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Saving Access TV: Manhattan Neighborhood Network Leads the Way

Published on March 23, 2006

By Cynthia Carrion (MNN Youth Channel)

Walk into Manhattan Neighborhood Network on 59th Street in New York City and the message is clear –– SAVE ACCESS TV NOW! The lobby is filled with materials -- flyers, stickers, postcards preaddressed to local and state representatives, voter registration cards, and all of this available in Spanish too, of course.

"We knew that many people did not have access to the internet so we needed to provide immediate information available to everyone," explains Lyell Davies, MNN Community Media and Outreach Specialist, as he updates the information table with intern Meagan Planell.

Visitors, staff and independent producers visiting Manhattan Neighborhood Network offices are introduced to the “Save Access TV” campaign.

Meagan Planell, a high-school senior from City-As-School has become a youth advocate for Save Access TV. "I wanted to intern at MNN Youth Channel because it's awesome. There's such diversity -- something you never get in mainstream television -- so when I heard about the campaign I knew that this was something I wanted to be a part of."

As one of the largest Public Access TV Stations in the country MNN has taken strides to provide information and resources to the general public as well as to other access stations around the country. MNN's website has become a vital source of information on local and national legislative developments.

In January 2006 MNN producers launched SAVE OUR SHOWS (S.O.S.), which has become a central advocacy group. And in early March, MNN released the first version of the Save Access TV Toolkit; this free 15-page guide is designed for access centers and local community groups that are working to protect community access TV.

These are just a few examples from the campaign that unites MNN and many other access television stations across the country. Members of Congress are engaged in ongoing legislation that could threaten the survival of public access television, and the stations themselves are at the frontlines.

Rick Jungers, Director of Community Outreach and Media at MNN, is very concerned about what's happening in Washington. "The timeline of the legislation is very fluid at this moment. Both Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton, R-Texas, have indicated they want a bill dealing with national franchise to come to the floor sometime before Congress breaks for the Easter recess." He adds, "This legislation is really about giving a sweetheart deal to the phone companies under the guise that it will lower cable rates for consumers. We've all been down that road before -- congressional giveaways to large monopolies rarely result in lower rates. It's unfortunate that Congress is only considering the role of individuals as consumers of entertainment, not as active participants in a marketplace of ideas."

The Issue

Public Educational and Governmental (PEG) TV channels have long established themselves in local communities nationwide as an invaluable marketplace for ideas. They are financed in part by fees paid to local municipalities by cable companies and video providers in exchange for the right to dig up city streets to lay cable. But phone companies like Verizon and AT&T are pushing the FCC and Congress to change the rules. They want to be able to get into a market without having to negotiate with local municipalities. And they don't want to abide by universal service rules outlawing the cherry picking of high-profit areas.

The telephone companies' position has been met with widespread outrage. The US Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties and other local government groups have warned that wiping out local franchising would threaten the bedrock principles of democratic oversight of public rights of way.

MNN producers at work.

Last month, in response to the FCC's request for comments on "Local Franchising," hundreds of New Yorkers electronically submitted public comments in support of Public Access TV and the need for cable and phone companies to subsidize it. Many of the comments underscored the financial challenges that go hand-in-hand with public access work. As one producer wrote, "We produce a weekly show with no budget, but with a lot of pioneering energy. We take inspiration from historical figures like Ben Franklin and his Poor Richard's press." Over 4,000 comments were submitted to the FCC from around the country, many of them insisting that franchising rules should not be changed.

This legislation not only impacts average channel surfers; it also has major implications for the thousands of independent producers, youth groups and community-based organizations that depend on public access as a platform to communicate their points of view -- points of view that are too often omitted by mainstream broadcasters.

"Public Access provides a necessary and essential outlet for the multitude of voices -- on public affairs, health issues, governmental policy, our local history or just plain entertainment," explains Dean Lance, a Public Access TV producer with The Lower East Side Biography Project. If franchising rules change, Dean's unique program, and many others around the country, may find themselves without an outlet.

What's at Stake: MNN and NYC Public Access

Each week Manhattan's Public Access TV station, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, airs over 520 hours of community-made commercial-free tv on four channels reaching over 600,000 Time Warner and RCN cable TV subscribers.

MNN offers individuals and members of community organizations training in television production including access to multi-camera studios and portable camcorders. Nationwide, over a million people regularly volunteer to produce television shows at Public Access TV centers, and over 250,000 community based organizations make and air original programming.

Public access producers become public access activists.

According to a report released by the NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO), New York City receives 75 million dollars annually in telecommunication franchise fees. All this could be jeopardized by changes in the franchise rules, the IBO warns: "Under [one proposed Congressional bill], New York and other localities would also lose other forms of local control. Localities would be barred from charging video providers fees for construction permits to dig in public streets or roadways. Nor could cities require that providers offer their telecommunications services in low income communities or set other consumer protections."

"As the situation in Washington escalates, now is the time to step up our organizing efforts on both the local and national levels," Betty Yu of the Community Media Department at MNN encourages. MNN is hoping that a New York City Council resolution that supports Public Access Television will be passed by the end of this month. Dozens of cities have passed similar resolutions and a NYC resolution would be a good boost for local morale as congressional legislation moves forward.

How to Stay Informed

The best way to follow developements and opportunities for action is to watch MNN's "Access Update" show, which broadcasts on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:30-7:00pm on Channel 34 (TWC) and Channel 110 (RCN). Upcoming scheduled programs include April 4th, May 2nd and June 6th. You can also visit the MNN website or stop by our 59th street facilities for printed materials.

To volunteer, endorse the campaign as a community organization, or to request a Save Access TV! Toolkit and/or other materials call (212) 757-2670 x308 or email us.