Morgan Hill’s only public access TV station is facing financial
troubles that could force it off the air by December.
Morgan Hill – Morgan Hill’s only public access TV station is facing financial troubles that could force it off the air by December.
To stay alive, Morgan Hill Access Television (MHAT), channel 19 for Charter Cable subscribers, needs to find a way to cover its $25,000 yearly operating budget when a one-time grant of more than $60,000 from the City of Morgan Hill runs out in the next couple of months.
Exasperating the problem is the fact that the tiny station’s new landlord is raising the rent on MHAT’s downtown studio. Currently the station forks over $13,500 per year for a small spot near the corner of Depot and Second streets.
In addition to that expense, MHAT pays $6,000 annually in insurance costs.
Other than the city’s start-up grant, issued in 1998, the access channel has been living off of $15,000 a year in federally mandated public access fees from Charter Cable. Cable operators must provide funding for public, educational and government access – known as “PEG” access – as partial compensation to communities for their use of public rights-of-way to run their cable.
But even with those fees, MHAT can’t pay the bills.
To come up with extra cash, Station Manager Walter von Tagen said he has started to look for a grant writer who would be interested in working for a percentage of whatever grant funds might be awarded.
But von Tagen said getting help from a private donor in town might be more feasible than putting together a winning grant proposal.
MHAT has nonprofit status, so donations can be written off as tax deductions. With that in mind, von Tagen hopes a little wheeling and dealing could land the quirky TV station in a cheaper building.
“We’d like to find someone to rent us a 900-to-1,200-square-foot space, and donate a large portion of the rent back to us and take the tax write-off,” he said, adding he plans to pitch the scenario to local property owners this summer.
MHAT station operators don’t know exactly how many viewers tune in, but they contend the station provides a vital outlet for free expression.
“Public access is the ability for the people here in this community go ahead and express any views they want,” said MHAT Program Manager Larry Talbot. “We provide the facilities, we provide the equipment, the training, the infrastructure for you to come in and do that.”
But demand for using the station is not outstanding. Von Tagen said about 25 local residents pay a yearly membership fee of $25 to have access to the station’s production studio.
But Talbot said many of the station’s shows have vibrant audiences, even if February sweeps are out of reach.
Plus, MHAT is the only TV station locally airing “Democracy Now,” an award-winning national, independent news program airing on more than 350 TV and radio stations in North America.
“When ‘Democracy Now’ isn’t on,” Talbot said, “we definitely hear about it.”
MHAT also provides coverage of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras festival, Taste of Morgan Hill, the Christmas Concert, High School Graduations and a number of other community events.
The remaining schedule is filled in with satellite programming such as NASA TV, the Annenberg Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Deutshce Welle TV from Germany and Classic Arts Showcase.
Talbot said almost all of MHAT’s programming is prerecorded.
The all-volunteer station is mostly computer operated. Instead of having an on-site staff working everyday, von Tagen said station engineers program shows ahead of time.
As for its beginnings, von Tagen said MHAT formed out of an organization dedicated to media access in the community. In 1998, the group approached Morgan Hill city officials and entered into contract to operate a public access TV channel.
