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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CABLE-1989-09-06 yh 7' 1 Minutes of the Access Advisory Board meeting of September 6, 1989 The meeting was called to order at 7: 1 5 in the community access facility. Present were; Marilyn Rivchin, John Efroymson, Richard Herskowitz, Lauren Stefanelli, Mary Jo Dudley, Rick Lawrence, Carl Frederick, and Annie Ball. Proposed Agenda : 1 ) Public comment 2) ACC Report- Lauren Stefanelli 3) Public comment regarding ACC concerns 4) Political speech 5) Commercial speech Public comment: Damien Furburg expressed concern over the issue of financial sponsorship for the student productions. He voiced concern over the financial burden assumed by the students while producing their show. He requested further clarification regarding the solicitation of sponsors and their promotion on public access. As a representative of the student group, he urged the board to examine options which would lead to increased financial support for their production. Eloise Green of ICB-TV requested that current ICB underwriting policies (see attachment) be approved by the Advisory Board as part of the discussion regarding commercial speech. ACC Report: Lauren Stefanelli distributed copies of the current access newsletter, ACC Policies and Procedures (revised October, 1988), the Access 1989 Equipment Package Invoices, and the current ICB Underwriting Policies. LS requested advise from the board regarding the interpretation of appropriate political and commercial speech for access. She also requested the board's view regarding penalties for violations. RH read a letter sent to him from LS regarding the above mentioned issues. RH suggested that we review the revised ACC Policies and Procedures for comment at the next meeting and limit this meeting's s } discussion to the section of the Policies and Procedures which refers to content restrictions (see page 17). LS agreed to make copies of the revised Policies and Procedures available to access users for recommendation. RH suggested that a subcommittee be set up before the next meeting to review the Policies and Procedures to make recommendations to the board. Rick Lawrence and Marilyn Rivchin volunteered to review them. .LS spoke of two incidents that raised questions regarding the issue of political speech: the Meet Ben Nichols program and More Than the News. ACC's position regarding the Meet Ben Nichols program was that Ben (who is currently seeking a political office) according to current • guidelines is free to talk about whatever he please as long as he doesn't endorse himself or have someone else on the program endorse him. In the past other candidates (Reuben Weiner) have produced programs on access. The city attorney advised ACC to let the program run. Debates with both candidates present are also allowable on the access channel. The other incident brought to the meeting was an interview with Arzema Raquib of the Rainbow coalition regarding their endorsement of Ben Nichols. The board viewed the segment to see if there was an endorsement. The majority of those present said that they considered the segment to be an endorsement. Others argued that the rule restricts freedom of political speech and is not in line with national and state policies regarding access. LS stated that she wanted some advise regarding what was acceptable so that everyone would be following the same rules. RH voiced concern for a quick resolution since we are currently in the middle of local campaigns.n CF voiced concern that there be an opportunity for the complaintant to have a voice on access. LS reminded the board that ACC both encourages and facilitates rebuttals and editorial replies. Public comment: Bill Mc Cormick raised the idea of a channel designated solely for political issues. Robin Palmer said that he had no objection to a total endorsement of any candidate but felt that MTN was really a front for Ben Nichols. Brian Gollands clarified Ben's involvement in MTN from its beginnings three and one half years ago. He also gave the context for the program in question and said that he did not consider it an endorsement. He raised the question whether the Ithaca Journal could be seen as endorsing Ben Nichols when covering the same Rainbow Coalition endorsement. RH presented a resolution for consideration by the Cable Commission of Common Council regarding political speech. The resolution is as follows: Resolution # 1 Whereas, restriction on commercial advertising are a necessary practice of public access stations and have been upheld by the New York State Supreme Court; and • Whereas, restrictions on endorsements and presentations of political candidates can inhibit political speech and the potential contribution of public access to informed political debate; and Whereas, fundraising by political candidates is recognized by numerous public access stations as a form of commercial speech; and Whereas, ACC staff encourage and facilitate rebuttals and editorial replies; BE IT RESOLVED that the Public Access Advisory Board recommends to the City Cable Commission that Sec. 14.3.D of Ithaca's Franchise be interpreted to prohibit fundraising by political candidates, but not endorsements or other biased expressions by or for candidates