Community Television Network and Public Access in Ann Arbor

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CommunityTelevisionNetworkandPublicAccessinAnnArbor

30December2008MatthewHampel([email protected])

Thisreportisalsoavailableathttp://matth.org/ctn.Responsestothisreportsenttotheauthormaybepostedonline.

Abstract

Community Television Network broadcasts public, educational, andgovernmentalprogrammingtoAnnArborresidentsviacableTV.Itscurrentfunctions,which include providingmedia tools and educationto residentsandbroadcastingcivicinformation,providethecommunitywithrelevantandimportant information. The Network faces challenges centered aroundchanges in the nature ofmedia consumption andproduction. This reportrecommends anumber ofpolicyandinstitutional goalsthatcouldhelp the

organization adapt to these changes, including an increased focus onconsumerleveldigitalequipment,onlinedistribution,andpublicguidance.

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AbouttheAuthor

Matthew Hampel is a student at the University ofMichigan. His researchinterestsfocusaroundproblemsofinformationsharingandtheroleofdigitaltechnologies, with a special focus on civic information. He manages

Arborwiki.org,avolunteercreatedcollectionofinformationaboutAnnArborandotherplacesinWashtenawCounty.

Disclosure

TheauthorhasperformedcontractworkforJohnHieftje,MayofAnnArbor (present) and Ron Suarez, who served as the City Councilrepresentative to the Cable Communications Commission. The AnnArborDistrict Library hosts Arborwiki, an online civic project that the authormanages.ThehostingwasarrangedbyEliNeiburger.

Changes

Revision1.02-30December-PublicreleaseinformationaddedRevision1.02-19December

-CombinedrecommendationtodissolveCableCommunicationsCommissionwithMinortyposXixedRevision1.01-19December

MinoreditsforstyleAdditionstocopyrightdiscussionRevision1-5December2008

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Summary

Ann Arbors Community Television Network (CTN) is a cityrunorganization that provides public, educational, and governmentalprogramming to theAnn Arbor area. It operates four cable channels that

provide information serving several local needs: channel 16, Government,broadcasting local government & civic meetings; Public Access (17), withmaterials fromanycitizenornonproXitoperating inAnnArbor; Education(18), informational programming; andCitiTV (19), billed asapresence forlocalnewsandentertainment.RunoutoftheCitysCommunicationsOfXice,CTNs mission is to build community through media. The CableCommunications Commission, a formal advisory body, meets monthly todiscussissuesrelatedtoCTNandlocalcableTV. TheCommunityTelevisionNetworkproducesvaluableprogramsthatserveimportantcommunityinterests.Asaneducational organization, ithastopnotchmediaproductionexperts,highqualityvideoequipment,andaset

oftelevisionproductiontrainingprogramsthatareaccessibletothegeneralpublic.Asastewardofthepublicrecord,itdocumentsanimpressivenumberoflocalgovernmentmeetings. Inthelast decade, anumberof social and technical changes haveconverged to present a challenge of distribution for CTN and the CableCommission. The funding model of Community Access Television andregulatorypowersofmunicipalitiesacrossMichiganhave beenoverthrownby theState legislature. The nature ofmediaconsumptionandproductionhas changed signiXicantly sincethelate 1990s. Whilethecivic content andeducational themes the organization promotes remain relevant to thecommunity, several factorshavepreventedtheorganizationfrom adapting,

andCTN has no longrangeplanor clearlyarticulatedshorttermgoals.Toensurethecontinuedcirculationoflocalnews,productionofimportantcivicrecords,andmediaeducation,severalchangestothedistributionandmediaaccessprogramsofCTNarerecommended:

Promote community usesof CTN media by creatinga full-featured

onlinevideodistributionsystem.

Use third-party video providers as precision tools, not as generic

videodistributionsystems.

Releasemediaunderalessrestrictivelicense.

Explore providing lower-quality consumer hardware to engage a

widerpopulationofmediacreators.

Workwithlocaleducationalinstitutionstoproduceaseriesofshort,

creativeclassesthatintroducenewmediaconcepts.

Carefullyinvestigatethefuturerolesofbroadcasttelevision.

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ConsultwithCityofIicials,staff,andlocalexpertstodevelopastrong

long-rangeplanthatwilldirectCTNsactionsbothonlineandofIline.

Replace the Cable Communications Commission with a citizens

advisoryboard thatprovidesthe City asa wholewithexpert advice

on all matters relating to information technology and digital

government.

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.Background

CTN, one of the Xirst Community Access Television stations in thenation, was formed in1973 as the jointeffort ofanumber of local mediaadvocacy groups.1 The Network currently broadcasts on four Comcast

channels freeof charge, a privilege guaranteedby thePublic, Educational,andGovernmental stipulationsset out in theCableCommunications Actof1984:Afranchisingauthoritymayinitsrequestforproposalsrequireaspartofafranchise... that channel capacitybedesignatedforpublic, educational,or governmental use... (47.USC 531 Sec.611.b)2 The Act is intended toensurethatCableproviders,whousepubliclandtoruncabletosubscribers,broadcast locally relevant content in addition to commercially lucrativeprogramming. Cableoperatorsmustpayafranchisefee, currently5%of12monthgross revenues, to access local rightofways. Franchise fees are passedthroughtosubscribers.CTNisfundedcompletelybyfranchisefees,whichare

expectedtototalaround$1.4millioninthe2009FiscalYear. 3 Before2007, thesefeeswerenegotiatedby individualmunicipalitiesand cable operators. The Uniform Video Services Local Franchise Act(Michigan Act 480 of 2006) consolidated the negotiation of franchiseagreements and additional PEG fees at the State level, ostensibly toencouragecompetitionandreduceoverheadforcableoperatorswhowouldotherwise have to negotiate with many communities separately.4 Feescontinue to be paid to local governments,5 but local cable commissionmembersandCitystaffareconcernedthatacashstrappedStategovernmentcouldredirectthefunds. Themoveto centralized franchising also removesthe abilityoflocal

governments to monitor consumer complaints and negotiate additionalservicesfromcableoperators.SomecommunitieshadnegotiatedforinkindequipmentandservicesinsteadofdemandingadditionalPEGfees.UndertheUniformFranchiseAct, cableoperatorsareallowedto stopproviding theseservices.AnnArborisnotaffectedbythischange,asCTNownsandoperatesitsownequipmentandfacilities.

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1HistoryofCTN-1970s.http://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/communicationsofXice/ctn/history/Pages/History1970s.aspxAccessed5December2008.

2TheCableCommunicationsActof1984,PublicLaw98549.(October30,1984).Therelevant

portionoftheversioncitedcanbefoundathttp://publicaccess.org/cableact.html3CityofAnnArborBudget,FY2009

4Aprivate2007reportfromthelawXirmHoward&Howardsuggeststhatthischangehasnotimprovedlocalbroadbandaccess.JonDKreucher(Attorney,Howard&Howard),phoneconversationwiththeauthor,28October2008.

