they should, TV (cable TV, at least) is about to get a whole lot better. That is because our new cable service provider, Comcast, must renegotiate the franchise agreement with the City of Fresno. Actually, they are negotiating a new agreement with Fresno County, the City of Clovis, and Madera. But, more about that later.
The new franchise agreement will determine the future of cable TV in this area for the next 10 to 20 years. Perhaps the most interesting prospect is the possibility of Public, Education, and Government (PEG) access:
The “public” channel(s) will give every person and organization the opportunity to have a TV show, for free. Individuals and groups can produce a show about anything they like: immigrant and worker rights, a talk show like The Right Stuff from the Left, or music from Cambodia. The possibilities are endless.
The “education” channel(s) will be used by schools to share knowledge through distant learning programs, inform the community about learning opportunities, and show events that take place at schools, such as musical performances, dance, and sports. This channel will also provide students with a valuable opportunity to learn the skills needed for television production.
The “government” channel(s) will give you a chance to see how government works. In addition to showing the City Council and Board of Supervisors meetings in their entirety, the channel can be used to show what is happening in important board and commission meetings, to interview elected officials, and to cover key events.
PEG access will increase civic participation by providing the community with as many channels as needed. When one PEG channel is filled up with programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the community will get another channel. PEG access on cable TV will be the biggest soap box for free speech ever imagined in this community. There will be no censorship, there will be unlimited time available, and best of all, it will be free. We expect Comcast, when the new franchise agreement is signed, to provide the community with PEG access, a community media center, and all the equipment needed to produce quality programs.
*********************************************
What would you do with your own TV show?
*********************************************
Our taking control of what we see on TV bucks the trend of media consolidation and the domination by corporations to control all content. PEG access will give a voice to the voiceless and give community groups and individuals an opportunity to participate in public debate about important local and world issues. I believe that this is the largest restructuring of access to the media in the Central Valley since TV went on the air more than 50 years ago.
What the community stands to gain with PEG access is threatened by corporate greed and public apathy. Comcast is not going to give us all these new services out of the goodness of its corporate heart. Expect Comcast to fight tooth and nail to limit PEG access in any way they can. They will send in the best lobbyists to convince City Council members that nobody cares about this issue. They might threaten us with higher rates or offer a better deal for education and government access if the City Council agrees to drop public access. The possibilities are endless and the stakes are high. The counter to the endless resources Comcast will throw into this fight is community involvement. If community groups and individuals want to democratize media and have a voice in their world, they will keep their eye on this ball.
The City of Fresno is setting up a series of community needs assessment meetings that will be held in October to find out what you think about and how you would use PEG channels. It is absolutely critical that the city hears from community members at this time.
The City of Fresno has hired the Buske Group (http://www.buskegroup.com) as a consultant to help in the negotiation of the franchise agreement with Comcast. City Council members should be thanked for their wisdom in hiring a consultant and leveling the playing field in this effort to support community media. The current agreement between the City of Fresno and Comcast ends in December 2004 but a new contract could be settled at any time.
Comcast contracts are also being renegotiated in Clovis, in Madera, and with the County of Fresno. If you live in any of those areas you should contact your elected representatives and ask them what they are doing to guarantee PEG access in the new franchise agreement. Encourage them to hire a consultant to help their staff in this technically complex field. It would be great if these different government entities worked together and cooperated to bring media democracy to the Central Valley.
For more information about this project contact Cable Access Now (CAN) at (559) 226–0477.
###
by Mike Rhodes
Don’t like what you see on the television these days? Think you could do better? Well, if things go the way they should, TV (cable TV, at least) is about to get a whole lot better. That is because our new cable service provider, Comcast, must renegotiate the franchise agreement with the City of Fresno. Actually, they are negotiating a new agreement with Fresno County, the City of Clovis, and Madera. But, more about that later.
The new franchise agreement will determine the future of cable TV in this area for the next 10 to 20 years. Perhaps the most interesting prospect is the possibility of Public, Education, and Government (PEG) access:
The “public” channel(s) will give every person and organization the opportunity to have a TV show, for free. Individuals and groups can produce a show about anything they like: immigrant and worker rights, a talk show like The Right Stuff from the Left, or music from Cambodia. The possibilities are endless.
The “education” channel(s) will be used by schools to share knowledge through distant learning programs, inform the community about learning opportunities, and show events that take place at schools, such as musical performances, dance, and sports. This channel will also provide students with a valuable opportunity to learn the skills needed for television production.
The “government” channel(s) will give you a chance to see how government works. In addition to showing the City Council and Board of Supervisors meetings in their entirety, the channel can be used to show what is happening in important board and commission meetings, to interview elected officials, and to cover key events.
PEG access will increase civic participation by providing the community with as many channels as needed. When one PEG channel is filled up with programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the community will get another channel. PEG access on cable TV will be the biggest soap box for free speech ever imagined in this community. There will be no censorship, there will be unlimited time available, and best of all, it will be free. We expect Comcast, when the new franchise agreement is signed, to provide the community with PEG access, a community media center, and all the equipment needed to produce quality programs.
