In his proposed 2011-2012 budget Mayor McGinn charts a course away from an automatic reliance on SCAN to provide management and content for Seattle public access television.  In press comments earlier this week the Mayor said that in the 21^st century people’s reliance upon television has lessened. We have multiple options for gaining our information about public affairs and for presenting our own contributions to public debate.  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – all of these provide people with their own ways of contributing and viewing. The Mayor is saying we now have lots of soap boxes, so why maintain the same level of funding for public access television when our reliance on it has lessened.

The Mayor’s proposal cuts the amount of funding available for public access television from $650,000 down to $100,000 and commits the city to choosing a new channel operator via a competitive bid process. I don’t have qualms about the latter – I think there should be a request for proposals and the best provider chosen. Given the agency’s experience and investment in equipment, SCAN may emerge the best provider. As for the money cut, while I’m not sure I have a choice with the City facing such a huge budget hole, I don’t really see a plan from the Mayor’s side of the shop for how the City will ensure meaningful public access happens.  I don’t think it’s enough to say people will use Facebook and YouTube instead of a guaranteed, protected channel dedicated 24 hours a day to whatever you or your neighbor want to produce. Well, almost anything you want to produce. I may think some of the programming is weird, but I think the point of public access is that no one needs to get my sign-off.

I’m not a big public access viewer, so I posed the question to my 700+ friends on Facebook to see who among that self-selected group of friends, politicos and urbanistas watches.  You can see the results yourself here. Again, we’ve used just initials to protect against any unwarranted claims of privacy.

What about you? Do you watch? Why?

GA: scan? what the h*ll is that?
13 hours ago

BM: that’s a negative, ghostrider.
13 hours ago

BW: I am embarrased to say that I never heard of it until a week ago.
13 hours ago

PK: Scan? Cat scan?
13 hours ago

RT: i had to google it.
13 hours ago

KR: I confess, only out of perverse curiousity. Extremely fringey. But … shouldn’t the fringe have a place?
13 hours ago

JP: Sorry. No Scan. What’s this survey for? Just curious, Sally.
12 hours ago

TP: Not since we got that YouTube thingy…
12 hours ago

PBC: No.
12 hours ago

Sally Clark: JP – mayor’s budget proposes going a different direction for public access. A big cut to SCAN.
12 hours ago

GV: I signed a petition just this afternoon to ‘Save Scan’ – tho I do not have a television.

From what I understand it is an important access point for those who DO have tv’s, and may not be as internet savvy as us responders to your query, Sally.

I would just guess that you might get a VERY different response if this question were put out there on SCAN, to those viewers, no?
12 hours ago

JP: ‎@ GV: Excellent point!
12 hours ago

PBC: I’ll sign it. I do not have nor want cable or dish so I can not see it. It is important so I watch public access on line when I want to .
12 hours ago

ST: Off topic but why support the Pres after the announcement that there will be an appeal of the DADT injunction?
12 hours ago

GV: btw, the Petition said it was a $ 165,000 line item, if I recall correctly . . .
12 hours ago

LG: twice in my life, and only to watch people i know who were on so as to make fun of them.
11 hours ago

EK: Not since I had kids. Confession time: I don’t watch tv anymore. I would, but there’s just no time for it now.
11 hours ago

GC: SCAN hosted a people of color forum on ballot initiatives. It provides an opportunity for community members to produce their own media.
11 hours ago

KM: Thanks for asking about this Sally. This is an important issue, especially to Seattle’s immigrant community. Here’s a story I wrote for the P-I about an Ethiopian show on SCAN.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/235214_cable04.html

Later in the afternoon, Solomon was spreading the news at the line of Ethiopian businesses along 12th Avenue, by East Jefferson Street. A fan, Stewan Daniel, said, “Sundays are family time. To go to church and be with your family and listen to your language for an hour is good.”

Because of the important resource SCAN provides, it seems like we should be spending more, not less. Many people arent watching cable. But what SCAN really needs to do is the same thing mainstream stations are doing in response to changing viewing habits — putting their shows on an improved site that can be shared through means like Facebook.
10 hours ago

TH: sadly, not that big of a loss.
10 hours ago

SS: Never have. Feels kind of kookie?
8 hours ago

RM: No, The World Series is about to start… And then there’s, Corber’t, Stewart, Gail Conlins, David Brooks, the City Council, County Council, State Legislature, a sunraise, etc, etc… “It’s always something” Roseanne Rosannadanna…
6 hours ago

SP: SCAN is public access TV. Never seen it myself, but I hear it has a loyal following. I’m surprised it doesn’t get utilized more often.
4 hours ago

DP: I do every once in awhile
3 hours ago

KK: I used to watch more, been meaning to again. Democracy Now and Talking Stick. Maybe Seattle TV could pick up that slak? Thing is, in the deal where we gave away our TV to the cable companies, and then the city issues a cable franchise, we should have made sure the cable companies paid for the public access station.
3 hours ago

JR: Never.
2 hours ago

YC: I do watch once a while, and it helps many diverse communities to get info and news in their own language. However, I don’t think it is a priority specailly when we have more pressing issues. Nowadays, we have Youtube, Facebook, and other ways to reach out and communicate with a wide audience. I don’t think it is a big loss. Sally, keep eye on Human services — programs that help directly the low income population.

about an hour ago

JTW: Yes, I’ve watched it on and off. I like seeing local politics, School Board or Sound Transit meetings debating on occasion. I think it is important for some ethnic communities and for transparency. I’ve heard it may be cut and think it would be a loss to the community.

about an hour ago

JTW: Thanks for asking on FB!

about an hour ago

DHM: I don’t seek it out, but I have stopped on it and watched something interesting from time to time. I will say, I won’t watch online. I do NOT like to watch tv or broadcasts online. Too many stalls and stops, I turn things off – even things I have seeked out to watch.

54 minutes ago

LT: SCAN is a valuable asset to our community! Some of my friends’ opinions that SCAN is not a priority … I beg to differ when SCAN is the ONLY trusted and AFFORDABLE source of community empowerment mechanism to promote the VOICES of common …citizens out there without commercial and political pressures. I and many of my friends watch SCAN programming all the times. In fact, the Vietnamese American youth are organizing and developing a media empowerment project through SCAN’s supports. Sally, please champion the restoration and continued funding for SCAN. Congressman Jay Inslee and other “visionary” public officials are behind this program. Thank you for your support.See More

14 minutes ago

JS: Easy question – I don’t own a TV – Too much Propaganda – No surprise ; consider their owners.

12 minutes ago