5MichiganAct480of2006,Sec.6(1)


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Legislationto adda2%PEGfeeontopofthecurrent franchisefeeswas introducedin both theMichiganHouseandSenatein2007. Bothbillswerereferred to subcommittees; 2007HB5047 to the HouseEnergy andTechnologyCommittee,6 2007 SB 636 to the Senate Committeeon Energy

Policy andPublic Utilities.7 Neither committeehas returned its respectivebill,andthematterremainsunresolved. In2007, Comcast attemptedto movePEG channels from aroundthestateintothe900range,whichwouldhaverequiredconsumerstonotethechangeaswellasbuyadigitalconverterbox.8TheU.S.DistrictCourt,EasternDistrict ofMichigan, blocked the move in early 2008, with the option torevisittheissueifpresentedwithdifferentarguments. 9

.CommunityTelevisionNetwork

1.Function&Structure

CTNprovidesseveralcoreservicesthatpromotedemocraticdiscourse

andmediacreationliteracy. Theorganizationoffersmediaproductionspaceand highend equipment to City residents. Its staff provides Ann Arborresidents with expert guidance on all stages of media creation, fromconceptualization to postproduction and broadcast. Theorganization alsorecordsandbroadcastdozensoflocalgovernmentalmeetingseachmonth. TwodistinctunitsatCTNprovideits coreservices. Thegovernmentteam, with four fulltime producers and a manager, is responsible forrecordingandbroadcastinglocalcivicmeetings.ThepublicaccessteamhelpsAnnArborresidents produceandbroadcastcableTV programs. Threestaffmembers (amanager, training & facility coordinator, andprogrammer) onthat team organize the public and educational channels.10 The explicit

divisionbetweengovernmentandpublicaccessprogrammingwasmade in2005 to streamlineservice;before, staffweresplitas neededbetween thetwofunctions.11

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6MichiganHB5047.(25July2007)http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(yzw3scvykqopqbz0qi2ehlbx))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=2007hb5047

7MichiganSB636.http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=2007SB0636

8AnnArborDistrictLibrary,ComcastToChangeCTNService,http://www.aadl.org/node/

9404,accessed26November2008.9U.S.JudgeBlocksComcastsPEGMove,http://dtv.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=279212

10Salmeroninterview.

11LisaWondrash(CommunicationsUnitManager,CityofAnnArbor),phoneinterviewwiththeauthor,23October2008.


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OversightoftheNetworkisintegratedinto theorganizationstructureof the CityofAnnArbor. TheNetworksoperations aremanagedbyRalphSalmeron, who reports to Lisa Wondrash, manager of the City sCommunications Division. TheCommunicationsDivision reportsto theCity

Administrator. The Cable Communications Commission is also expected tohaveasmallamountofinXluence,detailedbelow.Inpractice,thedaytodayoperationsandlongtermguidanceofCTNaremanagedbySalmeron.

2.FacilitiesandEquipment

CTN operates a production and broadcast studio in southern AnnArbor. In August 2007, the City Council approved a 10year lease of thecurrent space.12 ResidentsofAnnArborcanuse theNetworksequipmentandstudiosfreeofchargefornoncommercialpurposes.Commercialusesarenotallowed. Theequipment availableforusebystaffandtrainedresidentsincludeshighqualitycameras, studiolighting, alargegreenscreenstudio,a

hotlinebooth, and foureditingstations. Thestudiohas threeprofessionalgradecameras.Fourprosumer13CanonGL2MiniDVcamcordersandotherequipmentisavailableforresidentstoborrow. 14 Each of CTNs editing booths contains a Macrovison AVIO editingstation.A large portion of CTNs current clientelehavent grownupwithcomputers,saysSalmeron,andtheAVIOstationswereselectedbecausetheypresented an interface thatwould appear less foreign. Salmerondescribesthestationsasprettybasic,andalthoughthestationswerenewin2008,heexpects the NetworkwillupgradetoFinalCutPro orAVID editing tools in2009.15CTNstaffproducerseditusingAVIDComposer,arecentupgrade. 16

3.Mediaeducation TheNetwork requires that residentswhowanttouseits equipmentand facilities attend a 1hour introductory class. After the class, whichincludesashorthistoryofCTN, examplesof thetoolsandspaceitprovides,andanoverviewofPublicAccessTV,residentscanenrollinanumberoffreecoursesondigital editing, camcorders, andXilming ina studio.Eachclass isscheduled across successive weeknights, an important accommodation for

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12August2007CableCommunicationsCommissionmeetingpacket

13

Prosumer,atermusedforequipmentthatishigherthanconsumergradebutlessthanprofessional;seeex.http://reviews.washingtonpost.com/category/slrcameras.htm.TheCanonGL2retailedonlineforaround$3,000inNovember2008.


15Id.

16Id.


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residentswhoworkduringtheday.Theorganizationalsoorganizesclassesforpeergroups,usuallynonproXits.17 CTNmakesaspeciXicefforttokeepthemediaproductionclasses accessible to people of all ages, andmany of itsclients areover 30.18 For example, a local chapter of the GreyPanthers, a

seniorcitizensactivistgroup,organizedapeergroupsessioninlate2008.19Over225peopleparticipateinCTNtrainingprogramseachyear. 20

These classes, which are kept small (generally between 69participants),teachuniversalmediaproductionskills. Topicscoveredinthevideo production class, for example, include everything from the planningprocessthroughbudgeting, subjects, locations,microphones, cameraangles,lighting,andediting.ComprehensivetrainingmanualswithfullcolorphotosareavailableonCTNswebsite.21

4.Programming

ProgrammingcomestoCTNviaseveralavenues. Someisselectedby

producersfromnationallyavailablepublicaccessprogramming.Residentsorlocalorganizations who want to produceamessage for broadcastwithoutattendingtrainingsessionshaveXiveoptions.PressreleasesfromnonproXitsappearonabulletinboardthatscrollsonCTN channelsovernight.Short 5minutesegmentscanbe tapedatCTN twice amonth; these segmentsareeditedinto a30minute piece that airs for at least threeweeks.A longerformat30minutetalkshow,AccessAnnArbor,allowsorganizationstohostmultiplepanelistsandpresenta longernarrative. BothshowsaretapedandproducedbyCTNstaffandrequirenotraining.ResidentswhoaretrainedonCTN equipment canproduce their ownprograms for broadcast. CTN alsoacceptsprogramsinVHSandDVDformats. 22 Noprogramshavecommercial

contentofanykind. Content from theUniversityofMichigan, AnnArborDistrict Library,and Ann Arbor Public Schools appears on channel 18. Foreign languageinstruction, Board of Education meetings, and recorded Librarypresentationsair frequently.Channel19,CitiTV, hostsfourregularprograms

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17LucyAnnVisovatti(AssistantManager,Public&EducationalAccess,CTN),emailtoauthor,3December2008.


19

Visovattiemail,3December2008.20Salmeronemail,4December2008.

21Classes(TelevisionProductionWorkshops),accessed4December2008.http://www.a2gov.org/GOVERNMENT/CITY_ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNICATIONSOFFICE/CTN/Pages/Classes.aspx

22Visovatti,email,27October2008.


