- Help preserve WCCA's funding!
- Get Your Message on TV
- Make a Show
- Membership Packages
- TV Production and Technology Classes
- Computer Lab
- KidsNet/Youth Channel
- Soapbox
- Community Vision
- Internships
- Save Public Access TV
- Add Your Event
- Citizen's Tool Kit
- Order a Tape of a Show
- Jobs
- Tech blog
- Volunteer
- Forms
- Login/Register
Cable Advisory Meeting July 22, 2008 Our experience
Submitted by mauro on July 23, 2008 - 10:51am.
in
City Manager's Cable Advisory Committee (CAC) had a quorum last night. They met in room 310 at City Hall. The following is our experience. We ( WCCA TV ) were not first to arrive. Three committee members were there with the representative of the the city govt channel 12, who is also representing the city manager, along with a member representing the WPS Educational channel 11 . As soon as the fourth CAC member arrived the meeting was called into order. The chair passed out an agenda to all who asked for one. A reporter form the T&G also was present.
Their task seemed to be to continue old business, which included to follow up on an assignment they had given themselves two weeks ago, which was to contact PEG access centers which they had on a pre-assembled list, to poll them concerning: The number of distinct PEG entities, How many PEG channels, What percentage of gross revs they receive, How are the revs divided to each entity, Other sources for PEG funds, What level of Capital funds they received and how it is divided up. They also sought answers to how each respondent would define "local programming", if they establish goals, if there are any limitations or restrictions to use of funds, who the LO is and how many subscribers they have.
In other words all the questions that we addressed and we believe CAC also addressed, or should have been addressed during the ascertainment / community assessment period that took place between 2004 and 2007. The franchise expired in Jan. 2007 and the city signed a renewed cable franchise, with a much shorter term, in Spring of 2008. WCCA's Public Access agreement, normally co-terminus with the cable franchise, is yet to be negotiated.
Yes, it did get a little testy.
- 346 reads
Reading between the lines
It looks like what we read happens elsewhere in Worcester as well (topics such as Central St renaming, the stories about vendors, treatment of retirees, alleged withholding of police records, issues involving Green hill and the voke school, etc . There seems to be more back room planning going on or the manager is being mislead. It may not be the committee members, they're normal citizens, I hope, trying to do a job. It is how they are being guided or perhpas mis-guided. They seem to accept what WCCA recommends however it is not acted upon or it is soon lost in the follow up or lack of follow up.
WCCA benefits all the people of Worcester. You have been true to your mission. You are the ground experts on the subject of PEG in Worcester, the city failed to include you in the negotiation process, so they ended up shooting themselves in the foot, resulting in a sub par cable contract for city of it's size. Now, it looks like the city wants to keep your money, while asking you to do more with less, redefining standard terminology to justify their agenda, while the whole time there are millions of dollars backed up that could be distributed to better meet PEG needs including WCCA. Oh yeah, they found a way to ear mark that "excess" money all right. That's no surprise. The part of all this is the appearance of conflict of interest. The government channel person is writing the minutes of these meeting, has access to all reports, providing the committee with list and information, presents any conclusions and recommendations it the city manager, presumably. There is much room for things to get out of hand. How could the people of Worcester tolerate that type of scenario? You are tight to ask questions. Why the city is not working directly with WCCA on this, taking care of that institution as a priority , in light of your account of these "meetings" makes it all appear to be rather under handed. Any hard hitting reporter in town should have a field day with this. Shed a little sunlight on the subject.
Post new comment