Public Access TV in Philadelphia is Finally Here

September 17, 2007 -- Press Conference Remarks

The Philadelphia Community Access Coalition today is delighted to join Mayor John Street and Comcast in announcing the establishment of Philadelphia's Public Access Cable TV system. It has been a long road since PCAC first was formed to advocate for public access TV in Philadelphia. The fight for access has been frustrating, sometimes contentious and now very rewarding. It is our hope that Public Access TV will strengthen the civic engagement and cultural expression among residents and neighborhoods by using media to build and empower community—especially for those who have been left out or marginalized by mainstream media.

About ten years ago PCAC started with a small group of citizens concerned that Public Access TV was being left out of the City's refranchising of its cable companies. The Coalition quickly blossomed to include over a hundred organizations and countless individuals. The members include religious groups, civic activists, arts and cultural groups, disability advocates, media professionals, educators, civic organizations, labor unions, and consumer groups.

As our coalition grew so did our expertise. We organized our fair share of protests, phones blasts and council testimonies. We held an all day hearing in city council, a prayer vigil outside the mayor’s office, a 2-day forum on community media. And over the years we became increasingly knowledgeable in telecommunications policy and were recognized nationally for our media advocacy work. We even filed a lawsuit against the city. Though it was thrown out for lack of standing it got us to the table with a group of committed city officials to look at how public access television could become a reality. And that is how it is that we find ourselves here today. So it is with unmitigated joy that we stand here in the company of city officials and cable company representatives – at the end of nearly a 25 year long campaign – to be able to talk about what public access television in Philadelphia will mean to citizens and what it can look like.

Over the last 10 years our collective vision for Philly Public Access Cable Television has not changed – we see it as a kind of ELECTRONIC GREENSPACE, and can be thought of like a city park, a place away from the bustle of commercialism where people meet, share information, and exchange ideas. It’s about a multiplicity of exchanges.

We are thrilled that Philadelphia now joins the over 1700 communities around the country with public access cable television. Public access producers, a million strong, create more programming in one week that all the major networks combined.

Public access provides a valuable means for people to gain access to and training in the use of new digital media technologies, including computers, Internet, video and audio production television. It’s not about eyeballs – to borrow a term from the commercial media - but about community involvement.

Unlike PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, the programming on public access cable television is made by the people themselves. It’s about providing communities with the possibility to depict positive images of themselves -- to tell their own stories and represent themselves in honest and real manner.

Commercial media continually ignores or misrepresents minority communities. There is very little programming for or about African-American, Asian and Latino communities, women, or the elderly. Participation in public access television is available to everyone regardless of race, creed, religion, age, disability, or economic status.

Public Access is the ultimate in niche audiences with the possibility of the widest viewership when you look at the diversity of its programming lineup. But Public Access TV won’t win in the numbers game. It’s not about quantity but about the quality of the experience. Where public access exists it is individuals who produce their own programming. They share stories, air information, explore issues, promote dialogue, teach skills, and entertain people.

PCAC would like to thank Mayor Street and his staff, including Public Property Deputy Comm’r Joe James, Deputy City Solicitor Michael Athay, Joyce Wilkerson and Hal Fichandler, Chief and Deputy Chief of Staff, and Managing Director Loree Jones and Robert Allen, of her office, for all the hard work and time they put into helping to make Public Access TV a reality. We would also like to give thanks to the Tony Riddle of the Alliance for Community Media – who is here with us today!!! -- and all the Access Centers around the country for their expertise and advocacy. PCAC would especially like to thank Community Legal Services and its General Counsel Jonathan Stein, and the fellow Coalition’s leaders George McCullough, Inja Coates, Ed Cummings and Danielle Redden as well as all of its dedicated members and supporters for their assistance, encouragement and patience.

We now look forward to moving towards the next phase, building the facilities and establishing the channels which will allow Philadelphian's to enjoy the right to produce and broadcast their views and share their cultural expression.

In this process PCAC is committed to insuring that community involvement remains at the forefront. As part of this process we will -- through our website phillyaccess.org and at community meetings -- assist the newly formed Access Corporation in compiling programming from non-profit community organizations and individuals in preparation for the launch of the channel.

Our long-term vision for public access cable television is for it to grow to its full complement of five channels. We know that Philadelphians will have no shortage of ideas for original programming. We can’t wait to see the original, creative, thought provoking, television programs that only Philadelphians can create.