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producedbyCTNstaff:alocalinterviewsession,aseniorfocusedprogram,anewsmagazine,andashowfeaturingCityCouncilmembers. TheAnnArborDistrict Library(AADL) hasapartnershipwithCTNthatallowsthemto air10hours ofprogrammingweekly, andLibrary staff

were certiXied to broadcast on CTN in a special training session.Programming from the Library includes lectures, presentations, anddemonstrations from academics, artists, writers, and public Xigures. TheAADL streams its video directly to CTN via a Xiber connection, discussedbelowinOnline. CTNchannels17,18,and19generallypremierebetween15and40new programs each month.23 The number varies as High School classesproduce programs, sports programs are aired, or the number of civicactivities changes. The Networks remote truck allows staff to broadcastcommunity events, including high school sports. CTN staff producerecordingsatseveral annualevents, including the AnnArborArt Fairsand

TopoftheParkcelebrations. Each month, CTN staff record and broadcast up to 100 localgovernment meetings, creating the most comprehensive record of localproceedings.NetworkcamerasareinstalledinCityHallandotherbuildings,andCTNstaffbringmobilecamerasandotherequipmentasnecessary.Manymeetings are broadcast live and rerunmultiple times. Meetings recordedinclude City Council, Board of Education, Planning Commission, LiquorBoard,andothers. Inelectionyears, theMichiganLeagueofWomenVoters workswithCTNtoproduceaseriesof debatesbetweencandidates forlocal, state, andfederal ofXices. These programs offer the candidates an opportunity to

discuss indepth issues that larger broadcast networks generally do notallocatetimeto.Thedebatesarebroadcastrepeatedlyinthemonthsleadinguptoprimariesandgeneralelections.24

NooneclaimstohaveaclearideaofhowmanypeopleactivelywatchCTN.Wondrashsays nocomprehensive numbersareavailable,andCityhasnot found a costeffective way to survey consumers.25 CTN conducted aphone survey in the early 1990s. More recently, a voluntary survey askedCTNsclients toidentifyneedsandconcerns.TheCityofAnnArbors 2007

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23CableCommunicationsCommission.Variouspublishedagendasandminutes,20072008.AveragedXigures.

24Anindepthlookattheproductionprocessofonedebateisavailableathttp://annarborchronicle.com/2008/10/14/standbywiththemusicin543/

25Wondrash,interview


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Citizen Survey reported that 16% of responding residents relied on CTNgovernmentcoverageasa(nonexclusive)waytogetnews. 26

5.Online

CTNis takingsomestepsto streamcontent fromtwo ofitschannelsonline.TheNetworkswebsitehasaVideoonDemandtabthatlinksGoogleVideo, as well as a growing collection of videos presented through PEGCentral, a thirdparty hosted video streaming service.27 Content from theCitiTV channel, including political debates and moderated panels, hasappearedonline. Asof November2008, CitymeetingswerebeinguploadedtoPEGCentral.

Beforemovingtoitscurrentvideoservice,CTNstaffattemptedtouseGoogleVideotostreamvideosonline. Encodingthe footagefrom itsarchivedformat tookasigniXicantamountoftime.SincetheresultingvideoXileswerelarge,uploads toGooglewouldtimeout,requiringanewattemptatuploadingandmorewastedtime.28Nostafftimewasspentchapteringthevideosorotherwisedividingthemupintosmallerlogicalsegments. The PEG Central service, which hosts and streams videos fromvendormanagedservers,isprovidedbyLeightronix,themanufacturerofthevideo processinghardwarethatCTNuses inother stages of itsproductionprocesses.29 Thestreamingvideoserviceisfreeforayear;afterthatmark,it

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26http://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/communicationsofXice/Pages/CityofAnnArbor2007CitizenSurvey.aspx

27http://a2cititv.pegcentral.com/Accessed5December2008.

28Salmeron,interview

29Salmeron,interview.


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willcost$249permonthtohost 500hoursofstreamingvideo.30 Salmeronestimatesthat500hoursofwillequalapproximately13monthsofmeetingfootage.31 TheLeightronixequipmentthat facilitatesstreamingconsistsoftwo

unitseachcontainingtwodigitalencoders. Eachunit isconXiguredtooutputvideostreamsintwoformats.AlowerqualityencodingisusedtocreateXilesfor web streaming, which are automatically uploaded via File TransferProtocol (FTP) to PEG Central. Highquality Xiles are kept by CTN forplayback. CTN hopes to adda new32Terabytestorage device inthe nearfuture;however, City IT staffneed toconXigure thehardware, andthey areindeXinitelyoccupiedwithcriticalprojects.32

PEGCentral providesonlybasicstreamingvideo functionality.Videosarepresented in a Xlat list,with the option toshowonly videosin certainfolders, such as Environment or Election 2008. Individual videos listcreator,producer,andlengthofshows,butthevideoscontainingfolderisnot

displayed,making thediscoveryofrelatedvideosdifXicult. Thevideoplayeroffers standard volume, play/pause, fastforward/rewind, and fullscreencontrols.Theinterfacecanbeusedtojumptodesiredtimecodes. Thereisnofunctiontocommentonvideos.Thereisnoopportunitytoassociateadditionalinformationsuchasmetatags,keywords, rankings,ornarrativewiththevideos.Thismeansthatusers,betheythegeneralpublicor designated archivists, cannot easily describe the contents of videos.Viewers cannoteasily get adigitalcopyof thevideo Xiles,preventing themfromwatchingthecontentonmobiledevicessuchasiPods,sharingthemonexternalwebsites, orusingtheminmultimediaprojects.CTNhasnocurrentplanstoprovidedownloadablevideos.33

Thecurrent streamingsystemisnotfreefromtechnicalissues.ManyvideosbeginwithaDVDplayersplashscreenandendwithscreensshowingmetadata being entered into an administrative console. Others end withminutes of solid splashscreen, which is used as Xiller to create clipswithstandardlengths(30or60minutes),aholdoverfromcablebroadcast. Theonlinestreamingvideo service hasnot been highly publicized.Salmeronsays thatCTN is waitinguntil late2008orearly2009tomakeawiderannouncementtoprovidetimeforthesystemtostabilizeandforbugsto be worked out.34 Indeed, the link to the video on demand system is

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30

Salmeron,email,4December2008.31Id.

32ThecurrentprojectisupgradingtheCitysphonesystem.Salmeron,interview

33Wondrash,email,27October2008.



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inconspicuous onCTNssectionoftheCitywebsite,anddoesnotappearonthepagesofindividual citygroups, suchasCityCouncil.Thecontentontheactualstreamingvideohomepageisalsonoteasilydiscoverableasof late2008,itdisplayedonlyalistofthemostrecentvideosandasearchXield,with

noindicationoftherangeofmaterialavailable. Littleifanyopportunityforpubliccommentaryonthechoiceofvideoservices orpolicywas provided.WondrashsaidtheselectionofLeightronixwasaconvenience; ifCTNwantedto useadifferent service, it wouldhaveneedednew format transcoders.35 Thisdoesnt seemto bethe case,as theLeightronixsystemcanoutputinmultiplestandardformats.36 Theboxesare,however, tethered to the PEG Centralupload system,and anewworkXlowwouldneedtobedevelopedifadifferentstreamingservicewasused.

