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Last
updated: 04/08/2009
Question: What is the mission of Madison City Channel?
Answer: Madison City Channel's Mission is to make local government
more accessible to Madison residents. In that sense, one might
consider us Madison's version of CSpan. Since our creation in
1974, we've tried to fulfill our Mission by providing coverage of
the major local government meetings (such as Common Council) as well
as public affairs shows that go in-depth on local issues or provide
important government information, and coverage of other special
meetings and other events that broaden the Madison public's
understanding of the role of City government in their lives.
Question: How is it decided what programming is carried on
Madison City Channel?
Answer: Most of City Channel's regular meeting coverage, public
affairs shows, and Community Bulletin Board content are specified in
our Mission Statement and have long comprised the great majority of
our daily programming. City Channel staff determines the suitability
of other programming for our channel, based again on whether or not
it fits into that Mission Statement. Ultimately, the Station Manager
makes all final decisions on the programming carried on our channel.
In exceptional circumstances, the input of the Mayor's Office or
Common Council may be sought.
Question: How is it decided what meetings and events are covered
by Madison City Channel?
Answer: As mentioned above, most of our programming consists of
long-standing meetings and other programs. City Channel also has the
resources to cover "special" government meetings or public
hearings, press conferences, and other presentations that relate to
government or public affairs through our "Ad-Hoc" production
fund. We are generally able to cover between 5 to 7 such
"special" events each month.
Question: How can I suggest an event or program that Madison City
Channel should cover?
Answer: Simply contact Brad Clark, City Channel Station Manager, who
makes the decisions on coverage of those types of events. Generally,
the event you have in mind should be at least peripherally related
to local government or public affairs, and should be of interest to
the residents of the City of Madison as a whole.
Question: I have a video that I've produced. How can I get this
played on Madison City Channel?
Answer: Madison City Channel normally does not accept unsolicited
programs from outside sources. We produce virtually all of the
programming that appears on our channel. We have three criteria that
must be met for consideration of outside programming:
1. The program must meet appropriate technical standards as
determined by Madison City Channel staff;
2. It must fit within our Mission Statement; and
3. It must be "sponsored" by a City official or staff person
(which can include Madison City Channel staff).
Generally, we end up referring the producers of such videos to WYOU,
the Public Access channel in Madison. Their policy is to accept most
any programming submitted to them by Madison residents.
Question: What other services does Madison City Channel provide?
Answer: In addition to serving as the City of Madison's City
government TV station, Madison City Channel provides a number of other services
designed to make government information available to the public or
help other City agencies meet their communication needs. These
include:
1. Serving as the City's video production facility. We produce
public service announcements and training, outreach, and
informational videos for City agencies and other
government/nonprofit organizations;
2. Streaming our live and archived meeting coverage and other
programming on this website (see Our
Programming);
3. Making dubs of our programming available (see Services:
Duplications);
4. Designing and constructing websites for other City agencies; and
5. Providing various production services for Monona Terrace and
other City agencies.
In these roles Madison City Channel also serves as the City's multimedia center.
Question: What is PEG Access Television? What is Government
Access?
Answer: PEG Access television stands for Public, Educational, and
Government Access Television, and is a function of cable
operators' relationships with the communities they serve. In
addition to paying cities a franchise fee for their access to public
rights-of-way (in order to install their cable throughout a city),
cable companies such as Charter may be required by cities to make
channel space available (on their most basic tier of service) for
PEG channels, and a negotiated amount of financial support for PEG
television activities. This is what the "Access Fee" item on
your Charter Cable Bill refers to. In Madison, there are three PEG entities: Public Access, which is
WYOU on Charter Cable Analog 95 and Digital 991. WYOU is an independent non-profit
organization that exists to make the medium of television open to
Madison residents;
Educational Access,
which is operated and funded by the Madison Metropolitan School
District on Charter Analog 96 and Digital 993; And Madison City Channel, the Government Access channel on
Charter Analog 98, Charter Digital 994 and AT&T U-Verse. Madison
City Channel exists to make local government accessible to
Madison residents through the medium of television; as mentioned
above, in many ways we're Madison's version of CSpan.
Question: Which Dane
County Communities have access to Madison City Channel.
Madison City Channel is
available throughout Dane County on Charter's digital channel 994.
We are also available throughout Dane County on AT&T's U-Verse.
Question: Why is Government Access important?
Answer: In a politically aware community such as Madison, it's
vital for citizens to have a way to stay engaged with the activities
of their local government. Through the programming we offer such as
our coverage of the most important meetings of local government,
public affairs shows, our Community Bulletin Board, and our coverage
of other special government meetings or events, Madison City Channel
makes it much
simpler for Madisonians to follow issues that matter in their lives.
You don't have to fight traffic and hunt for a parking spot to
attend a Common Council meeting. You also don't have to rely on a
one-minute story on the 10 o'clock news nor a quick summary in the
daily newspaper - thanks to Madison City Channel you can follow
discussion and votes on important issues in their entirety - from
gavel to gavel!
Question: Who oversees Madison City Channel's operations?
Answer: Madison City Channel is an agency of the City of Madison. We
are also a division within the City structure of the Department of
Information Services (the City's computer experts). We therefore
report to the head of Information Services as well as the Mayor and
the Common Council (who approve our annual budgets).
Question: How is Madison City Channel funded?
