LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the concept of assessing an additional 1 percent fee on local cable subscribers to help fund the county's public access television station.
The Public, Education and Government (PEG) Channel, TV8, asked for the board's consideration ahead of taking the same concept to the city councils of Lakeport and Clearlake.
The channel, which broadcasts the Board of Supervisors meetings live, also provides other government meeting broadcasts, along with local, independently produced programs, event coverage, Yuba College classes and a bulletin board.
During the discussion it was estimated that 9,500 cable subscribers in the county would pay an average of 64 cents per month under the plan, for an estimated annual revenue stream of $55,000 to support the station.
The station's proposed 2011-12 budget revenues total $70,500. Besides the pass-through, other projected funding sources include Yuba College, $5,000; underwriting, $5,000; member drives, $2,500; donations, $1,500; and a fundraiser, $1,500.
Expenses, including proposed staffing, equipment and system maintenance, is projected to total just under $55,000.
The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to direct staff to draft an ordinance imposing a 1 percent cable TV subscriber fee.
That ordinance would be brought back to the board for consideration after the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake approve enacting the same fee within the limits of the two cities. The city of Lakeport has declined to participate in funding the station in recent years, citing budget constraints.
Supervisor Rob Brown, the lone dissenter against the plan, worried that the new fee – which he said was essentially a tax – wouldn't be presented to area residents for their approval.
PEG Board member Joyce Overton, also mayor of Clearlake,and businessman Vince Metzger, the PEG Board's vice chair, took the proposal – with the support of Mediacom, the local cable franchise holder – to the board Tuesday.
Overton said the station has got a good group of volunteers and is assessing becoming a nonprofit. Now, they need funds to buy new equipment and have some paid staff.
She said Mediacom offered to create the 1 percent surcharge to help push the funding through.
“I want to be able to identify the difference between this and a tax,” said Brown, suggesting that the channel seek to increase its membership rather than adding on fees.
Metzger said they could avoid the fee if the cities and county would share some of the franchise fee with the station.
Overton said the amount they were seeking wasn't large, suggesting most subscribers wouldn't notice it. “If we don't get some funding from some place, this station will become nonexistent.”
Supervisor Jeff Smith, another PEG Board member, said he's proud of the people working so hard to improve the station. “I wouldn't have said this a year and a half ago,” he said, adding, “It's been a huge turnaround as far as I'm concerned.”
Supervisor Anthony Farrington asked about pursuing nonprofit status, which Overton said wasn't yet feasible because they don't have enough funding. Farrington suggested the station conducted a KQED-style membership drive.
Brown suggested that there needed to be ways for people to voluntarily contribute through sponsorships and membership without imposing a fee on subscribers. Overton said she doesn't like to pay taxes but she has to, with Brown responding that there is a process to go through to have taxes assessed, with a way to protest. “That doesn't seem to be the case here.”
Metzger said the pass-through fees would, in the future, provide only about 25 percent of the station's income.
Joel Moore, an independent marketing consultant who volunteers services to Channel 8, told the board that public utilities code and other law allows for the pass-through. “We're not just pulling this out of the air, we have these things that we've researched pretty extensively.”
He said the hope is to become self-sufficient. “We really need this jump start to be able to get off the ground.”
Shawn Swatosh, Mediacom's Lake County area operations manager, said the majority of their customers are paying around $64 per month, meaning the average customer would pay 64 cents a month toward the channel, which he said was “very worthy.”
Brown asked Swatosh if they could do a survey of residents to see if they would support the increase. Swatosh said any surveys would be an added cost to conduct for the company. Other areas have placed such fees on the ballot, he said.
Board Chair Jim Comstock asked if Mediacom had received any feedback, and if customers knew the fee was coming.
Swatosh said the most feedback they're received regarding the station was a few years ago, when there were a lot of conspiracy theory programs being aired. “We heard a lot of negativity,” he said, noting more recently people have commented on “very positive changes.”
Metzger said the projected $55,000 that would come from the pass-through “will help us with our minimum, basic needs.” Every public access station PEG has compared itself to has a budget five to 10 times what PEG was projecting to raise through the fee.
Comstock asked who would audit the funds. Overton said the station's auditing is being handled by the city of Clearlake. She added that the decision to support the pass-through could always be rescinded later if it proves to be too much, which Comstock said would be difficult to do.
Comstock suggested that everyone needed to know the increase was coming. Overton said they PEG Board has been talking about it for two years and they haven't had anyone say no.
Rushing's son, Brian, a technical volunteer at the station, told the board that the station as a modulator from 1995 that's on its last legs. “When it goes out there's no more Channel 8.”
He added, “To say we're operating on a shoestring budget would be an overstatement.”
Lakeport resident Jill Ruzicka, who has a background in broadcasting, said the station needs to sell its plan broadly across the county. “You gotta reach out to everybody.”
She added that when she worked in television, she wanted it to be about art. “It's not about art, it's about business.”
Farrington asked how the station was going to handle outreach to local visitor-related businesses, nonprofits, schools and community groups, adding there needed to be accountability.
Overton said they plan to hire a station manager, an item she said was listed in the station's short-term goals.
“I think it's a very good start for a plan,” said Denise Rushing, suggesting the group set some reasonable goals to work through on a monthly and weekly basis.
In response to Farrington's request for accountability, Overton said the station could submit quarterly reports.
Smith moved to direct staff prepare the ordinance that would implement the fee, resulting in the 4-1 vote.
Station waits to receive money; county waits to receive documents
Last fall, the Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $5,000 to the station, which County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox told Lake County News was conditioned upon the county receiving documentation that the city of Clearlake has contributed an equivalent amount.
“The city hasn’t yet submitted that documentation so we haven’t released the county’s funding,” said Cox, noting that he was sent a copy of expenditure data from last fiscal year, but he needs information for the current fiscal year. When he asked in December for that information, he received no response.
Overton said the channel hasn't received the funds from the county “because everything I send over to them isn't god enough.”
She said she's tried to show the the city of Clearlake has put in the $5,000 through in-kind contributions, but Cox said that doesn't match the provisions of the original agreement.
“I’ve been in communications with the city about this and I understand they plan to submit something to us very soon,” Cox said, noting he had last made a request for the information on March 8.
Cox said earlier this week he communicated with the new interim city administrator, Steve Albright, who had been unaware of the previous requests for this information.
“He has assured me he will see to it that the county receives the necessary documentation right away,” said Cox. “ I’m confident he will take care of it now that he has been made aware of the situation.
Overton said the station needs funds to buy new equipment, including cameras.
With the added funds that could come from the pass-through, Overton said the difference in community participation “will be tremendous.”
She said it also will allow the station to restore a paid, part-time manager position that was eliminated a few years ago due to budget cuts. That position is budgeted at $25,000, with another $10,000 for office staff.
She said no one is lined up for that job, which – because it is essentially a city job – will need to go out to recruitment.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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