6.Copyright

CTN retains copyright to all programs it produces, including

recordings of local government meetings. CTN can only make copies ofprograms ofwhich it holds copyright reads theRequest a Program CopysectionoftheCTNwebsite,37 andtitlecardsformeetingrecordingsincludeacopyright notice. This statement speciXically includes City of Ann ArbormeetingsaswellasAnnArborBoardofEducationmeetings. Wondrash and Salmeron say that the City has not yet consideredoffering videos under any other license.38 No discussions appear to haveoccurredatthelegislativelevel;theMayordeferredthequestiontoCTNandtheCityattorney.39

7.Budget

The Code of the City of Ann Arbor stipulates that franchise feesreceivedbe...directedtothecostoffranchiseadministration,40 operationofPEGaccesstelevision,andcommunicationsandmediaoperationsoftheCity.41 The code was amended in 2005 to allow the fees to be used for

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35Wondrash,phoneinterview.


37RequestaProgramCopyhttp://www.a2gov.org/government/city_administration/communicationsofXice/ctn/Pages/RequestProgramCopy.aspxAccessed5December2008.


39Hieftjeinterview.

40WhentheCitydirectlynegotiatedfees,astaffmemberwastaskedwithadministeringthecontract;in2008,theclauseisnolongerrelevant.Mouradian,personalinterview.

41CodeoftheCityofAnnArbor,Chapter32,Sec.2:111(7)


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community andmediaoperations, in addition to PEG channels.42 MayorJohn Hieftje and Wondrash conXirmed that franchise fees fund only thecommunicationsdepartment.43,44 The large majority of the $1.4 Million annual CTN budget goes

towards labor costs $623,485 was requested for the Xiscal year 2009budget,asmall increase from$622,384inthe2008budget.FringebeneXitsandinsurancerankedsecond.Only$17,700wasrequestedformaterialsandsupplies,downfrom$32,700in2008.45InFiscalYear200746,CTNspentatleast $24,000 on new equipment and relatedmaterials. Around $180,000was used for city support costs, which include IT staff time and otheradministrativecosts.47

FundName ActualFY

2006

ActualFY

2007

BudgetFY

2008

Forecasted

FY2008

RequestFY

2009

PersonnelServices $529,653 $528,354 $622,384 $622,384 $623,485

Payrollfringes/

insurance

$183,344 $232,511 $274,372 $274,372 $298,791

Otherservices $167,366 $141,590 $233,060 $232,485 $210,990

Materials&

supplies

$18,820 $13,220 $32,125 $32,700 $17,700

Othercharges $118,294 $194,375 $187,424 $187,424 $176,921

Passthroughs $40,000 $10,000

Capitaloutlay $148,868 $51,873 $175,000 $175,000 $155,000

Total $1206345 $1225923 $1524365 $1524365 $1482887

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42CityofAnnArborOrdinanceNo.705

43JohnHieftje(Mayor,CityofAnnArbor),inter viewwiththeauthor,10Oc tober2008.


45RedrawnfromCityofAnnArbor.AdoptedFY2009Budget,95.

462007datawasexaminedbecauseitdidnotincludesigniXicantonetimecostsassociatedwithCTNsSummer2008move.

47Wondrash,emailtoauthor,21November2008.


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8.Planning

Little formal description of CTNs future plans exists. Some goalsettingisdoneintheCitysannualbudget:

ServiceUnitGoals,CommunicaDonsOfficeA. Increase by 5 percent (743 total) informaon

[pieces] distributed to internal and external

audiences about Ann Arbor municipal news,

innovaveprograms,awardsandservicesfromJuly

1,2008toJune30,2009.

B.Developandassistintheimplementaonofnew

technology resources to improve communicaons

t o c i ze ns a nd e mp lo ye es a nd e nh an ce

understandingofcityiniavesfromJuly1,2008to

June30,2009.

ServiceUnitMeasures/Scoreboards

A. Track the numb er of informaon pieces

distributed monthly (informaon pieces include

print/online newsleers, news releases, events,

publicinformaonmeengs,CTNpublicaccessand

government produced programs, website pages,

etc.

B.Trackstatusoftechnology resourceprojects and

implementaon compleon each month. These

n ew re so urc es i nc lu de M OS S I nt ra ne t a nd

integrangnewmedia ideasintoCTNsproducondeliveryservices.

(rewritten fromCityofAnn ArborBudget, Fiscal

Year2009)

Wondrash says a communication can be a letter, Xlyer, message, pressrelease, informationpacket,CTNgovernmentprogram, orsomeotherpieceproducedby theDivision. Anincreaseby5percent ... information[pieces]distributedreferstotheCommunicationDivisionstotalannualproductionof documents. No proportion of this 5 percent increase is speciXicallyassigned to CTN. Point A in the Service Unit Measures/Scorecards, the

trackingofinformationpieces,alsocannotberealisticallyusedametricfortheNetworksperformance,asCitystaffrecognizethereisnofeasiblewaytomeasureCTNviewership.48 Thesebudgetgoalsappear to havelittleimpactonthefunctioningofCTN.

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48Wondrash,phoneinterview


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TheNetworkhasnoroadmap,publishedfuturegoals,longrangeplan,orotherguidingdocument.Salmeronstatesthatthereisaroughoutlineofa plan for web streaming, and there are plans for some nearfutureequipmentpurchases.49

9.TheCableCommission

The Ann Arbor Cable Communications Commission was formed toprovide a consistent and formal opportunity for public involvement andperspective regarding cable communications.50 Before statewideconsolidation,itwasalsoresponsiblefornegotiatingandadministeringlocalfranchiseagreements.51 Itsbylaws giveit speciXicresponsibilityformakingrecommendations to CTN about operations, policies, schedules, capitalimprovements.52 Theboard has 5 voting members and two nonvoting City Councilrepresentatives. Council representatives on the Cable Commission do not

haveavote.MembersareappointedbytheMayorandservefor5yearterms.They have diverse backgrounds: some are highly involved in local publicserviceandgovernment,othershaverichbackgroundsindigitalmediaandtechnology,andothersinbusiness. The Commissions theoretical inXluence on CTN stems from itsrecommendationoftheNetworksannualbudgettoCityCouncil,butithasnoauthority to hire or Xire staff or compel policy changes. There is nodisagreementaboutmostofthebudget,accordingtoBray,asthemajorityiscommandedbynonnegotiableadministrativeandstaffcosts.53

.Discussion

1.Broadcastprivileges

The shift to statewide franchise control may endanger CTNsbroadcastingprivileges.FederallawmandatestheprovisionofPEGchannels,butifthecableproviderweretocompressandmovethechannelstoahighnumber,manyofCTNsviewerswouldbetechnologicallycutoff.Inthepast,

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50

CTNinformationalbinder51Id.

52AnnArborCableCommunicationsCommissionByLaws.Adopted29October1987,revised19February1991.PrintedJanuary2007.Note:theByLawsincludereferencetotheregulationofcablegrantee,afunctionperformedbytheStateasof2006.

53Bray,personalinterview


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localcontrolof franchises couldhave preventedthismove, but the shift toStatecontrolhasremovedthisprotection,andCTNsholdonitschannelshasbecometenuous. CTNhasastronghistoricalbroadcasttraditionthatremainsrootedin

cableTV.WhentheNetworkstartedin1973andcontinuingthroughthelate1990s, therewas no a way for individuals to access traditional broadcastmediums.Withtheriseofthe Internet, thisisno longerthecase.Signalsofthe changing nature of media consumption have been popularized in themass media for over a decade.54 Locally, Wireless Washtenaw, a plan toblanket thecounty inamunicipal wireless network, hasbeenin thepublicconsciousnessforoverfouryears.


