This is a statement expressing our concern about the planned shutdown and rearrangement of public access television services in the City and County of San Francisco.

While we understand that statewide franchising has greatly reduced the available resources for operating public, educational and governmental (PEG) channels and that sustainability moving forward must be considered;

We are not convinced the current plans being developed by the new operator (The Bay Area Video Coalition) are an appropriate use of public resources and monies.

I – A $375,000 one-time financial contribution from Comcast was negotiated by Supervisor Mirkarimi to support PEG operations in 2010. What is the planned dispensation of these funds?

II– The projected use of public funds to demolish the existing studio are a waste of scarce public resources, which should be 100% dedicated to supporting existing public media infrastructure.

III- The current landlord at 1720 Market Street has expressed willingness to cut the facility rent by at least 45% (to under $10,000 month) for a multi-year occupancy. With funds clearly available to sustain the facility through 2010 and a community of dedicated volunteers, why the precipitous action to dismantle it less than 5 years after it was built out?

IV – The projected satellite facilities at community groups shift training and service burdens from a centralized licensed operator to already-stressed organizations who may well lack the staff time and technical expertise to serve the clients who will use them.

V – The projected relocation of primary studio facilities to 2727 Mariposa Street from 1720 Market Street provides inferior transportation access and inferior disability access, as anyone who has negotiated the 16 Fillmore line via wheelchair can attest

VI – From our public statement at the time of the contract award by the San Francisco Department of Technology:

* Training for potential producers from the local community must be held no less than monthly, open to all, and walk-in studio access must be provided on a consistent schedule

We are entirely unclear as to whether this standard of service will be met at the BAVC office. We do not believe it is negotiable for competent execution of a public access contract.

We want to state as we did in our earlier statement, the core values that are informing this statement:

* Public access content is supposed to originate in and meet the needs of local publics as determined by citizen-producers. The role of the public access operator is to provide training and technology resources to enable local content..

* Cable franchise owners derive massive benefit from using a public utility. Switching the public access funding model largely to user fees and philanthropy shifts the funding base from one of guaranteed corporate responsibility onto access users and public philanthropy.

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On the matter of the Indybay posting on the Media News program (a 20-minute interview show that broadcasts twice a month – which began in July of 2009).

Media Alliance did not authorize, vet or have any foreknowledge of the post that appeared on December 14, 2009.

What we state for the record is that after issuing a press release announcing that some producers were to picket, MA participated in a conference call with BAVC at their request.

We were asked what role the fact that we had a program on the channel played in our action in issuing the release.

We stated MA has been advocating for San Francisco public access television for many years, including a leadership role in the 2003-2004 cable franchise renewal negotiations and that the program played no role.

The conversation was somewhat unpleasant, but MA does not believe the show was or is in any jeopardy.