*********************************************
What would you do with your own TV show?
*********************************************
Our taking control of what we see on TV bucks the trend of media consolidation and the domination by corporations to control all content. PEG access will give a voice to the voiceless and give community groups and individuals an opportunity to participate in public debate about important local and world issues. I believe that this is the largest restructuring of access to the media in the Central Valley since TV went on the air more than 50 years ago.
What the community stands to gain with PEG access is threatened by corporate greed and public apathy. Comcast is not going to give us all these new services out of the goodness of its corporate heart. Expect Comcast to fight tooth and nail to limit PEG access in any way they can. They will send in the best lobbyists to convince City Council members that nobody cares about this issue. They might threaten us with higher rates or offer a better deal for education and government access if the City Council agrees to drop public access. The possibilities are endless and the stakes are high. The counter to the endless resources Comcast will throw into this fight is community involvement. If community groups and individuals want to democratize media and have a voice in their world, they will keep their eye on this ball.
The City of Fresno is setting up a series of community needs assessment meetings that will be held in October to find out what you think about and how you would use PEG channels. It is absolutely critical that the city hears from community members at this time.
The City of Fresno has hired the Buske Group (http://www.buskegroup.com) as a consultant to help in the negotiation of the franchise agreement with Comcast. City Council members should be thanked for their wisdom in hiring a consultant and leveling the playing field in this effort to support community media. The current agreement between the City of Fresno and Comcast ends in December 2004 but a new contract could be settled at any time.
Comcast contracts are also being renegotiated in Clovis, in Madera, and with the County of Fresno. If you live in any of those areas you should contact your elected representatives and ask them what they are doing to guarantee PEG access in the new franchise agreement. Encourage them to hire a consultant to help their staff in this technically complex field. It would be great if these different government entities worked together and cooperated to bring media democracy to the Central Valley.
For more information about this project contact Cable Access Now (CAN) at (559) 226–0477.
###
For more information:
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home
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Fayetteville Arkansas has had a PEG facility for 25 years now. Here, the Public part is called CAT, for Community Access Television. And for two and a half decades, CAT has been one of the few public forums in Northwest Arkansas where any local resident can stand up and speak out whatever is on their mind.
The right wing conservative/ real estate developer axis that controls politics in our region consistently tries to kill our local CAT channel because that is one of the few places we can openly criticize and satirize the local politicians they own. The URL attached to this comment links to a story on Arkansas IndyMedia that describes the latest such attempt as our own city renegotiates with our cable monopoly.
But the value of a public access channel makes it worth fighting for. Our IMC is working with several other local progressive groups to produce a live alternative news program on our CAT channel. The first live broadcast is this Friday and we're all excited about it. Let's hope you all get the chance to do something similiar in Fresno.
The right wing conservative/ real estate developer axis that controls politics in our region consistently tries to kill our local CAT channel because that is one of the few places we can openly criticize and satirize the local politicians they own. The URL attached to this comment links to a story on Arkansas IndyMedia that describes the latest such attempt as our own city renegotiates with our cable monopoly.
But the value of a public access channel makes it worth fighting for. Our IMC is working with several other local progressive groups to produce a live alternative news program on our CAT channel. The first live broadcast is this Friday and we're all excited about it. Let's hope you all get the chance to do something similiar in Fresno.
For more information:
http://arkansas.indymedia.org/feature/disp...
Sue Buske does a good job of laying the groundwork, but she can only take it so far. You still have to build a political movement to push the envelope to the edge.
Your goal: we want everything that every other city has, and not one dollar less.
For PEG, you MUST get operating and production money from either the franchise, or your cities. Making your own media sounds great, until you find that you have to spend money for cameras, new software, instructors, tapes, new computers, cables, etc. It adds up. Production money for local producers is also important: should there be stipends and grants for people making great material about the local area? Of course there shoild be, and many cities have this.
Finally, don't forget that you have to get content in and out of your studios. Fiber Internet is a necessity these days. Satallite uplink and downlink as well. You'll need tons of equipment, so tote up the bill and remember,
We want nothing less than what everyone else has, because we deserve nothing less!
Mike Weisman
Your goal: we want everything that every other city has, and not one dollar less.
For PEG, you MUST get operating and production money from either the franchise, or your cities. Making your own media sounds great, until you find that you have to spend money for cameras, new software, instructors, tapes, new computers, cables, etc. It adds up. Production money for local producers is also important: should there be stipends and grants for people making great material about the local area? Of course there shoild be, and many cities have this.
Finally, don't forget that you have to get content in and out of your studios. Fiber Internet is a necessity these days. Satallite uplink and downlink as well. You'll need tons of equipment, so tote up the bill and remember,
We want nothing less than what everyone else has, because we deserve nothing less!
