[Occupymendocino] Ann, Howard & Richard went to the FB City Council meeting

[agnes at mcn.org]

Ann, Richard and Howard,
      Thank you for the excellent letter to the F.B.City Council and for
being there to speak up for Public Access TV.

Agnes


> Here's the letter we presented:
> We each got up and spoke too. rk
> Dear Mayor Turner and Ft Bragg City Council,
>
>  We urge you to continue to work actively to seek applicants for the
> position of Public Access TV provider, preferably from our community on
> the Coast.  The loss of MCTV is deeply felt by all who want to hear about
> what is occurring in our public meetings such as the School Board,
> Hospital Board, Rec and Park District, and many other groups which are of
> concern to our community.
>
> We would prefer a non-profit group, as the for-profit company that
> currently records some City Council meetings is not willing to do public
> meetings for affordable prices. As a result the meetings simply are no
> longer being filmed at all!  The recent problems at the Senior Center are
> an example of how secretive meetings with hidden agendas can destroy the
> smooth running of our favorite local public institutions.  When the light
> is not shone on the workings of the Boards in charge, they sometimes start
> bypassing bylaws and rules of order and courtesy. This is especially true
> in the case of self-appointing Boards.  There must be some oversight of
> appointed Board Members  by taping the meetings and allowing community
> members to view and review meetings they are unable to attend. This also
> can keep an awareness of the activities planned, or the budgets or
> volunteer needs of our institutions. If the PEG TV provider you choose can
> also train students and volunteers to film meetings and edit and show the
> films. this can provide needed jobs and training for community members
> while getting them more involved in governmental processes.
>
> The digitized archive that MCTV produced and left on their website is
> still a tremendous selling point for the North Coast  and needs to be
> sustained. Reaching out globally it encourages travel, commerce and
> education to our remote area.  The recent passing of Antonia Lamb was a
> good example. Her friends included individuals from all parts of the world
> who could look and hear her words in the "Senior Perspectives" interview.
> A Public-Access television facility has become an important asset to our
> communities and county over the years. The level of TV production we had
> with MCTV does not exist in most other rural communities.
> The tape archive now stored at the Footlighters building needs to be
> secured.  Historical tapes from the 1980's until the present are sitting
> in limbo waiting for a concerned entity to save them.  Our one historical
> museum, the Kelly House in Mendocino,  can not handle the care and
> development of these historical tapes. We need another Public Access TV
> production facility that can continue to digitize offer access to the many
> hours of treasured historical programming!
>
>  On tonight's agenda the Board has noted they have tentatively chosen an
> internet broadcast system offered by a company called Granicus. While
> this might be good for showing the City Council meetings and distributing
> City business on the net, it will not provide for the Public Access TV we
> all want and need to cover other important events.  We understand it
> costs a minimum of $300 a month to belong to this internet broadcasting
> facility.  We think this money might be better used to help support our
> own TV production facility. If the Granicus storage site is the only
> solution for making up for the loss of MCTV it would probably end our
> hopes of having our own Public Access TV facility again.
>
> We were happy to hear in your September 5 City Notes report that you are
> planning to issue a Request for Proposals for PEG services for the coastal
> community. We want these to be started as soon as possible and request an
> update on the progress of finding applicants.
>
> Again, we need a facility to document North Coast activities including:
> meetings of other boards, school programs, sports, arts, history,
> education, programs like "Senior Perspectives". A production facility that
> provides job training opportunities for local citizens and could provide
> lower cost videography services.
> As a key entity in local government, concerned about the needs of the
> entire Fort Bragg coastal community, we feel it is incumbent on the City
> of Fort Bragg to work diligently toward a replacement for the loss of
> MCTV.
>
>  The website petition initiated  by Occupy Mendocino, presented to the FB
> City Council last month, had 450+ citizens asking to restore our
> Community Access Television Facility on the North Coast.  People want us
> to have our own facility again!
>
> We encourage the board to work and search for a person or group to restore
> our Public Access TV provider/ Community Access Television facility!
>
>
>      Thank You for your consideration of this important matter.
>       Ann Rennacker, Richard Karch and Howard EnnesTO UNSUBSCRIBE: send an
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