City-Led Programming Could Displace Public Access’ Community TV

The sometimes-charming, sometimes-amateurish public access shows on your cable provider’s lesser-watched channels could soon have a harder time finding home.

Members of the Southwest Suburban Cable Commission are on track to shift public access programming from community television to government-led programming.

, Hopkins discussed closing the Eden Prairie public access studio that serves five southwestern communities, including Hopkins. At that time, the city’s liaison to the commission said fewer people are using the studio now that technology allows them to create programming at home.

But when the took up a new 10-year franchise agreement with Comcast on Tuesday, the cable commission’s staff attorney said many of the changes are intended to give cities control over public access programming.

“The emphasis here, to be quite frank, is less about public access programming and more of a focus on giving the city the resources to do with these local channels what the City Council wants,” said Brian Grogan. “What you choose to spend the resources on … may be different than what Edina chooses or what Minnetonka chooses. The key will be that you’ll be in charge of these channels.”

The changes can be seen in the fee structures. Under the old agreement, approved in 1997, cities received a 5 percent franchise fee from Comcast. At the same time, the company kept 25 cents per subscriber per month to run the Eden Prairie studio—a charge called a “public, education and government,” or “PEG,” fee.

Under the new, 10-year agreement, cities would still receive the 5 percent franchise fee. But now a 60-cent PEG fee will go directly to the cities instead of 25 cents going to Comcast.

The new PEG fee should bring in about $40,000 per year for Hopkins.

The company is also giving the commission $200,000 to put in fiber optic lines and automate playback, part of the transition away from the studio.

Meanwhile, the number of PEG channels will decrease from four channels to three—a compromise the commission was willing to make in exchange for other concessions because the four current channels aren’t fully utilized, Grogan said.

There’s no argument the Eden Prairie studio was underused. In 2009, the studio was used for just 13 productions with a total of 164 episodes, according to a needs assessment report done for the commission.

Hopkins residents made two of those productions—Mind, Body and Society and Let’s Learn to Get Along—for a total of 57 episodes.

Yet the wide availability of home-video production meant many more shows were made outside the studios. In 2009, the channels aired 954 episodes made outside the studio. In all, there were 672 hours worth of programming produced outside the studio compared to 578 hours made with the studio's equipment.

Nothing would stop cities from continuing to allow such programs, but Grogan thinks most cities are leaning toward a government-type channel that also has community information.

That programming would probably not be controversial. He contrasted the public service programming that would likely appear with Minneapolis public access’ “naked poet,” who read poetry on air partially clothed.

“Fine programming, but not in keeping with what the city may want on its government access channel,” he said. “Those are the kinds of issues we were trying to address here—by giving folks a medium for playback but have the resources be isolated in the City Council’s control.”

Hopkins council members approved the first reading of the franchise agreement at Tuesday’s meeting. It must still receive a second reading in Hopkins and approval from other communities in the Southwest Suburban Cable Commission—Edina, Richfield, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie

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