SF Ch 29 CEO Bans Video Cameras At His Private "Lotteries"-More Privatization Of Commu

SF Ch 29 CEO Bans Video Cameras At His Private "Lotteries"-More Privatization Of Community Access

AccessSF Executive Director <arnel [at] accessf.org>
Zane Blaney CEO

Producers -

Because we have had number of changes in the Programming Department in
recent months I wanted to clarify our policies concerning playback of
tapes. It has always been our policy that any combination of four
repeats, late drop offs or no shows resulted in the cancellation of the
series time slots. This does not mean a producers access to time slots
is cancelled permanently. The producers of cancelled time slots can
always come to the next Time Slot Selection Meeting (TSSM) and pick a new
time slot It has never been our policy to be lax about this issue. In
the past some staff have been very lenient about this mainly to avoid
arguments and confrontations with producers, but this has resulted in
unfair and inconsistent enforcement of the policy and allowed some shows
to grossly violate the policy. All producers have signed a Statement of
Compliance and agreed to abide by all policies and procedures of the
station including the repeat policy.

There are several reasons time slots are cancelled after four repeats or
other violations. First, all series producers are expected to produce
new programming for the channel and not let the time slots be filled with
the same programming. If new programming is not provided it keeps other
producers that are able to produce fresh programming from having a chance
to use the time slots. Also, constantly repeating programming is not
good for the viewers or the channel. Viewer expect to see a variety of
programs. It keeps their interest up and the channel fresh. Although
some producers start off thinking they can provide new programming each
week this can be a very difficult task. If they fail to provide
programming on a weekly basis we suggest they should consider every other
week or once a month.

Moving forward the policy on repeats, no shows and late drop offs will be
strictly enforced. It is the producer's responsibility to keep track of
the number of times their shows are repeated. We will not send out
warnings about these situations. If you lose track you can always
contact the Programming Coordinator, Sam Long at 575-4946. If for any
reason our records are in error we will work with individual producers on
a case-by-case basis to correct the situation. We will continue to send
a reminder to producers that their series time slots are about to expire
and that they need to attend the next Time Slot Selection Meeting.

Lastly, in order to keep the Time Slot Selection Meetings a forum for
selecting time slots and not a place to confront staff and each other
about time slot or other policy issues we are instituting a Code of
Conduct for the meetings. Effective immediately the following will apply:

Time Slot Selection Meetings Code of Conduct:

The Time Slot Selection Meeting are intended as a forum for the selection
of time slots. They are not a forum to debate or discuss Access SF
policies concerning the Time Slot Selection process or other issues.
Producers who have policy complaints or concerns about the Time Slot
Selection process should attend the regular meetings of the Board of
Directors.

The Time Slot Selection Meetings are not a public meeting. Video camera
or other recording devices are prohibited. Only producers or their
proxies whose time slots have expired, new producers or their proxies who
are selecting time slots and producers or their proxies who want to
select a new time slot are permitted to attend the meetings.

Anyone disrupting these meeting or otherwise not following the
instruction of staff will be asked to leave the building and will not be
given a time slot. This includes creating confrontations with staff or
other producers.

As in previous Time Slot Meetings chairs will be arranged in a circle.
As you come into the studio sit in the next available seat in the circle
as this will determine the order that people select a number for the
drawing.

Zane Blaney, Executive Director

San Francisco Community Television Corporation (CTC)
Access San Francisco, Cable Channel 29
415-575-4943 - Direct
415-575-4945 - FAX
zane [at] accessf.org



From: "AccessSF Main Desk" <arnel [at] accessf.org>
Reply-To: <arnel [at] accessf.org>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 18:25:45 -0800
Subject: Terminated Employee


AccessSF Main Desk <arnel [at] accessf.org>
Terminated Employee


Dear Access SF Producers and Volunteers:

I am sorry to have to trouble you with this email, but unfortunately I
need to make a brief statement regarding a recent development at the
station.

As many of you are aware (because many of you have been receiving emails
about it), one of our staff was recently terminated. We would not
ordinarily comment publicly on such personnel matters out of respect of
privacy for the individual involved. Per standard business practices,
personnel matters are always a confidential matter.

In this case, however, the individual has chosen to be very public about
his termination though his sending of unsolicited emails, public websites,
etc. And in this process, he has made many unfounded and untrue
accusations regarding his termination, and other matters. We are not
going to respond directly point-by-point to his many issues. We will,
however, be sending out information that helps clarify a number of issues
about our general operating policies and procedures, separately.

We regret this former employee has tried to drag everyone into this with
or without their permission. We share the concern numerous individuals
have made to us about his use of annoying emails, and we simply wanted to
make a brief statement on record that what he is claiming about his
termination and other operational issues are simply untrue.

Thank you,

Zane Blaney,
Executive Director

Zane Blaney, Executive Director
San Francisco Community Television Corporation (CTC)
Access San Francisco, Cable Channel 29
415-575-4943 - Direct
415-575-4945 - FAX
zane [at] accessf.org


Response to Zane and Marc's Emails This Evening
The Lone Liberal <Michael_Faklis [at] TheLoneLiberal.info>
Dear Access SF Producers and Volunteers:

Did you all get this evening's letter from Zane about me where he states "what he is claiming about his termination and other operational issues are simply untrue"? He further states "We are not going to respond directly point-by-point to his many issues. We will, however, be sending out information that helps clarify a number of issues about our general operating policies and procedures, separately."

I urge you all to call his bluff. I had been urging Zane to communicate with producers and volunteers about his operating procedures since I started working there, but he saw no reason to do so because he didn't want to explain himself. He said he and the SFCTC Board of Directors had a public meeting with producers a few years ago and the audience was so hostile he did not want to repeat the experience. Zane opened his note this evening with "I am sorry to have to trouble you with this", when what he really means is that he is sorry all of us have troubled him.

Please continue to demand answers from Zane and the SFCTC Board of Directors, and use the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance to gain access to the documents that will show you where the truth lies. Let their own documents speak for themselves, like with this evening's "Upstream" newsletter.

Here I am at home writing an article on SFCTC's so-called "Development Effort" and Marc Smolowitz's "Upstream" newsletter beats me to the punch. Here's a quote from the newsletter that spells it all out, followed by a solicitation (i.e., commercial content) to attend a for-profit seminar.
"Access SF is pleased to welcome local equipment purveyor ***** in to the station's growing community of business underwriters. As part of a multi-year plan to help fund public access operations, in 2005 the station launched a first of its kind effort to engage local businesses and philanthropy as supporters through a PBS style underwriting program"
This solicitation is right up-front at the beginning of the newsletter complete with the *****'s logo, just as you can expect to see so-called underwriter credits for ***** during the interstitials between programs. So in those few seconds between shows, where you hope to see the program schedule, notices of timeslot changes, and public service announcements, you will see more and more commercial underwriter credits.

Go to the Access SF web site page http://www.accessf.org/underwriting_sponsorship.html and see what they're selling and what it'll cost you if you could only afford it.

In the article I'm still writing, I will make a case that the money coming in from this "Development Effort" pales to the expenses, time, and labor devoted towards the effort. Documentation obtained via the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance will prove the case one way or the other. That's the real reason I was banned from the Access SF premises, so I couldn't request the documents as per the Sunshine Ordinance.

What Access SF needs is some real oversight of Zane's mismanagement. Read my public testimony to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and other articles on my Reform Access SF web site (http://www.theloneliberal.info/ReformAccessSF/).