The argument over who should run Morgan Hill’s public access
television station centers around two central points: Should the
city get the most
”
bang for the buck
”
or should the city give the contract to a local provider?
Best ‘bang for the buck’ or keep money local?
The argument over who should run Morgan Hill’s public access television station centers around two central points: Should the city get the most “bang for the buck” or should the city give the contract to a local provider?
Those are the two central arguments surrounding the debate over whether the city should continue to contract with Morgan Hill Access Television or Community Media Access Partnership.
In this new-era economy, it’s the city’s responsibility to get the best service for the best price – and remember here, we’re talking about the station that allows residents to create their own programs for broadcast, not the government channels that broadcast city council and school board meetings.
CMAP is better equipped, literally, to run the show
When it comes to which group should be awarded the $18,000 contract for providing Morgan Hill’s cable television public access services, of the three bidders who responded to the city’s request, the clear winner is CMAP based at Gavilan College in Gilroy. MHAT’s plea that they are an all volunteer organization that works hard out of a small studio at BookSmart to bring content to Morgan Hill residents is laudable.
But CMAP is the better program, with a large studio on the Gavilan campus, a roster of classes, a community of active members and a professional paid staff. The argument that city money should be spent locally, is provincialism at its best. Gilroy isn’t local enough?
Contract must come with conditions to create local presence
And while the city should award the contract to CMAP, it must come with a few caveats. CMAP has said that if they are awarded the contract they intend to create a presence in Morgan Hill.
The city needs to set strict timelines to do so. Give the contract to CMAP, but insist they open a local studio within 90 days, use volunteers from Morgan Hill and create an outreach plan to let the community know they are here and how residents can use their services.
Let’s not shun the best ideas because we want to keep things so local those good ideas are thrown aside. Let’s get the best bang for our buck.
