City channels cable options to residents

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Imagine four, five or six cable television channels

dedicated to high-quality local programming: maybe one for city

government, another broadcasting high school sports, and others dedicated

to local arts and culture or environmental issues.

Imagine seeing City Council meetings rebroadcast at convenient times

during the week. Imagine having educational programming right in the

classroom. Imagine the signal of local channels as clear and crisp as

those of digital cable networks.

Capitalizing on a rare opportunity to renegotiate contracts with its

two cable providers, city officials are daring to dream big about what

cable can do for residents. And they want residents to join in.

A series of workshops will take place May 20 to May 23 to gather

residents’ ideas on what they want from their cable providers. The seven

workshops will each address a different interest area: government

agencies, education, environmental organizations, business, arts and

culture, sports and recreation, and community and civic organizations.

Officials will use the information gathered from residents and

organizations, along with a phone survey now underway, to negotiate what

they hope will be a good deal for customers of Adelphia Communications

Corp. and Cox Communications Inc.

“We as a community have an opportunity now to put into place a lot of

the technological advances that have taken place in the last 10 years,”

said Marilee Jackson, the city’s public information officer who heads up

communications, including cable television issues, for the city.

Federal rules that require the city to renew the cable companies’

contracts leave the city little legal power to make demands on the

companies. That’s where the workshops come in. Public pressure, combined

with smart negotiating tactics, could provide the leverage the city needs

to persuade the companies to give the city more channels and even to

produce local programming.

Under the city’s present contract with its two cable companies, the

city gets 5% of all revenue from cable television in the city. In the

2000-01 fiscal year, this amounted to $1,041,454 for the city. Jackson

said this fee could also be used as a negotiating tool, such as if the

city chose to demand a higher percentage.

A recent Federal Communications Commission ruling stopped the city’s

practice of also taking a percentage of cable Internet fees.

Phil Urbina, government affairs manager for Adelphia, said company

representatives plan to attend many of the city workshops.

“This is an opportunity for us to listen as well, to listen to our

customers,” Urbina said. “It’s important to note, though, the many things

we already do.”

He said that in addition to producing, broadcasting and rebroadcasting

Newport Beach City Council meetings, the company also produces the

programs “City Scenes,” “Speak Up Newport” and “Pick A Pet.”

He said it’s too early to say how many of the residents’ wishes the

company will be able to accommodate.

“We’re going to look at the community needs in light of the costs,” he

said. “That’s our responsibility.”

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

FYI

Workshops will take place May 20 to May 23. For a list of workshop

topics, times and locations, visit www.city.newport-beach.ca.us or call

(949) 644-3002. Reservations may be made to that number or to o7

[email protected] .