in the course of election campaigns. This resolution was passed 4 to 2 with one abstention. } Commercial speech Discussion followed regarding what commercial speech should be permissible for access. Board members quickly reviewed ICB underwriting guidelines. It was suggested that board members review the guidelines for discussion at the next meeting. Bill Mc Cormick suggested that an additional channel could be opened for .commercial purposes. LS said that additional channels would be considered as requests were made. Some issues were raised with regard to how long the promotion of a sponsor could be. CF suggested a limit of 10 seconds per half hour of sponsor promotion. Some board members felt the topic required further discussion. It • was a sense of the group that they would accept ICB's policy for the time being and further review the policies regarding underwriting at the October meeting. LS said that ACC would make further information regarding the possibility of establishing another channel for commercial purposes available to board members before the next meeting. A second resolution was made : Resolution #2 We urge ACC to begin steps towards establishing a second access station to be commercial in nature. Until that time, we accept the WICB underwriting guidelines (with the inclusion of a time limit for advertisements to be determined by the access board ) as an acceptable limit of commercial advertising on public access television. This resolution was passed 5 to 2. The meeting was adjourned at 9 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted September 11 , 1989, by Mary Jo Dudley. t , 17. UNDERWRITING Ithaca College funds the basic operation of ICB-TV, including video- tapes, cameras and facilities. Underwriting - whereby a donor receives production credit for a gift of cash, service or merchandise - is the means by which ICB-TV can obtain "extras" like special set decorations and additional advertising/promotion dollars. Cash contributions are particu- larly important to offset travel expenses for sports coverage. In several of the programs incurring regular travel expense, underwriting is expected as a funding source. The second reason for underwriting efforts is to provide students with experience in persuasive communications. Many jobs in the industry hinge on sales ability and presentation skills. In addition to the underwriting staff, producers are encouraged to obtain underwriting for their program, coordinating with the Underwriting Manager. This is to ensure that businesses are not being approached by different ICB-TV units and so that records may be kept centrally on the contractual arrangements. (Underwriting contracts are legal agreements.) As an incentive to seeking out cash contributions, a staffer can receive a commission of 15% of any NEW money (not a renewal) that one brings in to ICB-TV. It is the producer's responsibility to ensure that the underwriting credit airs properly. Remember, Channel 13 is the Public Access channel and is non-commercial. Underwriting is a tax-deductible contribution, not an ad. (See the Guidelines on the next page.) What can money be used for? There are restrictions in College policy, the same as for the budget. The money cannot be used for parties or food for crew meetings or personal items. For specific, desired items, it is best to arrange for the item donation itself. Beware the loaner donation. If a clothes shop wants the exercise suits returned after a semester, explain that there is no way the garments can be guaranteed to look like new after 12 weeks of aerobics; living plants will certainly be dead. Any questions at all about the appropriateness of the message, the deal or the vendor, please ask the Underwriting Manager or the Manager of Television Operations before making an agreement. Since we seek contributions for ICB-TV, not advertising, there is no Rate Card as such. People seeking underwriting support should not "sell a show" too cheaply. For instance, a donation with a value of $25 doesn't warrant before- and after-program credit for a entire semester. An alterna- tive would be a credit on two shows, or a simple Quanta mention at the close. To develop esprit de corps, production units sometimes desire imprinted T-shirts or other show-related items. Because this apparel helps promote ICB-TV, cash underwriting can provide up to 40% of the cost. (Remember, as with other promotion, the design needs to be approved by the Manager of Television Operations.) Crew members are expected to pay for part. 18. GUIDELINES FOR UNDERWRITING CREDITS Locally originated programs on ACC's public access channel are prohibited by the Ithaca franchise from televising advertising or promotional messages. ICB-TV follows the underwriting guidelines adopted by Public Television stations, whereby an underwriter receives credit at the open and/or close of the underwritten program. If the underwriter wants a visual other than a character-generated message, the underwriter should provide the picture or slide. The message can include company name, location, phone number, a slogan or description that identifies but doesn't promote the product or service. In general, the message may not contain statements that SOLICIT or compare, endorse or make qualitative statements.