The Morgan Hill City Council will consider hiring a new provider
for its local public access television services.
The Morgan Hill City Council will consider hiring a new provider for its local public access television services.
Channel 19 on local cable, the public access station is one of three locally-run television channels. The content of the public access channel is produced by viewers and community members.
Over the past decade the channel has offered programming on a diverse range of subjects, including politics, religion, sports, travel and cooking – all created and submitted by the public.
Since 1999, the city has contracted with the Media Access Coalition of Central California to run the public access channel. During the past 10 years, there has been little interest among other potential contractors to provide the public service, according to a city staff report to be presented at the council meeting Wednesday.
However, city staff is recommending hiring a new contractor – Community Media Access Partnership – to run the public access television service.
CMAP is a nonprofit media center that currently provides public cable content in Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista, according to the staff report. The company offers a newer, larger studio than MACCC does now. CMAP’s studio is at Gavilan College in Gilroy, and committed to establishing another studio in Morgan Hill.
MACCC currently runs a studio in a small room it leases from BookSmart book store at the corner of Depot and Second streets.
A four-person committee made up of staff members from different city departments unanimously voted to recommend using CMAP, starting April 30 when the contract with the current provider expires. The staff report cited CMAP’s larger studio, skilled paid staff, and high growth potential for reasons for the recommendation.
The public access channel will continue to be financed by about $18,000 in cable access revenues paid by local Charter customers, which can only be used to pay for capital expenses such as equipment and studio rent. An equal amount of revenues also fund channel 17, the city’s government access channel which broadcasts city council meetings and a bulletin board of general city information.
The city does not contribute any funds to the operation of the cable channels.
A third proposal to run channel 19 was submitted by Access Morgan Hill, a new media organization run out of Sobrato High School, and will also be considered by the council.
The city council will vote on the staff recommendation 7 p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall’s council chambers.
