Media Action Marin

CH26 SCHEDULING INFORMATION

A channel agreement must be submitted in order for your program(s) to air. The following explains the procedure for the type of program you have produced. If you are interested in a particular time slot, realize that the timeslot desired may not be available until a previous contract is complete.

If you are submitting another channel agreement for a series that has already been airing, we do not guarantee that you will get the same timeslot you had before, or that your program will resume airing without a gap between your previous airdates and your future airdates. Programs are scheduled on a first come, first served basis.

The earliest date you can re-submit a series is FIVE WEEKS prior to the end date of your current channel agreement. If you re-submit at the earliest opportunity, you increase your chances of staying in the same time slot, although this is not guaranteed. You may have gaps during your scheduled airdates; gaps occur on holidays when we are closed, or when there is a previously scheduled single program in a timeslot.

STUDIO SERIES PRODUCED THROUGH THIS FACILITY:

You may submit the first program of your series with a channel agreement after you have completed your third program. You will be provided with a schedule to run your entire series twice at the assigned airtime (i.e. if you produced 6 shows: every Tuesday at 5:00pm for 12 weeks) for a maximum of 10 programs.

SINGLE STUDIO PROGRAM(S) PRODUCED THROUGH THIS FACILITY:

Please submit the program with a channel agreement immediately after your production date. You will be given 4 airdates at various times and on various days.

FIELD SERIES PRODUCED THROUGH THIS FACILITY:

Since producing a series in the field is time consuming, we ask that you submit each individual program with a channel agreement for air. You will be given 4 airdates at various times and on various days. When you have completed the series, you may then submit a channel agreement with your first program of the series. You will be provided with a schedule to run your entire series twice at the assigned airtime (i.e. if you produced 6 shows: every Tuesday at 5:00pm for 12 weeks) for a maximum of 10 programs.

SINGLE FIELD PRODUCTION PRODUCED THROUGH THIS FACILITY:

Please submit your program with a channel agreement immediately following the completion of the editing process. You will be given 4 airdates at various times and on various days.

TRUCK PRODUCTION PRODUCED THROUGH THIS FACILITY:

Please submit the program with a channel agreement immediately after your production date. You will be given 4 airdates at various times and on various days.

PROGRAMS PRODUCED SOMEWHERE ELSE :

Submit a channel agreement with your tape(s). For a satellite program, arrange for the necessary equipment and submit a channel agreement (see satellite handout). Single videotaped programs will be given 2 airdates; single satellite programs will receive 1 airdate; a weekly series will receive a maximum of 10 airdates.

FM Station Line-up on CH 26

Comcast announced the station lineup for their new FM service (replacing, after great public outcry, the FM service which had been carried on Marin Cable for more than 29 years.) There are only 4 non-commercial stations but 7 stations belonging to a single media conglomerate Clear Channel. There are at least 4 carrying the same play list (so-called Adult Contemporary). In short there is a great deal of duplication of commercial content and the corporate media influence is evident. Comcast has refused the proposal first made by MTA member Larry Bragman, and underscored by Media Action Marin in its letter to Comcast that the FM station line-up should be tailored to the needs of each community.

Thanks for the over 1000 e-mails with requests; 73 stations were requested: Jazz station KCSM (a non-commercial licensee) received 30% of the requests. KQED, KPFA, KRCB are included.

Subscribers on the basic analog service will have to upgrade to digital, at the cost of an additional $5 per month for a Digital box. You can go t Comcast to pick up your box, otherwise for Comcast to deliver and install it there is a onetime charge is $13.99.

Media Action Marin is asking the MTA to insure the continuation of the FM service by requiring it in any new franchise agreement with Comcast. We are asking Comcast to sit down with the community and review its offering in three months.