Philadelphia Community Access Coalition
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MR. SHERROUSE: Hello. I'm Charles Sherrouse, with the Greens of Philadelphia.

At risk of repeating what's been stated many times today, we have a very dangerous consolidation of media. Our city has one newspaper that basically covers general news -- or has two, I'm sorry, both controlled by one corporation, which owns newspapers -- a number of newspapers around the country.

We have several networks, and we looked for alternatives on TV, to several conglomerate companies -- UPN, Warner Brothers, and Fox, which are no better in their record of responding to community and social needs of our time.

We also have a consolidation of those same companies of magazine -- even alternative publications -- as well as cable and computer network access.

And those consolidations put us -- our democracy at a very strong risk. And one of the options for us to respond is to having access to the airwaves.

Philadelphia has a very rich culture. One of the reasons I moved to the this city is the number of outlets for arts, the number of facilities and developments going on here. You've heard testimony from a few of these, but we've got the Neighborhood Film and Video Project, Termite TV Collective, a couple of good public broadcasting stations. Several university radio stations. We've had at least three or four micro broadcasting stations in recent years.

The push for putting alternatives out there in the type of production we want to see on the air is there. The talent, the urge to produce is clearly there. People are producing shows, whether for school or for stepping into more professional projects. The Neighborhood Film and Video Project air a small portion of the films that are produced by small outfits and low budgets. Having public access gives these same people and many more a chance to air perspectives, talent, views, and raise questions, look into issues.

And I myself have appeared on two broadcasting or two public access stations -- one in Reading on a monthly show dealing with social issues, basically looking at environmental issues on that particular show. And also our sister group, the Suburban Green Group, has a monthly show on Suburban Cable in Radnor, and we did a discussion of a number of members of our group on perspectives and issues around the war in Kosovo.

These opportunities should be much closer to home. I can't afford to regularly take a train out of the city to do something. I would love to have the opportunities and using equipments locally available to pull in talent.

We also have a great deal of academic and expert talent. Our group is working on an issue of genetic engineering. We have schools with people who have dedicated their careers to bioethics, to genetic research, to biological and other related issues that we can interview, we can put in the studio, that we can develop a very good program with. And with Philadelphia having these types of resources, it's a shame that we don't have a chance to tap them more often. And that's one thing that public access allows us to do.

It also gives voice to community groups like ours, a chance to take the many issues that we see around us, and to express what we feel on them, express the information we have, to raise questions that need to be asked, and to start a public dialogue. And that's another thing that's been brought up many times, as public access is essential to keeping a sense of community, to keep people in our city communicating with each other, hearing each other's perspectives.

And I think that's going to be the last thing. I can't remember my closing comment, but I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak. And I hope we don't have to wait for a new mayor to see a full funding of our public access facilities.

COUNCILMAN COHEN: Thank you very much.

(Applause.)

COUNCILMAN COHEN: I wanted to thank all the members of the panel.

Go ahead, by all means.

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