Putnam to let broadcaster run access channel

[CoolBreeze]

After nearly an hour of debate Tuesday, Putnam County commissioners let a local TV producer create a government access channel for the county.

Michael Karr, a self-employed voiceover artist with several years’ experience in broadcasting, offered to create and maintain the channel using his own broadcasting equipment at no charge to the county. The channel would act as a community bulletin board for area events and meetings and also to provide weather updates.

Karr plans to use sponsorships to pay the cost of broadcasting the channel out of his Putnam County home, he said, and eventually hopes to make some money.

“I’m not just hoping to break even, but who knows?” he said. Federal law forces cable providers like Suddenlink and Comcast to provide government access channels to citizens willing to maintain them, Karr said. Suddenlink representative Michael Kelemen was at the commission meeting Tuesday, and argued that programming on the government access channel should not be used for profit.

“We need to be vigilant with our channel space,” Kelemen said. “Our belief is that there really should not be any sponsorships or advertising [on a government access channel].”

Kelemen said that because Karr wants to make money on the broadcasts, his use of the channel would fall under “leased access” rather than “government access.” Suddenlink would normally charge $4,000 per month for a similar service using leased access.

Commissioners worried whether allowing a third party to operate the channel would limit the amount of control over which businesses or organizations choose to sponsor it. Commissioner Steve Andes suggested the county might be opened up to lawsuits if Karr denied space on the channel to a business like an adult bookstore, or an organization like the fringe anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church.

Because the channel would be considered “government access” and not “public access” the county would have no obligation to allow just any organization to sponsor it, Andes said.

Karr said the commissioners would have full control of the sponsors, and would assume all legal liability. He also said he would eliminate the channel if the commissioners were not satisfied with the programming.

“It’s your channel to do whatever you want with it,” he said. Suddenlink already operates a public access channel for the county, which has been criticized for keeping outdated information on community announcements. At the meeting Tuesday, Kelemen apologized for that and promised to keep better care of it in the future.

Commissioner Joe Haynes advocated Karr’s proposal so long as he keeps it updated better than the current Suddenlink channel.

“I’d like to give it a try,” Haynes said. “That’s the only way we’re going to know, is if we try.”

Commissioners approved Karr’s contract, which calls for him to eliminate the channel within 30 days if county officials feel things are not working as promised. Andes voted against the arrangement.

Karr did not know when the channel would begin broadcasting.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to stay on the air and provide high-quality weather and information to the people of Putnam County,” he said.

http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201103221184

[genlock]

Is this Karr fellow a veteran of the WHCP news debacle?

[tvnewsfan]

Yes. Also a former ambulance chaser for Mark Hunt.