Productionfacilitiesarefocusedontechnicalexcellence,saysformerCable Commission chair Tom Bray.55 For the Xirst several decades of its

existence,CTN allowedresidents toproducecontent that would otherwisehaverequiredprohibitivelyexpensiveequipmentandyearsoftraining.Now,the cost and complexity of video and audio equipment has decreaseddramatically.56 FormerlydifXiculteditingjobscanbecompletedonsoftwareincluded free with desktop and laptop computers. Professionalqualityequipment is no longer necessary to producehighqualitymedia, andCTNrecognizesthis.57 However,theorganizationhasdonelittletoadapttothischangeinmedia. The production facilities that CTN offers large studios suited tosigniXicantproductionsandequipmentthatremainsoutofthereachofmanyremainanimportantcommunityasset.ButCTNhasshownlittleeffortto

embracemediaproducerswhodonotneedorwantthespaceandtechnicallychallengingequipment, focusingitssupportonclientswhowanttoaccess asinglelevelofproductionquality.

3.Mediaeducation

All subjects interviewed forthis paper who were familiar withthetrainingprogramspraisedthemfortheirdepthandbreadthof content.Theclasses provide valuable inroads for anyone interested in broadcast and

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54Amazon,eBay,andothermajorInternetcorporationsbeganin1995andbefore.

55Bray,personalinterview,20Nov.Bray,whoisaManagingProducerMediaResourcesattheUniversityofMichigansDigitalMediaCommons,helpsfolksthinkthroughmediamatters,andisanexpertineventproducingandaudioandvideoprocessing.

56SomeofCTNsclientsdoindeedbuytheirowncamerasafterbecominghookedontheproductionprocess.Salmeroninterview.



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production,andnootherpublic organizationinAnnArborprovides similartraining. Both the AnnArbor DistrictLibraryandCommunity Education &Recreation (a division of the Ann Arbor Public Schools) offer classes onmoderncomputing equipment but neither havesessionsonvideo tools.

The Neutral Zone, the local teen center, offers summer video productionclassesandaweeklyafterschool program,butnot spotclassesonspeciXicsubjects. The training programs face challenges tied directly to CTNsequipment and broadcast orientation. One end goal of the programs is tocertify residents in CTN equipment and procedures, but many residentsalreadyhavetheirowntools,ordontneedthequalitythatCTNoffers.Usersofpopularconsumertoolscouldapplytheskillstaught,buttheirneedsareoften different. This focus on may alienate a signiXicant segment of thepopulationfromCTNsextensiveexpertise.

4.Programming The programming provided on CTNs public, education, andgovernmentchannelshassigniXicantsocialvalue. The effective timeshiftingofthecivicrecordgivescitizenswhowouldnototherwisebeabletoparticipate in local government the opportunity to stay informed. Afundamental community service, meeting recordings are a cornerstone ofCTNslocalaccessefforts.Withthedeclineoflocalprintnews,accessingthismediawill becomemoreandmore importanttotheAnnArborcommunity.WithoutCTNsefforts,this contentwouldotherwisenotbeavailableto thewidercommunity. With a lack of usable statistics, it is difXicult to evaluate the other

broadcast programs. Anecdotally, viewership is small, and CTN does notspendasigniXicantamountofresourcespromotingitsshows.

5.CTNOnline ProvidingCTNmaterialsonlinehasseveralcommunitybeneXits.Mostimportantly, it allows ondemand access to materials. With online video,interested parties, including schools, news organizations, and involvedcitizenscan viewspeciXicprogrammingattimesoftheirchoosing. Randomaccess betweenandinsidevideosmeansviewersno longerneedtorelyonCTNs Xixed schedule,58 relyon personal video recorders, or be forced towatchthroughhoursofunwantedcontenttocatcharelevantpoliticalpoint.

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58SchedulesareprovidedasdownloadablePDFsfromtheCTNwebsite.ThereislittlegraphicalindicationoforderintheCTNschedule.AsmallamountofeffortspentonthedesignofCTNschedules,aswellastheirpromotionthroughtheCity,couldattractnewviewers.TheAnnArborDistrictLibrary,forexample,produceswelldesignedbrochuresandannouncesprogramsthroughitsblogs,Twitter,onlinecalendar,andRSS.


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Onlineaccessalsomakespossibleanumberofcreativecontentuses.VideoXilescanbesharedquicklyandincorporatedintomultimediaprojects,including reporting. Finally, digital video canbe freed from the television.FilescanbecreatedforuseoniPods,cellphones, laptops, andothermobile

devices. All make the process of becoming informed about local issuessimplerandmoreconvenient. Widerpopulationstudies show asigniXicantriseintheuseofonlinevideo. A2008consumersurvey intheUnitedKingdomsuggeststhatnearly48% of the population have watched video or TV over the Internet, themajorityof them usingondemand services.59 A2007reportfromthePewInternet and American Life Project found that 57%of Internetusers havewatched videos online.60 Another Pew study suggests estimates that theaveragedailyvisitsvideosharingsitesdoubledfrom2006to2007.61

CTNstraditionofCable broadcast continues toweighheavilyon itsonline forays, andanumberof factors makeits currentprogram less than

ideal. Thebasic useofGoogle Video and PEG Central indicates that,whilesomeeffortshavebeenmadetoprovidevideo online,theprocess hasbeenundertakenwithlittleconsideration.InAugust2007,SeveralCommissionersvolunteeredtoformanadhoccommitteetoexploreinternetprogramming,buttheinitiativewasnotmentionedat followingmeetings.62 InMay2008,CommissionerBray requested thatCTN outlineaweb streamingplan; thisdoesntappeartohaveoccurred.63 WondrashframedtheuseofPEGCentralasaXirststepintoonlinemedia,64 butnooneinterviewedforthisreportwasabletoidentifyanyplanningdocumentsthatwereguidingtheprocess.

Feasiblestreamingvideoresources

Simplymovingcontentonlinewithlittleconcernfortheplatformwillnot allow for many possible beneXits, including platform neutrality, orproviding Xiles that can be played on many systems, and annotation, theabilitytodescribevideosindetail.Adiverserangeofwebsitesuseinnovative

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59http://www.redback.com/Redback/Home/News&Events/PressReleases/YouGov_Survey_05_19_08.html

60OnlineVideo:57%ofinternetusershavewatchedvideosonlineandmostofthemsharewhatthey]indwithothers.http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/219/report_display.aspAccessed3December2008.

61IncreasedUseofVideo-sharingSiteshttp://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/232/report_display.aspAccessed3December2008.

62CableCommissionmeetingminutes,August2007

63CableCommissionmeetingminutes,27May2008

64Wondrash,interview.


