Public Access TV doomed in western suburbs?
It’s been about 2 years since the towns of Greece, Gates, and Chili began trying to squeeze public access TV provider Edu-Cable out of the picture. The towns have been publicly shopping around for a new provider, and in the meantime, according to Edu-Cable President Brian Caterino, they’ve been withholding money they owe to the service. So one, way or another, the towns intend to turn out the lights at Edu-Cable.
Channel 12 viewers see public meetings (school boards, town boards, etc) canned material (Albany reports from Joe Robach, etc) video footage of school plays, public concerts, and oh yeah… anything which anybody, even a nobody like yourself, might wish to air on the channel. The service is mandated by federal communications law, which requires Time-Warner to collect money for it on your bill (“franchise fee”), turn the money over to cities and towns, who in turn pay the content providers (known as PEGs) to run the service. In Monroe County western suburbs, the PEG is Edu-Cable. The non-profit organization has provided public access service for about 25 years, and runs on a shoestring budget. Now the “string” is running out because Greece and Gates apparently haven’t paid anything to Edu-Cable in some time.
For the last 2 years Greece has been shopping around for a new provider, a messy process which began when the town of Greece tried moving public access service to the Greece School District. It’s a long and complicated story.
What’s their beef against Edu-Cable? Nobody will say. What’s their justification for not paying? Again, nobody will say.
Bottom line, the towns have the authority to award the contract to a new provider, but… the PEG should be independent…not a branch of government, and not owned by a political crony who will stifle public debate.
Note: btp here: Check out Lee Strong’s (occasional commenter here at RT) D&C article from 2007 for more on this.
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I think the beef is obvious. I was told that Joe Robach blasted access staff because they allowed any and all local candidates (i.e. his opponent Rick Dollinger) to have 15minutes to speak to the public. Robach thought even though his Albany report is on all the time,that politics is verboten. Except when you are in power.
You should get a copy of the bit I saw on Cable 12 where they refused to let the Educable operator in the room, refused to answer him, and used the town chiuahuia Firkens to push him back away from every west-side town supervisor. I love the look on Esposito’s face - almost like kiddies caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
I’ll look on You Tube and see if I can find it there. It’s an eye OPENER for sure, and unless you live in these parts, you’d never get the chance to see it.
Hi:
I can confirm that the Robach incident really happened as well as inquires though smoother by Bill Reilich and members of the Greece Republican party. In the past when we ran shows by Greece Democrats running for office Aubergers’ “assistant” Kathryn Firkins called me to grill me on this and claimed I favored the democrats.
You can watch segments of the video at the cable12west site at you tube
http://www.youtube.com/user/cable12west
I have been upset with local media which has put a lid on the public access story since the school district rejection of the Greece/Gates proposal. I and others have approached them numerous times and I’ve yet to see any coverage A lot has happened since last January and local media have deprived us of our chance to be informed about it and weigh in. (so much for the lapdog — I mean watchdog theory)
There have been two major moves.
First some of the towns have been trying to find another “facility” to run access . They shopped it all over town to SUNY Brockport to Time Warner to several other colleges. One rumor even had it being offered to a local TV station. FOX Rochester was specifically mentioned. I can’t confirm this latter rumor the others I can. All said no. it was only when WXXI agreed to go along that a “bid” for service was sent out. I have some real objections to WXXI’s participation in this process and their deal with the City of Rochester, but we can leave that for later. I will say that when my little guerrilla video came to the attention of XXI pres Norm Silverstein (XXI and norm are criticized in the video) he called up a PEG station manger and told him to get this s**t off the air. IS this the group you want protecting your right to dissent and free expression?
It was at this second step that we were illegally denied entry. When we showed up for our meeting with certain supervisors we brought some members of our access committee. I told Kathryn Firkins this was an open meeting under the open meeting law. Than, after some heated discussion and we were refused entry. These folks won’t even identify the name of their group so their records can be foiled. Ralph Esposito later claimed that we refused to be interviewed but as you can see from the video the supervisors’ walked out on us.
I must dissent from student bee’s statement that the towns have an unimpeded right to do whatever they want with access. First to of all there is legal precedent –albeit in another jurisdiction –establishing the illegitimacy of bidding out as a process for determining operations of public access and facilities. There has to be consideration of the special character of access and its relation to the free speech rights of citizens.
Second the Open Meeting committee was quite clear that any meetings regarding public access operations are meetings of public bodies and thus subject to the same rules as any other governmental meetings. The supervisors have refused to abide by these rule, refused s to meet with citizens or to open meetings. There are meetings on this subject going back to 2004 and absolutely no public input or accountability. The whole thing has been carried out in an illegal fashion.
This is the video that’s worth watching! It’s got “Dirty David Dunning”, John “The Weasel” Auberger, and Ralphie “Boy” Esposito all running for cover while the brave Kathrine “Ferkie” Ferkins protects them from the evil doers of public access. If ever there was damning evidence of illegal meetings laws, this is it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In3Y0QQKs-o
Cute video!! Nice choice of music. This still seems like a stealth takeover to me. According to this video WXXI isn’t going to locate any facility in the area and the other bidders have no facilites. It’s obvious that the bidders are beholden to the six stooges for their patronage, why would they protect the rights of us westsiders or provide services to anyone but the stooges. .How would this work without a place to run the PEG channels. Something stinks here.
Thanks for that link. This is funnier than the Pittsford Follies video also on you tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOl4bITu5Q0
Why not link the video here.
Greece is getting the reputation of a laughing stock. Can’t Auberger and his ilk see this?
Thanks for watching.
There are some serious questions about maintaining the integrity and independence of public access on the west side. Besides airing a wide vairety if programs access has been one of the few places where those who dissent from the westside power structure have a chance to get their voice heard. For example we recently covered candidates nights, a press conference by those challenging the school district among other events. Much of this will be lost and in my opinion access will be transformed into a mouthpiece for those who already have power in our area.
I believe that’s called “GOP TV”
[puke]
As John Di Caro has admitted they have had an implicit contract with us for several years and tried not to pay –right John Rumor has it they are going to try to pull the swticheroo without letting anyone j-know. John can you spell big lawsuit.