L. A. PUBLIC ACCESS TV DIES A SECOND DEATH? Video 2 min

From Left: Stanley Sheinbaum, Bill Rosendahl, Leslie Dutton on October 29, 2009

Los Angeles, CA Full Disclosure Network® is releasing a two minute video report featuring a short excerpt from a meeting with L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, held on October 29, 2009 where he informs Stanley Sheinbaum, the former LAPD Police Commission President and First Amendment powerhouse that Public Access television is finished in Los Angeles. The meeting was videotaped during an interview by Full Disclosure Network's® Host Leslie Dutton, as part of Documentary Series entitled “Saving The Public Channels in America”. In the interview Council member Rosendahl repeatedly called for citizens to come forward and pressure elected officials, his colleagues, and Congress to save public access channels.

SHOCK: COUNCIL BACKS OFF FROM PUBLIC ACCESS TV SUPPORT
It was a shock when Councilmember Rosendahl informed Sheinbaum and Dutton that public access in L.A. is now finished and not expected to come before the council again. The entire Los Angeles City Council and the Mayor had unanimously signed off on a budget proposal that provided for a public access channel. That proposal was submitted just a few months ago by Sheinbaum and Dutton, Founding members of the Public Television Industry Corportation (PTIC) resulting from months of rallying public access TV supporters to testify a number of times before the City Council, the ITA Council Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee meetings. The PTIC plan received a recommendation from the ITA Agency and when the Mayor did not opposed the unanimous Council vote, or the ITA recommendation, it appeared that the proposal to restore public access TV in Los Angeles had full support.

CALL CITIZENS TO BATTLE ONCE AGAIN
The Full Disclosure Network® video video report is being distributed by to public access producers via Email in an effort to rally the troops for yet another push at the City Council in order to rekindle their commitment and restore the public channels. PTIC leaders have expressed a concern that a most of the public access viewers and producers can no longer be reached as the channels have been dark for almost a year. The elderly, low and moderate income citizens who are computer and Internet illiterate are without a means to receive local and neighborhood news via independent television programming. The mainstream media has long ago abandoned public affairs and local issues.

CITY DIVERTING MILLIONS IN PUBLIC ACCESS CABLE FEES?
Currently the city receives $25 million dollars from cable franchise operators plus a yet to be reported amount from telecom giants ATT and Verizon who are now competing for subscribers and required to pay similar fee to the city. A 2007 State Law known as DIVCA mandated State control of public cable and telecom franchises. Included in the legislation however was a provision for an additional 1% ($5 million) exclusively reserved for public access facilities, also controlled by the City. The current fiscal crisis has led to speculation and questions regarding where the money will go.

WATCH THESE VIDEOS ON THE BATTLE TO SAVE PUBLIC ACCESS

• Two Minute Video News Report with Councilman Rosendahl
• Stanley Sheinbaum Political Powerhouse Fights To Save Public Access TV
• Ed Asner Attacks Progressive City Council for Diverting Public Access Money
• Missing $Millions In Cable Franchise Fees
• L A Budget & Finance Commitee Appoved Restoring Public Access TV
• Who Killed Public Access TV In Los Angeles
• ABC Nightline Covers L A Loss of Public Access TV

Will L A Public Cable Channels Comeback? A Plan To Restore Public Studio Facilities

PUBLIC ACCESS SUPPORTERS LINE-UP TO TESTIFY
Stanley Sheinbaum (at podium) Leslie Dutton, T.J. Johnston


Los Angeles, CA Almost sixty people lined up to testify on Wednesday, April 29th at the City Hall hearing before the Budget and Finance Committee on ITA funding for public cable channels. There was only one proposal presented to the Committee to restore public studio facilities. First to testify were PUBLIC TELEVISION INDUSTRY CORPORATION (PTIC) officials who outlined in their one minute presentations how they would restore the public cable facilities. A complete video news report is to be released on the Full Disclosure Network this week.

Members of the non-profit PTIC Board of Advisors who addressed the plan were:

Stanley K. Sheinbaum, Ron Kaye, Scott Wilson, David R. Hernandez, Arthur Poma, Xavier Hermasillo, Sandra Needs, Dr. Charlotte Laws, Leslie Dutton, H. Andrew Thornburg and T. J. Johnston
Many other supporters testified as well and are featured in the upcoming video report.

FUNDING AVAILABLE
The PTIC proposal presented a plan to restore public cable studio facilities, one each year for the next four years. Fourteen public studios and channels went dark this January when Time Warner Cable opted out of providing public access, instead under the new DIVCA legislation they are required to pay the city $5 million per year to be used exclusively capital costs for replacing the public studios. This 1% cable franchise fee cannot be used for any other purpose according to the legislation and city officials told the Council committee they expect to receive the first payment of this money in just a couple of weeks.

HELP PUBLIC VOICE BE HEARD
The concept of public access cable channels, as intended by the FCC mandate, was to provide opportunity and facilities whereby independent producers could record their shows in sound proof studios with editing rooms, professional assistance and training. The FCC concept was to encourage citizen involvement and coverage of issues and events by enabling the public's voice to be heard in contrast to the main stream media and government perspective.

MORE CHANNELS COMING?
With the telecoms now providing Internet access and video delivery under the DIVCA legislation, A-T-T and Verizon are also required to provide public channels in the same manner as are the cable companies. Currently A-T-T has proposed a plan to place all Southern California Cities public programming on one channel in an "On Demand" fashion so that they will be downloaded rather than cablecast. The City of Los Angeles is opposing the A-T-T plan known as U-Verse and insisting they provide separate public channels.

PUBLIC TELEVISION INDUSTRY CORPORATION
A NON-PROFIT PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION
For more information on PTIC's Plan call:
David R. Hernandez, Vice President, PTIC 818-448-3403

Leslie Dutton, President 310-822-4449

POLITICAL POWERHOUSE TO SAVE PUBLIC ACCESS CABLE IN L.A.?

Los Angeles CA Political powerhouse Stanley Sheinbaum, former Regent of the University of California (appointed by Gov. Gerry Brown) and former President of the Los Angeles Police Commission has jumped into the fight to save public access cable channels and studios in Los Angeles. Appearing in aFull Disclosure Network® Video News Blog (ten minutes) Mr. Sheinbaum describes why he wrote a letter appealing to Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to intervene.

In this exclusive interview with the Full Disclosure host Leslie Dutton,Sheinbaum talks about the importance of having public access cable operations in Los Angeles. As a long time benefactor of the ACLU Foundation and close associate of Ramona Ripston, of the ACLU of Southern California, Sheinbaum says that “public access is important to keep an arm on government.”

In an urgent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr. , Mr. Sheinbaum appeals to him to seek emergency injunctive relief to stop Time Warner Cable from shutting down the 14 public access studios and channels in Los Angeles on December 31, 2008 until such time as the City has made arrangements to replace the facilities.

Letters from other organizations who have appealed to the Attorney General along with Stanley Sheinbaum are:

• David R. Hernandez, Los Angeles Public Access Coalition
• THE CAUCUS of Producers, Directors, Writers & New Media
• Full Disclosure Network® (send Automated letter to the AG click here)

BREAKING NEWS: On December 17, 2008 Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick released the Audit Report on the two City-run government cable channels. In that report she calls for “more diverse programming and reducing costs and enhancing revenues.” Read the Audit Report that is certain to cause concern among independent public access producers, who may be required to pay fees to have their programs appear on public access channels should the City take over the operations after December 31, 2008.