Spokane commits funding for Channel 14
Efforts by a local nonprofit group and the City of Spokane to help keep a community-access cable channel on the air took a step forward Monday as the City Council approved $50,000 to operate Channel 14.
“On a first-time basis, I think it’s a good investment,” said Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin.
Changes in federal law mean cities can no longer compel cable companies to provide facilities for local TV production. While local government and educational channels are produced elsewhere, Channel 14 is housed by Comcast and faces the possibility of going dark if it can’t find a new production facility and money to run it by the end of the year.
Next week, the council will consider giving Community Minded Enterprises the right to run the station on the city’s behalf.
“If we have the city on board we are going to go forward,” said Dan Baumgarten, the nonprofit’s executive director.
Everything is preliminary at this point, he stressed, but his group has put together a proposal to move Channel 14. The station includes programming such as NASA broadcasts that are produced elsewhere. Eventually the group hopes to change the station’s format to focus on locally produced shows that explore solutions to community problems.
Money for capital purchases at public cable channels was secured in the city’s contract negotiations with Comcast last year, including $200,000 that would be used for Channel 14.
The source of cash required to actually operate the channel once it’s set up, though, has been vague.
Spokane proposed using an additional $50,000 from Comcast to help run the station, but the company’s lawyers say federal law restricts those funds to capital expenses.
The money approved Monday comes from the city’s general fund. McLaughlin said that the expense was likely more palatable to city leaders in light of franchise fees collected from Comcast $80,000 higher than expected.
Community Minded Enterprises estimates that moving the station to a new building, buying new digital equipment and hiring people to help produce the programming would cost about $435,000.
“We see Community Minded TV as a very compelling magnet for grant funding,” Baumgarten said, adding that his organization’s other programs have brought more than $22 million in grants to the Spokane region.
Training on digital production equipment, for example, could attract money from nonprofit foundations aimed at helping low-income youth. Programs on preventive health care could draw the interest of health-oriented organizations, he said.
Video production work for local governments also could generate additional revenue.
Two weeks ago, Baumgarten approached the Spokane Valley City Council with the concept, asking for the city’s financial support as it finishes its negotiations with Comcast next year.
City administrators are negotiating for the option to collect money for capital expenses at public channels in the future, although Spokane Valley’s City Council has yet to decide whether it will offer financial support for Channel 14.
“From the standpoint of putting money into it, I don’t know,” said Mayor Diana Wilhite.
The nonprofit also plans to present its ideas for community television to the county commissioners.
“We have a huge transition to manage come January,” Baumgarten said.
It’s too soon to predict whether there will be an interruption in programming on Channel 14 after Jan. 1, but Baumgarten said the organization’s first priority would be to continue the production of existing local TV shows with as little disruption as possible.