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[JHeath]

This was all over WIMS this morning. Lots of folks kept calling, emailing, and text messaging their opinions on this specific topic. So many, in fact, that they were barely able to cover the rest of the news. A few people wondered how publicly the notice and agenda were posted, others were just plain appalled that this would happen without public input. I wonder if someone out there will check the ordinance to make sure this was all done correctly.

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=40463.92

9/3/2008 11:00:00 AM
City wants to combine public TV channels
Opponents contend mayor, BOW trampling First Amendment.

Rick Richards
City Editor, The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - An agreement to combine the operations of public access Channel 99 and government Channel 97 on local cable television was passed unanimously by the Board of Public Works and Safety on Monday.

That vote happened even though four local producers objected to the idea.

Mayor Chuck Oberlie, who sits as a member of the Board of Works, said the reason behind the agreement was to create an orderly schedule of live broadcasts of government meetings.

The proposal came from a recommendation from Bart Lombard, whose company, Access La Porte County, operates the government channel. He said the channel was at capacity for broadcasting live government meetings and suggested combining the two channels as a way to bring a more orderly schedule to those broadcasts.

"In no way was this suggestion made to keep anyone off the air," Lombard said.

Al Austin, producer of the program "News and Views," disagreed, saying the change appeared to be an effort to silence critics of the Democratic Party and of Oberlie.

Austin, who said it would be a disservice to the community if his program was eliminated, asked the Board of Works to take the matter under advisement and discuss it with the City Council before voting.

Dennis Metheny, the Democratic trustee for Coolspring Township and producer of the program, "Time to Blow the Whistle," disagreed with the proposal, saying it was nothing more than an infringement on his right of free speech.

"I don't know what this is about," Metheny said. "It appears to be more about control than public access."

Metheny, whose program has been on the air for "12 years and eight months," questioned whether the Board of Works was "upholding the Constitution and freedom of speech."

Also speaking against the proposal were producer William Landing and producer Glen Wilson.

Oberlie said the change is needed because the public access channel now exists "without management." The goal, he said, is to give a priority to airing all government meetings live. He also pointed out that Channel 97 is operated by La Porte County and Channel 99 is operated by Michigan City.

"The big complaint we have is the lack of a schedule to know when meetings are being broadcast," Oberlie said. "There is nothing in this agreement that precludes any of this local programming from taking place."

Austin, however, disagreed, saying that if Michigan City was involved in managing the channels, it could be involved with dictating what kind of programming it would allow.