Mike Weisman
The airwaves are public because they are a natural resource. Nobody built them. Fine.
But since when is coax a naturally occuring phenomena?
Cable TV is private property. Dont like what the owners do with their private property? Im sure they don't like what the owners of SF IMC have done with their property either, but should CNN send cops into the server room to enforce equal access rights for Ted Turner?
Hardly.
Fighting for access to the public airwaves is one thing. Fighting for access to someone else's private cable system which cost $millions to build and more to operate every year, is just wrong.
All this socialism crap is just a mask for mob rule and jealousy of the poor against the rich.
Yes, the needs of the many may outweigh the needs of the few. We all know that.
But the desires (you don't NEED cable TV) of the many do not outweigh the RIGHTS of the few (the owners of the cable TV system).
If you don't believe that, think about the Bill of Rights. Everyone has rights - even the rich. An injustice to one is an injustice to all, remember?
Just because someone has something you don't, does not make it yours. That's the logic of a 2 year old.
But since when is coax a naturally occuring phenomena?
Cable TV is private property. Dont like what the owners do with their private property? Im sure they don't like what the owners of SF IMC have done with their property either, but should CNN send cops into the server room to enforce equal access rights for Ted Turner?
Hardly.
Fighting for access to the public airwaves is one thing. Fighting for access to someone else's private cable system which cost $millions to build and more to operate every year, is just wrong.
All this socialism crap is just a mask for mob rule and jealousy of the poor against the rich.
Yes, the needs of the many may outweigh the needs of the few. We all know that.
But the desires (you don't NEED cable TV) of the many do not outweigh the RIGHTS of the few (the owners of the cable TV system).
If you don't believe that, think about the Bill of Rights. Everyone has rights - even the rich. An injustice to one is an injustice to all, remember?
Just because someone has something you don't, does not make it yours. That's the logic of a 2 year old.
The flaw with Van’s logic is that the cable companies use our land to lay their cable. They tear up roads and run cable under sidewalks. Without using OUR property they could not lay their cable. We are just asking for compensation for the right of way. This principle is recognized in local, state, and federal law. That is why the cable companies agree to a franchise agreements and pay the City or County for the right to use the people’s property.
They hang the man and flog the woman
That steal the goose from off the common,
But let the greater villain loose
That steals the common from the goose.
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine.
The poor and wretched don't escape
If they conspire the law to break;
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law.
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common'
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back.
-- old English folk poem, circa 1764
That steal the goose from off the common,
But let the greater villain loose
That steals the common from the goose.
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine.
The poor and wretched don't escape
If they conspire the law to break;
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law.
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common'
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back.
-- old English folk poem, circa 1764
I didn't realize that owning stock in a cable company was cause for disenfranchisement and special restrictions on how they use the land that *they own too, as members of the public*.
What next - own stock in a phone company, and have conditions placed on your right to vote?
Own stock in a newspaper, and have conditions placed upon your right to free speech?
There are no "corporations" and "companies" - these are what is called a LEGAL FICTION. They are just possessions. Machines, if you will. We all own machines - cars, bicycles, washers, driers.. some just own bigger machines, and we call those machines "companies".
But just as if I jump out of my car before I send it crashing into a bunch of pedestrians, the rights and responsibilities of the machine are directly descendent from the rights and responsibilitys of the owner(s).
Everyone has the right to non-exclusive access to public property. Coaxial cable gets in no one's way, and Viacom "tearing up" the roads is a far far less common occurence than, say, Caltrans out there fucking up traffic on 280 all summer long.
Everyone. That includes cable TV company owners, whom you've managed to turn into America's latest disenfranchised minority.
Isn't that ironic.
There's a popular Food Not Bombs song that says (paraphrasing) even if you're a fatcat evil corporate CEO, if you come down to an FNB feed they'll give you a bowl of soup.
That's equality.
What next - own stock in a phone company, and have conditions placed on your right to vote?
Own stock in a newspaper, and have conditions placed upon your right to free speech?
There are no "corporations" and "companies" - these are what is called a LEGAL FICTION. They are just possessions. Machines, if you will. We all own machines - cars, bicycles, washers, driers.. some just own bigger machines, and we call those machines "companies".
But just as if I jump out of my car before I send it crashing into a bunch of pedestrians, the rights and responsibilities of the machine are directly descendent from the rights and responsibilitys of the owner(s).
Everyone has the right to non-exclusive access to public property. Coaxial cable gets in no one's way, and Viacom "tearing up" the roads is a far far less common occurence than, say, Caltrans out there fucking up traffic on 280 all summer long.
Everyone. That includes cable TV company owners, whom you've managed to turn into America's latest disenfranchised minority.
Isn't that ironic.
There's a popular Food Not Bombs song that says (paraphrasing) even if you're a fatcat evil corporate CEO, if you come down to an FNB feed they'll give you a bowl of soup.
That's equality.
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