UPDATE: Missing Millions, A T & T , PEG Cable-Video Channels

DAVID R. HERNANDEZ

President Los Angeles Public Access Coalition

www.savepublicaccess.wordpress.com

Los Angeles CA The Los Angeles Public Access Coalition members who attended the February 3, 2009 City Council meeting are reporting the closed session resulted in a unanimous vote to delay legal action against A T & T for thirty days, while negotiations continue regarding delivery of City Public Educational and Government (PEG) channels.

MISSING FUNDS NOT ALWAYS LOCATED?:
The missing AT &T Franchise Fees, reported by Full Disclosure Network last week, have been located, according to the Information & Technology Agency. The funds had been transferred to the wrong city account but have purportedly been located. A recent City Controller audit of LA Government run channels 35 and 36 found reimbursment for production costs provided from proprietary agencies such as DWP, CRA, LAPD Commission, Harbor Dept. had "not always transferred" to the ITA account, with no mention of final disposition (see page 37 audit report)

VIDEO: MISSING MILLIONS IN FRANCHISE FEES?
Watch Video news report (six min) revealing public concern and distrust ABOUT City use of multi-millions in cable-video franchise fees.

PUBLIC CHANNELS MANDATED:
Franchise fees paid for 25 years to the City by cable operators are now collected from ATT, Verizon and other telecom companies who are competing for video delivery to consumers. Fees come from gross revenues collected from monthly subscribers paying for cable and video channels, that by law are to include public access (PEG) channels.

Battle for Control of Public Access Cable Channels: City of Los Angeles Update

Los Angeles, CA The Full Disclosure program will once again be off the air on the LA 36 Cable channel tonight Sunday and Monday due to on-going " technical problems" at LA36, a City funded public access cable channel. However the programs continue to be shown on over 40 other public cable channels throughout California, without problems.

LA36 TECHNICAL PROBLEMS BEGAN
This summer in late July and August the Full Disclosure Network programs on LA36 Public Cable Channel began looking rather strange. At times the video was fuzzy and the audio was so distorted that viewers called Full Disclosure to complain, saying they could not understand what was being said. This problem was not occuring with other programs featured on the channel nor on any other cable channels where Full Disclosure is featured.

UNWRITTEN "DELIVERABLE STANDARDS"
Full Disclosure was notified by LA36 they had determined the source of the technical poblems was the master DVDs that must adhere to "Broadcast Standards" but refused to provide Full Disclosure with specifics. Full Disclosure retained an Audio Engineering firm who met with LA36 management and technical staff to determine how they were transferring the DVD video to their server, as he had already determined no problems with the Full Disclosure masters. LA36 admitted they were not using the master DVDs but dubbed tapes at 2x speed. When asked for a copy of the "Deliverable Standards" an industry term for audio and visual specifications required for content producers, LA36 indicated they did not have such specifications.

NO NOTICE OF OPERATION CHANGES TO PROVIDERS
After problems continued, the LA36 General Manager informed Full Disclosure they had made major operational changes, that Time Warner was turning over control the operations were to be handled "in house". This gave credence to rumors circulating that Time Warner was going to shut down public access channels and studios by December 31, 2008. LA36 claimed technical problems encountered were only on Full Disclosure's master DVDs.

FULL DISCLOSURE RETAINS COUNSEL:
Full Disclosure retained Bruce Maddox, expert audio engineer, as counsltant on the LA36 technical problems. He found the master DVDS in question, to be meet industry standards and acceptable for transcoding. In a meeting with Maddox and Full Disclosure producers LA36 management refused to provide written specifications known as "Deliverable Standards" for audio and video content, instead they agreed to accept three versions (formats) transcoded by Bruce Maddox, for delivery to LA36 for transfer to their new server to determine which version is compatible.

IS IT POSSIBLE?

Will Full Disclosure meet the unwritten standards of LA36?.

Stay tuned for next week's report to learn the outcome....................

Three Strikes Debate & Ethanol To The Rescue? On Cable TV Sunday-Monday

Los Angeles, CA. The Full Disclosure Network® (FDN) is re-releasing a two-part program featuring prominent law enforcement officials debating the Three Strikes Law followed by an in-depth look at Ethanol as a gasoline alternative. Both programs feature former Bill Jones the former California Assemblyman and Secretary of State who originally authored the Three Strikes Law in 1994 . Jones is currently the founder and Chairman of the Board of Pacific Ethanol Corporation.



WATCH ON L.A. CABLE CHANNEL 36
Sunday March 9th 8 p.m. Three Strikes
Sunday, March 9th 8:30 p.m. Ethanol
Monday March 10th 4 p.m. Three Strikes
Monday March 10th 4:30 p.m. Ethanol
Click Here for other channel listings for other cable channels & airtimes by community

FEATURED GUESTS ON THREE STRIKES LAW DEBATE: (Pt 1)

(Watch preview 7 min)

Bill Jones CA Assembly Author of Three Strikes
L. A. County Sheriff Leroy Baca
LAPD Chief William Bratton
L. A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley
L. A. Special Assistant District Attorney Anthony Patchett (ret)


IS ETHANOL THE ANSWER TO HIGH GASOLINE PRICES? (Part 2) (Watch preview 8 min)
Bill Jones, Pacific Ethanol Corportation describes the following:

• Reasons for shifting to Ethanol instead of gasoline made from fossil fuels
• Pressures generated political support for Ethanol as an alternative fuel
• Government to maintain support for Bio Fuel incentives
  
  
  Billed as “the news behind the news” Full Disclosure Network® programs are produced by Emmy Award winning host Leslie Dutton and Producer T. J. Johnston and featured on 45 cable television systems and the Internet at http://www.blogger.com/www.fulldisclosure.net Over the past sixteen years the Full Disclosure Network® programs have explored public policies and police politics, corruption and reform, interviewing U. S. Attorney Generals, Police Chiefs, Sheriffs and Prosecutors. Click here to find cable channels listed by community and air times on the website.
  
  # # ## #