Access Television - Where and Why

International overview chart

Community or public access television is still a quite unknown alternative to privately or government run commercial or public service television. However, this local television "run by the citizens for the citizens" is now expanding in several countries. Some of the reasons might be that fully-professionalized television has become too much streamlined with a heavy load of an one-way information and entertainment output depriving the viewer of the communication process. Community channels provide an electronic forum to express social and political concerns, as well as the opportunity to share valuable information with friends and neighbors. There is a need to put television in the hands of the common citizen.

Public Access: The availability of television or radio broadcast facilities, as provided by law, for use by the public for presentation of programs, as those of community interest. (American Heritage Dictionary)

New technique as Digital Video (DV) will support this development We are now able to run a local TV station equipped with small digital 1.000 dollar videocameras and PC or Mac based editing. In fact the whole editing process can be made on a laptop computer (as the Apple PowerBook G3 with the Final Cut Pro software - picture below). Distribution will not only be made by cable but also by low-power UHF, microwave (MMDS) and Internet webcasting. Local television will go global. The limits will be political, not technical!

A reason for non-commercial local television is the need for a wider local democratic arena which is not depending upon local or regional newspaper tycoons. Access television in Sweden will have a go because Swedish cities are too small for any local commercial TV operation. Access stations will operate with support from local government (as in the U.S.) but the main platform will be local organisations and NGOs - i.e. "the power of the people".

The struggle for freedom of expression is a special challenge in so-called "open societies" as Sweden or the United States engaging many citizens in grassroot communication as Internet and access television. In June 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a provision in the 1992 Cable Act that would have allowed cable operator to remove "indecent" programming from public access channels. This was a landmark decision for the development of democratic television.

The EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT "advocates measures to support
citizens' broadcasting and open channels" -
See Open Channels for Europe

Open Channels is broadcasting in ten Swedish cities and more are planned. Open Channel activity is similar to Offener Kanal Radio+TV broadcasting in 90 German cities. Also there are community or public access TV in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Canada, Fiji, France, Finland, Guatemala,South Korea, The Netherlands, New Zeeland, Norway, Uruguay and U.S.A. . See also overview chart.

In Germany the Open Channels are since 1986 financed through the government providing 1% of the TV license fee. The funding is spent in different ways by the federal governments. In Schleswig-Holstein for example you will find an OB unit - Das OK-Mobilstudio - stationed in Kiel (see picture above).

In Germany there are great marketing efforts made.

An example is a whole tram set reminding the citizens of Kassel of their open channel;
Offener Kanal self-made television

In Denmark non-commercial local television will be governmental supported by fees both from commercial TV-stations and the license fee. In the United States approx. 2.000 access channels are financed by the cable operators through concession agreements with the local governments which will provide one or more local non-commercial must-carry channels including free production equipment and training for local citizens. In general there are three types of access TV in the U.S. public, governmental and educational access. In some smaller cities PEG is combined into one channel.

In 1997 8.000 citizens and 2.000 organizations produced access program in 235 access channels which are voluntarily provided by the cable operators in Canada. In the Netherlands some local access channels are allowed to carry commercials if the income is used solely for running the TV station. But in general the idea of access television is not to become depend upon commercial financing. In Sweden the cable operators will provide must-carry for Open Channels and other non-commercial local television. Commercials are not allowed in Swedish access channels but sponsorship.

All access channels are carried by cable except in Australia, Denmark, France and New Zeeland and the U.K. where Community Television is broadcast by air (UHF) (in some cases both on cable and by air). This access television will be able to reach all citizens within the coverage area. Per definition television in all other countries still has not become a democratic media. In the United States there are some access on-the-air microwave broadcasting from Colleges and Universities.

Some access TV channels are run closely together with community radio channels on FM especially in Germany. Many U.S. community access TV stations are also becoming more involved in using the Internet web and email. In the near future community access will mean a convergencial usage of three media - television, radio and Internet. Already television programmes are "aired" worldwide through Internet.

Links to 700 community access television sites worldwide: internationally renowned The Global Village CAT link pages.

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