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techniques to make online videos more userfriendly, but no single bestpractice exists. Instead, a large number of complementary and competingsystemscreatea large, complexmarket. Issues involvinglabor,distribution,metadata, and archiving will need to be considered as CTN moves

forward. CTN has chosen to use PEG Central, a digital video service thatpositionsitselfasaproviderofsolutionstocommunity televisionnetworks.The service is tied to Leightronix video encoding hardware. By using atailoredservice likePEG Central, as opposed to a single ora range of freevideoservices,CTNtoretainsmorecontroloverhowitsvideosarearchived. However,inusingatailoredservice,CTNalsomissessomesigniXicantadvantagesofothercommercialsolutions.Itisunabletocapitalizeonmarketimprovementsmade bytheXieldof free streamingvideo providers suchasYouTube,Vimeo,andothergenerichosts.Allinnovaterapidly,competingtointroducenew featuresforXindingandsharingcontent. PEGCentral,witha

solid government contract, has little incentive to innovate or improve itsservice.And,asshownabove,itisfunctionalityislimited. Theabilityto Xindvideosmayalso sufferwhenthevideosarehostedonly by a tailored service. Allowing the videos to spread across multipleservices createsmany entry points into CTN, aswell asofferingsearchersmultipleopportunitiestoXindthecontent. Advertisingdisplayedbygenerichostsmay be a problem.Nearly allgenerichostsrunadvertisingor othercontent alongside videos, and someaddpreandpostrollads,bothofwhicharepotentiallyunacceptabletothenoncommercialCTN.HostingthevideosonYouTube,forexample,displaysalistrelatedvideosthatareselectedbyanalgorithm,nottheoriginalartist.

This maycreate confusing juxtapositionsbetweenofXicial proceedings and3rdpartyvideos. Severalfreegenerichostsofferpowerfulvideoapplications:YouTube,Vimeo,blip.tv, veoh, Revver,GoogleVideos, dotSUB,andBrightcove, amongothers,arepotentialdistributionchannels.Eachhas featuresthataresuitedtodifferentapplications.Someoffertheabilitytoaddnotesandsubtitlestovideos atarbitrary timecodes, allowing for thechaptering, translation, andannotation of videos. An overlapping set of providers allows for thestreamingofhighqualityfootage.Nearlyallallowvideostobeembeddedonexternalwebsites,suchasblogsornewspapers. Using generic hosts to distribute video on a large scale will prove

problematic for CTN. Even if an automated process were created to postvideo,itwouldneedsupervisionandmaintenance.Aproposalforcombiningthestability ofsecurestoragewiththe capabilitiesof generic hostswill bediscussedunderRecommendations,below. AssociatingCity content, such asmeetings or proceedings, withthewide rangeofcontentavailablethroughgeneral streamingvideoproviders

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mayalsopresentanpublicrelationsrisk.PoliticiansuncomfortablewiththeInternetmayworryaboutsmallmistakesbeingeasilyavailabletoopponentsandmemorializedindeXinitely.PublicofXicialshave,ofcourse,chosentobeinthespotlightandwilladapttothenewlevel ofinformationaccessibility,but

initialpolitical resistancemay slow orcomplicatetheadoptionof themosteffectivetechnologies.65

6.Copyright CopyrightisaseriousbarriertoprovidingfullaccesstoCTNsmedia.ThefooterofeachPEGCentralpagereadsCopyright2008,LEIGHTRONI,INC,butSalmeronstatesthatCTNhasnotgivenawayanycontentrightsbyusing the service.66 The copyright notice may prove ambiguous to someusers. The Citys lack of consideration of copyright issues appears to be

product of an institution that is only beginning to approach contentdistributionon the Internet. Forcontentbroadcast overcableTV, theissuesimply didnot arise, andno external pressure forced its consideration. AsCTNmoves video online, it will face situations where users will want torepurpose footage for many uses, not all ofwhichwill fall under fairuseprovisions. 7.Budget&Planning

TheNetworksfundingistotallydependenttwofactors:franchisefeesprovided by the State and the attitude of City Council. The Councilunderstands that it is a valuable resource, say Hieftje and Cable

CommissionerBarbaraClarkebutbothwarnthatitcanbepreemptedanditsfundsusedforotherservices.67,68 Municipalitiesarenotrequiredtotargetfranchisefeesto PEGoperations,andasigniXicantbudgetdeXicitora lackofpoliticalsupportcouldleadtheCityCounciltodivertfundingawayfromCTN.Operatingasanoncoreservice,thisXluidfoundationmayspellanuncertainfuturefortheorganization.Ifchallenged,theNetworkwillneedtopresentastrongclaimofcommunityimportanceandcontinuedrelevancytoprotectits

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65Theoppositemayalsooccur;ifallgroupswanttoberepresentedonlineimmediately,CTN

mayhavetroubleXindingthetimeanymoneytofulXillallobligations.Thissituationwouldbepositive,though,andwouldindicatesigniXicantcommunitysupportforthenewdistributionmechanism.


67Hieftje,interview.

68Clarke,interview.


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funding.Unfortunately,ithasnodocumentthatdescribesitsfuturegoalsandarticulatesitscontinuedrelevance.

9.CableCommunicationsCommission

CurrentandformerCableCommissionersagreethatthatthe groupsinXluenceonCTN isloose.FormerCommissionerMikeMouradiansays thatthe Network is free to set its own policies and priorities.69 NooneinterviewedforthisreportcouldidentifyaninstanceinthelastseveralyearswheretheCommissiondirectlyinXluencedCTNsoperation.70

TheCommissionhasrecommendedanumberofstrategicchangestoCTN. Commissionmembershave argued fora switch awayfrom expensivedigital editing stations to cheaper consumergrade computers, with highqualityeditingsoftware.Duringhistenure,Mouradianevangelizedthepowerofdesktopvideoeditingandconsumergradecamerasintheearly2000sbyediting a shortdocumentary.OutgoingCity CouncilmemberRonSuarez, a

digital media producer and entrepreneur by profession, echoes hissentiments.HewouldoftenbringhisdigitalcameratoCommissionmeetingsto demonstrate its utility and usability.71 Bray and Suarez repeatedlyidentiXiednewopportunitiesfortheCTNtoprovidevideoonline. AtleastthreeCommissionmembershavelefttheboardinthelasttwoyearsfrustratedbyalackofchangeorinnovation.Mouradianwashappytoretireafter spendinganumberof yearspersuadingCTNmanagement thatchannel19,CitiTV,wouldprovidesigniXicantcommunitybeneXit.Bray, whojoinedtheCommissionin2003,resignedinAugust2008becausetherewasnothing ... left to do.72 Councilman Suarezwas also not able to effect anychange.73

Combinedwithanimpotence to inXluence overlocal franchises, theCommission has anatmosphere of irrelevance that is reXlected inmeetingattendance.Whilescheduledtomeetmonthly, theCommissionmissedsevenofits12sessionsbetweenOctober2007and2008,andnonewinformationwaspostedonlinebetweenAugust26thandOctober26,2008.74 TheOctober

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69Mouradian,personalinterview

70TheCommissiondidpushforwebstreamingofvideo,butitsunclearhowmuchimpactitsargumentshadonCTN.

71

Suarez,personalcommunications72Brayinterview.

73Suarezinterview.

74http://www.a2gov.org/GOVERNMENT/CITY_ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNICATIONSOFFICE/CTN/CABLECOMMISSION/Pages/Meetings.aspx,accessed24October2008.


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meetingwascanceledfor lackofa quorum.75 Thegroup, whichhas raisedimportantconcerns regardingthefutureofCTN,has beenmarginalizedbyitselfandtheCity, leaving thenetwork freetooperatewithoutdirectpublicpressure.