Answer: Madison City Channel's funding is almost evenly split between funding
through the City's operating budget (property tax payments) and
money collected by the City on Madison City Channel's behalf from Charter, the
local cable operator (the monthly PEG fee mentioned above). City
Channel also generates revenues through billings to City agencies or
other nonprofit organizations for the video projects and other
production services we do on their behalf, website design services,
or dubs of City Channel programming.
Question: Why does Madison City Channel get more funding than
Public Access?
Answer: Madison City Channel exists to make local government accessible to Madison
residents. Therefore, in order to effectively meet this mission, we
need to adhere to the highest levels of technical proficiency
possible. After all, if you want to watch a Common Council meeting
but the picture looks lousy or the audio is unintelligible, we would
not be getting the job done. This is why City Channel needs to use
(and purchase) equipment that is as close to "state of the art"
as is realistic, and also why our staff are paid professionals. And,
all this of course costs money.
Public Access, on the
other hand, exists to make the medium of television itself
accessible to Madison residents. The theory is that any resident who
wants to produce a TV show for whatever reason be able to access
their channel (WYOU cable channel 4) and their facilities. The
quality of the program that is produced is therefore not as
important as it is for Madison City Channel; it's the access itself that
matters. Besides, high-end television equipment can be very
difficult to learn and operate (not to mention that it can be very
delicate!), which can actually be a roadblock to access for the
average citizen. Public Access is therefore in many ways intended to
be a lower-end, volunteer entity.
The City and the Common
Council recognize these differences in the Missions of Madison City
Channel and Public Access, which is why they've consistently
funded Madison City Channel at a substantially higher level than Public Access.
Question: What employment opportunities are available at Madison
City Channel?
Answer: Madison City Channel is an agency of the City of Madison. As
such, our staff consists of a mix of a few permanent City employees
(whether full- or part-time), Limited-Term Employees, and hourly,
intern, work-study, and volunteer staff. Because the majority of our
staff are students from the University of Wisconsin, turnover
happens virtually every semester. Employment opportunities are
generally available each semester for Production Assistants (the
staff who serve as crew members, and run camera, audio, etc., on our
productions). Most people start at Madison City Channel this way; so, the most
likely opportunities are for students who have a financial aid
work-study package through their University. People who are
interested in finding out more particulars are invited to contact
Madison City Channel.
Question: How much does it cost to cover our event?
Answer: Typically a production will consist of pre-production or
set-up time, the actual event, and tear down or strike time. City
Channel will charge for this entire process based on our published
rate card rates See: Services: Productions.
To discuss the details and requirements of your production/event or
to get a cost estimate, please contact Brad
Clark, Station Manager, at 266.4839.
Question: What would I have to do to be a volunteer in
production?
Answer: Periodically the Madison City Channel has volunteer
opportunities to work as a Production Assistant.If you are interested in volunteering as a production assistant for
the Madison City Channel, please contact Doug
May, Production Supervisor, at 267.8784.
Question: Do you have equipment that I can rent?
Answer: No, we do not rent out equipment only. We offer our
production services on an hourly basis that would include a complete
production crew based on your needs. Please refer to our rate card
for hourly rates and contact Doug
May, Production Supervisor, at 267.8784 to discuss details of
your project.
*Some equipment is available to City of Madison agencies at no
charge. Contact us for details.
Question: Is your studio open to the public to use?
Answer: No, the Madison City Channel studio is not a public use
facility. We offer our production services and facilities on an
hourly basis that would include a complete production crew based on
your needs. Please refer to our rate card
for hourly rates and contact Doug
May, Production Supervisor, at 267.8784 to discuss details of
your project.
Question: Who do I contact about making a Public Service
Announcement or educational video?
Answer: If you are interested in learning more about what it takes
to produce your video project, please contact Brad
Clark, Station Manager, at 266.4839, to discuss video project ideas.
Question: How can I get a video
copy of a meeting or program?
Answer: For information or to request a duplication, contact Jennifer
Hilgendorf, Madison City Channel Programming Coordinator, or
call 608-267-8631
Question: Is there a charge
for video duplication?
Answer: Yes, the cost for duplication is $17.80.
Question: How long will it
take to get my copy of the meeting/show?
Answer: There is a standard one-week turn around time.
Question: How can I receive
a Madison City Channel Program Schedule in the mail?
Answer: Email us you name and address at: Program Schedule
Question: I can't get a
streamed meeting to play on my computer, what's wrong?
Answer: Make sure that you have the most recent free version of RealPlayer
on your machine. If you do, and that's not working, please contact Jennifer
Hilgendorf, Madison City Channel Programming Coordinator, or
call 608-267-8631.
Question: The program I
would like to watch is not scheduled at this time, can I do a
viewer's request?
Answer: Yes, please contact Jennifer
Hilgendorf, Madison City Channel Programming Coordinator, or
call 608-267-8631.
Question: How do I get a
program on Madison City Channel?
Answer: Please read our Programming Policies,
and if you still feel that you meet our guidelines, please contact Brad
Clark, Station Manager, 608.266.4839
Question: I have a
topic/idea for a show, who do I contact?
Answer: Please contact Brad
Clark, Station Manager, 608.266.4839
Question: What can be on the
Community Bulletin Board? Who do I contact?
Answer: Please see CBB guidelines, and you
make your request by filling out our
Community
Bulletin Board Submission Form
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