Nonprofits Back Cable Access Funding Newstip Date: 06-10-2004
Broad support in the nonprofit community has greeted a proposal to establish a permanent, stable funding stream for Cable Access Network Television (CAN TV).
Ald. Bernard Stone has proposed funding CAN TV with one-fifth of the city's cable franchise fee, or about $2 million a year. Franchise fees are the primary method of funding for most of the nation's public access centers, according to CAN-TV.
CAN TV's current funding structure depends on the number of cable companies operating in each service area -- each pays an annual fee of $215,000 per area -- and the number of companies could be dropping. Cable provider RCN, which recently announced a bankruptcy restructuring, has defaulted on fees owed CAN-TV for the past two years and has sought to pull out or cut back in three of the city's five service areas. That could eliminate 40 percent of CAN TV's budget.
The funding stream proposed by Stone would be based on total revenues generated by cable companies. Revenues in Chicago are growing as the number of subscribers climbs steadily.
The City Council Finance Committee is scheduled to consider Stone's ordinance on June 18, and nonprofit leaders will testify in support.
Hundreds of Chicago nonprofits have used CAN-TV to reach audiences otherwise unavailable to them. Operating five noncommercial cable channels, CAN-TV has developed a "Chicago model" of public access cable television, going beyond the standard approach which provides the public with training and production facilities, according to executive director Barbara Popovic. The network has reached out extensively to nonprofit and community organizations, offering needs assessments and customized support, including training and long-term equipment loans, and developing a range of services and formats designed to serve nonprofits.
These include call-in programs hosted by nonprofits on health, job training, domestic violence, youth concerns, and other topics, as well as the Community Forum talk show, also hosted by nonprofits, on CAN TV21. FYI TV27 presents neighborhood news and brief informational pieces on local nonprofits, and CAN-CALL TV42 offers a telephone-access bulletin board. CAN TV also provides community events coverage under its Community Partners Program.
CAN TV is especially vital since public affairs programming has shrunk to less than 1 percent of Chicago's commercial television offerings, nonprofit leaders say.
Some of CAN-TV's programming utilizes television in highly innovative ways. "Countdown" is a family math program on CAN TV21 on Thursday nights during the school year that demostrates the potential of interactive television for instruction. Middle school students call in to work through math problems, and "our phone banks are always lit up," said Mary Charles of Loyola's School of Education. "It's an amazingly powerful instructional tool." The combination of "a kid and a TV and a phone" is unbeatable for generating interest, she said.
The evening show encourages parents to watch with their children -- and it allows parents to brush up on math skills so they can work with their children. The "Countdown" website posts segments treating selected problems, allowing people to repeat the segment as many times as necessary (making the lessons more accessible to English learners and others). At least one school opens its doors Thursday nights so families who don't have cable at home can watch the program, Charles said. "It's a very productive use of media," she said.
"Hoops High" illustrates the hands-on nature of CAN-TV. Running from December through April, "Hoops High" broadcasts high school basketball games every Saturday evening on Channel 19 and is entirely produced by high school students. Students operate six cameras and a switcher and do the graphics and announcing. About 150 kids have worked on the program since it debuted in 2000, said producer Jeff McCarter of Free Spirit Media, and an estimated 50,000 viewers watch each game.
"We love the democracy and the community, family feeling of CAN-TV," McCarter said. In response to the show's success, "Hoops High" is discussing expanding to other sports. Free Spirit Media works with high school students primarily on the West Side, producing documentaries, dramas, and PSAs, in addition to sports -- and all of it airs on CAN-TV, McCarter said.
"Chicago Access represents ... the people's network," said Stone. "It is the one place the people of Chicago can go and have a voice."