Introduction

In November 2006, Riedel Communications, Inc., was engaged by Worcester Community Cable Access Television (WCCA TV 13) to perform a community needs assessment/ascertainment to provide information to the City of Worcester as it prepared for a cable franchise renewal with Charter Communications (as provided for in SEC. 626 (a)(1) of the Cable Act [47 U.S.C. 546]). As principal of the corporation, Bunnie Riedel, President, performed the needs assessment.

The following methodology was used in the performance of the needs assessment:

1) Review of all documents pertaining to the current franchise agreement. This included a review of:

The Renewal Cable Television License granted to Greater Worcester Cablevision on January 7, 1997 and later transferred to Charter Communications in 1998.

2) Review of the Agreement between the City of Worcester and Worcester Community Cable Access, Inc.

Review of Amendment No. 1 to Agreement for Public Access Services, December 18, 1997 (Contract between WCCA TV 13 and the City).

3) Review of current Public access television station operations.3 This included the following:

* A pre-site visit questionnaire was provided to staff at WCCA TV 13 that included questions relating to organization, staff, channels, programming, training, facility and operations, and equipment.4

* An on-site visit to the WCCA TV 13 facilities.

* An in depth interview with WCCA TV 13 staff was conducted using the questionnaire as a guide and more information was gathered through this in-person interview.

4) Conduct of a Focus Group. The Focus Group included:

* A wide variety of community stakeholders who spent four hours reviewing current and emerging technologies, engaging in small and large group discussion and completing the Focus Group Worksheet.5

5) A community mail survey. The mail survey included:

* A five-hundred piece mailing of the survey to Worcester residents randomly selected from the City’s property tax list.6

* Questions to determine cable usage, television viewing, satisfaction with service and demographic information.

* Opportunities for quantitative as well as narrative response to gain quality data.

The comprehensiveness of this needs assessment process provided Riedel Communications with the information it required to formulate conclusions and make recommendations to WCCA TV 13 and hopefully provide useful information to the City of Worcester as it negotiates its cable franchise renewal with Charter.

Further, Riedel Communications conclusions and recommendations include knowledge of best practices in Public access television and analysis of WCCA TV 13 as a unique Public access entity comparative to other Public access operations across the country.