Our Communities Have Public Access TV!

Numerous California communities have one or more cable TV channels which are set aside for nonprofit use by ordinary citizens and groups with stories to tell. The concept is called Community Access Television, and many cities all over the world have it. The idea behind Community Access is to give a soapbox to everyone who wants it, not just to big-budget broadcasters.

On a Public Access channel, everyone - individuals and groups alike - gets access on a first-come, first served basis. Besides showing programs submitted by local people, MHAT offers free loan of equipment and training in its use. They also show quality programs from other Public Access groups and other noncommercial programs of interest. Local programs might include:

• A documentary on high pressure gas pipelines underneath a housing tract (yours?) in Morgan Hill
• A program like Fugitive Watch - that showed pictures of people WANTED right here in Morgan Hill
• An upbeat news and variety show produced by your Morgan Hill neighbors
• Interviews with Morgan Hill elected officials
• Performances by emerging Morgan Hill and San Martin musicians
• Morgan Hill's Independence Day Parade
• Services of Morgan Hill churches
• A program you produced and directed on a subject that you care about.

An excellent description of what Public Access is all about may be found here. It was written by the Buske Group, cable consultants.

For more information on Public Access TV , please see:

• Alliance for Community Media, the umbrella organization for Public Access groups all over the USA
• Global Village CAT, a worldwide directory of Public Access channels
• US Code / Title 47, Section 531, Cable channels for public, educational, or governmental use
• Television Production- A Comprehensive On-line Cybertext in Studio and Field Production by Ron Whittaker, Ph.D.
• Public Access TV Producers Web Ring
• Read the Public Documents related to the renewal of Morgan Hill's Cable TV Franchise

For information on Public Access programming and video prduction, please see our Resources page.

As a result of the franchise agreement with the local cable company, the City of Morgan Hill inow has a Community Access Television channel (cable channel 19). It is operated by a volunteer group called the Media Access Coalition of Central California, Inc. and is available to YOU. If you are interested, please see our contact page.