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Cable Adivosry Meeting

Cable Advisory Meeting Tonight at 6:30 PM at the Banx Room Wocester Library

Submitted by mauro on July 8, 2008 - 12:22pm.

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Please attend to support WCCA TV.
WCCA still does not have a long term agreement with the city.
Our operations and equipment to facilitate community media television is at risk.

The city council passed a motion about a month ago asking the CIty Manager to settle an agreement in support of WCCA, to ensure WCCA's capacity to meet community media needs in the future, by the end of June. No word on that status of that motion.

The City Manager has asked his Cable Advisory to make recommendations concerning the allocation of PEG Capital Grant and franchise funds. The city has conducted an ascertainment process that began in 2004, and today , over a year and seven months later, WCCA still does not have a contract.

The recent cable renewal secured 5% to support the EPG channels in addition to a $500,000 capital grant. The City Manager is deciding on how to divy the money up between the three channels. WCCA present over 120 hours of video programs on its channel weekly compared to about 10 or so on the bother channels. WCCA's equipment serves the entire community including hundreds of non-profits, schools, colleges, seniors, neighborhood groups and is well used 24/7. Government channel serves city hall and Educational channel serves the Worcester Public School. All our equipment pretty much in dire need to be replaced. The community came out overwhelmingly in support of WCCA and asked the city manager to make assurances for the stations continued growth and capacity to meet community needs. Our past equipment capital funds are depleted. Best practices in this industry are well documented as are typical funding formulas. WCCA has conducted a city wide survey and large community focus groups to communicate community media needs relative to how to support the PEG channels in Worcester. We understand that between the Educational and Government Channels (11 and 12) there is over $1.8 million dollars of underutilized cable funds. In consideration to the above it should be a no brain-er on how to allocate the cable PEG funds to best serve the community needs. So why is this all taking so long?

Come on down to the meeting tonight and find out.