01/08/2007

Funding for public station at risk

By Brian Mcgillivary

bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Joan Julin, a staff producer at tctv2, edits a program that will air on the community TV station.

TRAVERSE CITY — Cable subscribers have paid for equipment to televise local government meetings for the past 18 months, but other than Traverse City, only one township put that money to use.

Cable subscribers each pay 30 cents a month for equipment that can be installed in township halls to televise meetings, a fee that generates about $80,000 a year. Additionally, tctv2, the local public access channel, offered to make personnel available to tape township meetings.

So far, only officials in the Leelanau County community of Elmwood Township expressed interest.

"There's greater trust when everyone can see what's going on,” said Elmwood Township Supervisor Derith Smith.

"The townships have been leery,” said tctv2 Coordinator Michael Kroes. "Probably they will continue to be leery until the people in the townships say, 'Why aren't we televising our meetings?'”

But numerous local townships are debating whether they'll continue to fund tctv2. It's possible that several could drop funding, a move that could knock the station off local airwaves.

The communities pay 30 percent of franchise fees to tctv2, but some would rather route the entire franchise fee proceeds to their respective general funds.

Officials in the townships of Green Lake, Garfield, Long Lake, Elmwood, Acme, Blair, Paradise, the village of Kingsley and Traverse City have been asked to state by Feb. 21 whether they'll continue to fund tctv2 with a portion of their cable franchise fees.

Acme Township Supervisor Bill Kurtz said televising meetings is "a great idea,” but his board has never considered the notion. Some Acme board members have discussed opting out of the program, joining Peninsula, East Bay and Bingham townships.

Kroes said townships likely consider televised meetings a low priority, and with less state money flowing to local government, tctv2 shapes up as an easy target for the budget ax.

If too many townships opt out, tctv2 would fold, Kroes said.

East Bay Township supported tctv2 for years, but Supervisor Glen Lile said overspending by the previous board put the township in a financial hole. It couldn't afford to pony up 30 percent of the roughly $110,000 it collects in cable franchise fees for tctv2. Instead, that money is needed in the general fund.

"We have to get the basics under control before we worry about extras,” he said.