V.Recommendations


Continue to focus on providing prosumer level hardware, but

explore providing lower-quality consumer hardware to engage a

differentsegmentofusers. Inconcentratingsolelyonhigherend,studiobasedproductionusingcomplicated equipment, CTN misses creative segments of the population,including youth and users who might be put off by the professional

equipment.ThiswiderpopulationsegmentisdeXinedbyuserswhowanttocreatecontentusingsimplertools,suchasconsumerqualitypointandshootvideo cameras, andCTNdoesnot offerrecordingor editingequipment forthem. While this lowcostequipmentiswithintheXinancial reachofmany,there are signiXicant reasons why CTN should provide it. The mostinexpensivecamerasarean impossible cost for residents on Xixedandlowincomes. As themore expensive equipment already does for some clients,simplerequipmentcouldprovideahooktoengagenewusers.Itsdecreasedsizeand functionality couldencouragemediacreationby users intimidatedby larger, more complicated tools. The low cost of equipment would also

allowCTN to experimentwithnoveluses anddifferentsystems, andmorecamerascouldbelentforextendedperiodsoftime.

2.MediaEducation

Work with local educational institutionsto produce a seriesof

short,creativeclassesthatintroducenewmediaconcepts.

There is littlecompellingreasonfor residents who simplywant tolearnhowto have funcreatingmedia totakeCTNs classes. Understandingthetechnologyandits affordances atabasic level wouldbemorevaluableandappealingfortheseamateurmediaartists,andtheorganizationdoesnotoffer programs that explain the modern tools available. Adding shorter

classesthatcovertheprinciplesofcreatingwellproducedvideoondevicesthatmany have access towouldbe anatural Xit withCTNs medialiteracymission. Newer technologies that are easy to use, suchas the FlipVideo

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75Suarez,personalcommunications.


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digital camcorderand simpler iMovieeditingsoftware,mightprove justasteachabletotheolderpopulationsthatCTNmakesanefforttoreach. Creating new classes would also give CTN greater immediaterelevance and presence in the community, providing a stronger base of

support should its funding be challenged. Shorter classes on consumerequipment could easily be moved to locations outside of CTNs studios,includingschoolsandcommunitycenters. CTN shouldalso consider expanding thebreadthof its programs toincludeother creativemediarelatedclasses. InOctober2008,for example,theAnnArborDistrictLibraryhelda fourhour, multilingualclassforteensonwritingatelenovella.76 TheNetworkcouldalsoprovideexpertknowledgeonmediaandconsumerliteracy,aswellastrainingsessionsonhowtoaccessandunderstandthecivicmeetingsitbroadcasts.TheseprogramscouldtakeadvantageofAnnArborsmanylocalmediaexpertsandvisitingartists,suchasproducers,writers,directors,andothers.

3.StreamingVideo

Usethird-partyvideoprovidersasprecisiontools,notasgenericvideodistributionsystems.

Spendinghundredsofhoursuploadinghundredsofvideostomultiplewebsitesisnotavaluableuseofstafftime.Thesegenerichostsaregenerallynotengineeredto acceptmany large Xiles throughanautomatedworkXlow.As freeservices, fewofferserviceorarchivingguarantees.Mostthirdpartyservicesarebettersuitedtothedistributionofindividualepisodesorsharingofsmallerclipsbyindividualviewers.However,CTNstaffcanmakeeffectiveuse of these services to share highlights or take advantage of speciXic

technicalfunctionalitysuchasallowingusercommentsthattheirgenericvideo streamingsolutiondoes not allow.Useof thirdparty services shouldbe targeted at situations when those features are especially helpful. Forexample,video ofaCityCouncilmeetingconcerninganeighborhoodwithasigniXicantnonEnglishspeakingpopulationcouldbeuploadedtodotSUB,aservicethat allowsusers to provide translations.77 Aweekly highlightsclipcouldbedistributedonYouTube,whereitmightXindawideraudience.

Promote community uses of CTN media by creating a full-featuredvideodistributionsystem.

By providing a single, highquality source of footage under a less

restrictive copyrightlicense(seeCopyright, below), CTNwouldallowthirdparties such asstudents, andentrepreneurs tobuildparallel collections

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76Drama! Jealousy & Ugly Betty Stylings! Telenovela Writing Workshop!, http://

www.aadl.org/node/11914, accessed 3 December 2008.

77http://dotsub.com/


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usingsophisticatedtools,aswellasallowindividualstosharevideoclipsonthirdpartyprovidersoftheirchoice. Forexample,UniversityofMichiganSchoolofInformationandPublicPolicystudentscouldcreateanewinterfacetothevideos.Analgorithmcould

access the Citys media Xiles anddisplaythemwithmetadatacreatedby athirdparty system. This metadata might be citizen commentary, links torelatedlegislation,orsomeotherinformation.Thistypeofaccesswouldkeeptheoriginalvideossecurewhileprovidinganlayerof annotation.NoneoftheextrariskorworkofcreatingtheseserviceswouldliewithCTN. There are severalways to achieve this separationbetweenoriginalcontent source and distribution format. The University of Michigan hascreatedaneffectiveassetmanagementsystemusingAnceptMediaServer,aproductofferedbyIBMandothervendors.ItacceptsawiderangeofmediaXiles, and allows users to export them ontheXly in a numberof differentformats(videoandaudio)andqualities.Thesystemhasrudimentaryvoice

recognition and can create partial transcripts. Authorized users can adddetaileddescriptiveinformationin standardformats,whichcanbeexportedatanytime. Anceptalso tracks thehistoryofeachXile,recordingallchangesthatweremadetoitsstate. Amorepragmaticapproachtovideo archivinghasbeentakenbytheAnn Arbor District Library. In contrast to CTN, the Library has created avideoproduction workXlow that emphasizes web streaming. All of theLibrarysrecentprogrammingisrecordeddigitallyandisavailableonlineinmultiple formats, including audio, podcast, largerformat video. Files aredistributed under a Creative Commons license, which allows anyone todownload the footage and redistribute or edit it for noncommercial

purposes.78

TheLibrarystreamsitsprogrammingtoCTNfromdigitalXilesstoredon a Macintosh computer. No more complex equipment is used. Becausethese video Xiles are standardized, they can be accessed without humanintervention.Automatedscriptstranscodethevideointodifferentformatsasneeded. The laptop can automatically queue and play the desired showswithoutoccupyingsigniXicantstafftime.ThelibraryisconsideringcreatingaWeb interface that could allow Library patrons to vote online for theprogramstheywanttohaverebroadcastatspeciXictimes. 79

Thehardwarerequired to providethe streamingvideo to CTN andonlinecosttheLibraryaround$4,000.Freeopensourcesoftwareisusedto

perform theprocessing and streaming, signiXicantly loweringcapital costs.However, the Libraryhas a systems administratordedicated to conXiguring

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78http://aadl.tv

79Neiburgerinterview.


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andmaintaingallLibraryservers.80CTNdoesnothavethisstaffcapabilityortradition inhouse, anddueto budgetconstraints, theCitysITstaff focusesits resources onkey services.81 These constraintswill beaddressedunderCableCommunicationsCommission,below.

4.Copyright

Releasemediaunderalessrestrictivelicense.

