In response to an article in the Pioneer Press about Local Access TV, Alan Miller wrote the following article. The article can be found here.
Alan Miller: Keep local-access cable alive
By Alan Miller
Posted: 06/29/2011 12:01:00 AM CDT
I am certain that it came as a great shock to the dozens of cities in Minnesota that offer local-access cable television to their citizens to read that local community cable is dying, based on one or two examples (“Access denied,” June 20). I know that it came as a shock to me. My cable program, “Access to Democracy” on E-TV in Eagan, is now completing its 12th year, with more than 1,000 interviews and dozens more lined up. In Minnesota, we have an active and vibrant state organization to bring a voice to local communities, the Minnesota Association of Community Television Administrators.I recognize that offering community access television has become more challenging. But I can’t imagine that a responsible city council or cable administrator will allow local access to slip away – it is, after all, an opportunity for the community not only to touch base with its citizens but also to sample interesting and informative subject matter. It can also be a tremendous learning experience for producers, hosts and volunteers, and an opportunity for citizens to critique their society.
I don’t accept that the ideals for community programming in Eagan are that different from the rest of the state. Like anything else, public access programming takes energy, innovation and creativity. The pennies a month that subscribers pay for community television pale in comparison with the costs of the big providers, but what you get in return is multiplied time and again.
I mentioned creativity. In Eagan, we are fortunate to have a state-of-the-art, high definition facility that is a public/private partnership between the city and Thomson Reuters Corp. It didn’t happen in a vacuum, but it took a concept, hard work and the dedication of both corporate and municipal officials to recognize the benefits it could provide. And both entities readily confirm those benefits.Undoubtedly, some programs are amateurish; some run time and again. But where else can you get the local coverage of sports events, graduations, special events and local items of interest? Where else can shut-ins and older citizens, for example, keep up on the activities of their community and its government? When I hear people in the business of providing these services to their communities claiming that the programming is boring, or time-consuming and too expensive, I hear people who are too lazy to be innovative, content to take the easy road. In my view, mass media programming – with networks and the various providers, whether cable or satellite – offers hundreds of stations with boring and uninteresting fare, at premium prices.
At the same time, people who are ready to deprive their communities of a voice are doing a disservice to the citizens they serve. Freedom of speech is a bedrock of our democracy, and when that freedom is stifled, we all suffer.
Producing a quality show is hard work, rife with disappointments, but on “Access to Democracy” we have brought to our viewers (and our companion city, Burnsville) politicians of all parties, including federal, state and local officials. We have been on the field with the Minnesota Twins and have provided a variety of specials, forums and debates between opposing candidates for office or on topics such as voting, health care and many others. (The editor of the Pioneer Press has been a welcome guest on several occasions).
The reaction of our viewing audience has been energetic and positive, even when they don’t agree with our guests (and sometimes the host).
The mission of “Access to Democracy” has been to bring our viewers as many voices in as many areas as possible, to encourage people to speak about their differentness, to debate relevant subjects.
Of paramount importance in a democracy is the recognition that the minority, the little guy, the small community, has an opportunity to be heard. When we stifle that, we take away one of the principles upon which this nation was founded.
Alan Miller is the host/producer of “Access to Democracy” on E-TV Eagan and a former vice president of the Minnesota Association of Community Television Administrators.
Reproduced here by me (webmaster) with the author’s permission.
