Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSBCCF Min 1986-01-20 .. . . SEAL BEACH CABLE COMMUNICATIONS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S MEETING January 20,1986 The Seal Beach Cable Communications Foundation met in regular session at 7:30 p.m., with Chairwoman Mrs. Teresa Jones calling the meeting to order and leading the Salute to the Flag. Roll Call Present: Chairwoman Jones Members: Mr. Arnold, Mr. Stein Absent: Mr. McCurdy, Mr. Covington Also Present: Ray Allebaugh, SBCCF Staff Minutes of December 16,1985 Mr. Arnold asked that a correction be made in the minutes so that page 2, unde~ Audience COlIDDunications, paragraph 2, will now read "Mr. Arnold then congratulated Kathy Risk". Mr. Stein seconds. AYES: Noes: Mr. Stein, Mr. Arnold, Mrs. Jones None Motion Carried OLD BUSINESS Mr. Stein asked staff about the progress of a chart containing information on each program funded by the Foundation, including the amount of the grant, progress of the program, and the date shown on SBOC. Mr. Arnold expressed support for the idea, and also asked that staff be directed to send a registered letter to Mr. Ken Haya- shida Jr. asking that a copy of his program "A Salute to Education" be presented to the Board. Mr. Stein then spoke about the Public Access Advisory Board, and said that he felt the Board of Directors of the Cable COlIDDunications Foundation is involved with pro- gramming content, and expressed his concern over the establishment of the Advisory Board by Group W Cable. Mr. Arnold said that he had spoken to Councilman Victor Grgas, and Mr. Grgas said that the creation of the Advisory Board had never come be- fore the City Council. John Monsen of Group W said that he was open to making differ- ent arrangements if necessary, but Group W would only get involved in program con- tent when a production is technically inadequate or grossly offensive. Mr. Monsen told the Board that Group W, as a private business, is free to create any Board (such as their Customer Advisory Board), and he felt the Advisory Board had been set up as a body for access producers to appeal to if the Public Access Coordinator re- fused to cablecast a program because of content. Mr. Stein then said that although local origination programs fall under Group W's responsibility, it was his understanding that public access programs fall under the jurisdiction of the Cable COlIDDunications Foundation. Mr. Monaen replied that getting involved in content decisions is a difficult issue, and he felt the Articles of In- corporation allowed the Board of Directors to control content in a program that the Board produces themselves, or a program commissioned by the Board (in which case, the Board would be the producing agency). After more discussion, Mrs. Jones asked that the City Attorney be contacted for an opinion regarding the Public Access Advisory Board, what official capacity they might have, and to respond with an opinion on the Foundation's responsibility for content specifically the wording of Article 2 (4) of the Articles of Incorporation. NEW BUSINESS----Budget Planning Staff presented a list of budget suggestions to the Board, reminding the Board that these were ideas to work upon. Staff pointed out that item 5 (memberships in cable aSSOCiations) had since been revised downward. Mrs. Jones felt that items 2 and 4 (office administration costs and public access tape stock) were the responsibility of Group W, per the revised Form K of the Franchise Agreement. '. . . Mr. Arnold stated that he felt the Board should not pay for tape stock as he be- lieves there should be a substantial amount of tape in the public access facility that is raw stock tape. After a brief discussion, it was decided that the issue of funding tape stock be clarified with Group W Cable, and that the Board be ad- vised of any developments. Mrs. Jones indicated that she would like to have a Special Projects Fund in the budget, which would enable the Board to fund coverage of special community events as the need arises. . Mr. Stein then asked if the Special Projects fund would include any of the 25 lo- cal origination programs that the Board funds annually, After determining that it would not, Mr. Stein then referred back to Form K, which he felt duplicated under paragraph 2(3) two items that had already been referrd to in subparagraph 2 (a) and (b). Mr. Monsen.pointed out that Group W provides additional monies that aren't even addressed in Form K. Mr. Monsen said that Group W gives the Board $75,000 per year which is targeted in three directions: 1) $25,000 to the Foundation, which uses that amount at its discretion; 2) $25,000 to fund twenty-five local origination programs; and 3) $25,000 to help with the cost of studio operations. Mr. Arnold then asked if Group W could prepare some information regarding cablecast- ing City Council meetings, Mr. Arnold indicated that he felt very strongly about showing the meetings, and felt this would help both public access and increase Group W's subscriber base. Mr. Monsen said that he would be glad to provide a pro- posal to cover the Council meetings at the least expensive cost. Mrs. Georgianna Brown then spoke from the audience, and introduced herself as rep- resenting the League of Women Voters. She asked the Board if they would consider funding coverage of a candidate's debate. Mrs. Jones recommended that Mrs. Brown contact Group W, and proceed from there. Turning back to budget;,planning, Mrs. Jones said that she felt it was important for the Board eo develop some budget guidelines so the Board will be able to project their spending for the coming year, and therefore help plan for the future. After discussion among the Board members, Mr. Arnold moved that the $25,000 be divided as follows: $2,5000 for funding an intern for cablecasting; $12,000 for public access grants; $10,000 to be set aside in a Special Projects Fund; and $500.00 for member- ships in the Orange County Cable Association and the National Foundation for Local Cable Programming. Mr. Stein seconds. AYES: Niieii : Mr. Arnold, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Stein None Motion Carried AUDIENCE COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Arnold mentioned that Kathy Risk, Group W's Public Access Coordinator, had submitted her resignation, and complimented her on an excellent performance over the past year. He also expressed his concern over the replacement turnaround time, and the :scheduling of public access classes in February. Mrs. Jones then asked Mr. Monsen to bring the Board up to date on the recent sale of Group W Cable. He explained that after the sale, the Seal Beach system had been designated to Comcast, Inc., along with several other Group W systems in'IOrange County. He also mentioned that it was his understanding that Comcast would be trans- ferring ownership with no changes in the franchise agreement. He indicated that the transition of employee benefits and policies would present the largest logistical problem, and said he expects no major changes in the months to come. It was the consensus of the Board, and so ordered by the Chair, to adjourn the Seal Beach Cable Communications Foundation at 8:45 p.m. Ray Allebaugh/SBCCF Staff