Distributingthemedia undera less restrictive license would servecivic principles on several levels. First, it would allow citizens basic, legalaccess to valuable information about local government. Second, it wouldclearlysignalorganizationsandindividualsjournalists,students,politicianthatCityencouragesenhancements, additions, andreuseofitscontentbythewidercommunity.Finally,usinganopenlicensewouldprovideamodelforothermunicipalitiestofollow. The City has a number of avenues open for licensing the content

producedbyitsstaffmembers, andopenlicensescantakemanyforms. Thefreestoptionisacompletededicationoftheworktothepublicdomain.Otheroptionsallow formoregranularityofcontrol. TheCreativeCommonsfamilyof licenses, whichcanbecustomizedwith speciXicrestrictions, aretailoredspeciXically for multimedia content. For example, the Ann Arbor DistrictLibraryrequiresrestrictsthereuseandremixingitsvideostononcommercialpurposesandrequiresaclearcredit.82

At least two PEG providersDavis MediaAccess(DMA)in Davis,California,andCATVinVermontandNewHampshireoffercontentthrougha Creative Commons License. These communities also allow citizencontributorstousealessrestrictivelicense. DavisMediaadoptedaCreative

Commonsmodelforcontentitproducesbeginningin2007.StationmanagerJeffShawsaysthattheswitchcamenaturallytotheorganization,whosestaffhave been following intellectual property issues for years.83 CitizenproducersatDMAarefreetolicensetheircontentinanywaytheywish. Shifting all CTN productions to an open licensing model andrequesting volunteer producers to do the same should be a carefullyconsidereddecisionmadewithcommunityfeedback.However,makingCityfootageavailableunderanopen licensewouldbesimplerboth inprincipleandinpractice. Themeetingsarepublicrecordsofpublicproceedings, andshouldbetreated as such. There is little, if anything, to be gained by keeping the

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80Id.


82http://aadl.tv.Accessed25November2008.

83JeffShaw(ProductionManager,Davis MediaAccess).Emailinterview,3November2008


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informationclosed.TheCitycannotreasonablyexpect to sell recordingsforanyproXit. CTN isavowedlynonproXit, anddoesnotairanyadvertisements.And themarket for thematerials is miniscule. The costs of providing theinformationinanopenformatarenotsigniXicant.Theonlychangenecessary

isonCTNdocumentsandwebsites.

5.Broadcast&futureplans

Consult with City ofIicials, staff and local experts to develop astrong long-range plan that will direct CTNs actions both online and

ofIline.

Cable television has achieved wide penetration in Ann Arbor, andremains a valuable distributionmechanism, especially for less technicallyorientedviewers.However,manyoftheprogramsarebettersuitedtoatwilland deep access. In contrast to entertainment programs, recordings ofmeetings are well suited to this type of access, as viewers interested in

speciXic discussions points can watch at their leisure and skip irrelevantfootage.Inaddition,theaccessibilityofCTNschannelsremainsunderthreatfromamoveto the digital wasteland that consumerswill havedifXicultynavigatingto.CTNshouldclearlyarticulatehowitplanstoadapttotheseandotherchangesincommunitymediause. This report cannotonlypresent aninitial picture oftheissues CTNwill face and some of the effective paths for change. To create acomprehensiveplanthatcoversdistribution, education,andcivicaccess,theCitywillneedto considertheresourcesithasavailable internallyaswellasthepoliticalandadministrativehurdlesitmayface.

6.CommunicationsCommission Replace the Cable Communications Commission with a citizensadvisoryboardthatwouldprovidetheCityexpertadviceonallmatters

relatingtoinformationtechnologyanddigitalgovernment.

TheCableCommunicationsCommissionnolongerhasanysigniXicantduties or audience, and should be dissolved. Any token functions stillnecessarytomaintaintheCitysfranchisearrangementscanbeperformedbyasmaller,. LargerissuesframetheimportanceandpossibilitiesofCTNspositioninAnnArbor.MayorHieftjeidentiXiestheabilitytogetinformationtocitizensas a growing problem for the City and a key function of the Network.84

SubscriptionratesfortheweekdayAnnArborNewshavefallensigniXicantlyinthelasttwoyears.85 TheCityonlyhaspermissiontouseemailaddressesforspeciXicmessages andmassmailings arebothunreliableandexpensive.

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84Hieftje,interview.

85Id.


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ThereisnootherefXicientwayofsendingnoticestocitizens.TheNetworkisanimportantwaytobringourmaterialtothepeople,saysHieftje,86buttheCityisloosingitsabilitytocommunicatewithitsconstituents. Therangeof these issues, some ofwhichextend far beyondCTNs

mission, show that the City has broader challenges to tackle. The CableCommissionnolongerhasthepowertoaddressthem,norshouldit.Reliableaccess to government ina digital age requires signiXicant consideration. Ahostofcomplexandrelatedissuesexistincludingbroadbandaccess,medialiteracy, andthedisseminationof governmentinformation. TheCity shoulddevote resources to investigating the range of appropriate and effectiveinformationdisseminationmethods. City staffsimply do not have timeor thetechnical background toponderallaspectsofdigitalgovernment, andspeculationonthepartofanygovernment is not optimal. Instead, the City shouldcreate awiderangingadvisory commission of enthusiastic local experts who could provide

articulate, pragmatic advice and take deXinitive steps to guide the Citysdigitalpolicies.Amediatorbetweencitizenneeds,technologicalpossibilities,andpoliticalbodies, thenewcommissionwouldpresentauniquelyvaluableviewoftheXield. Anynew groupshouldhaveactualpowers,aswellasbeexpectedtomakesigniXicantpolicycontributions.Forexample,providingthegroupwithatokenportionoftheCitybudgetandtheabilitytoraisefundswouldgreatlyimproveitseffectiveness. Ifformedas asemiexternal group, itwouldhavetheindependencetoactquicklyanddirectlythatCitystaffmaylack. The reward for participants cannot be Xinancial; the City simplywouldnt beable topay a fair market ratefor hightechprofessionals. The

commission must be given some acknowledgment. The best tool forattractingandkeepingmotivated,expertparticipantsmayprovetobegivingthemthepower tochange theCity for thebetter. Any commissiontheCityconsiders must be effective, not just a formal stamp or a producer ofdocuments. Thegroupmight direct itsfunds at small projects, lowhangingfruit,aswell asquick injections that couldpush forwardvaluable initiatives.Forexample,astheCityITdepartment isoverburdenedwithregularduties, theadvisory group could fund a onetime developmentof storagecapacityforCTN.OritcouldexpendthetimenecessarytorecruitUniversitystudentsandcollectgrantfundingtocreateavideomanagementsystemtailoredtoarchive

government records, a project that could both beneXit the City and gainnational attention. Itwouldalsoprovidelongtermvision, actingasa forceagainst persuasive vendors and fads, providing analysis and advice onindustrybestpractices.

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86Id.


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TheboardwouldserveinanoversightrolethatwouldsavetimeandmovetheCityforwardbymakinga signiXicantcontribution to AnnArborshightech agenda. Its application to the issues surrounding CTN and localaccess would provide both the external pressure and expertise that can

propeltheorganizationforward.

Documents

Community Television Network and Public Access in Ann Arbor