Wednesday, June 09, 2004
COMPETITION
About four years ago, the City of Grand Rapids intered into negotiations with a competitive cable company from the state of Mo. They approaced us to build a competeing Cable Television System in the metropolitian Grand Rapids area. We finished those negotiaions and waited like a teenager waiting for her first date to call. They never called.
The company had built a single cable system in another state and then the economy tanked.
Now we are considering a release of their contract. They tell us that it is hindering their ability to secure financing because the agreement represents a libility. So we are compling with their wishes. Another one spit the hook.
About four years ago, the City of Grand Rapids intered into negotiations with a competitive cable company from the state of Mo. They approaced us to build a competeing Cable Television System in the metropolitian Grand Rapids area. We finished those negotiaions and waited like a teenager waiting for her first date to call. They never called.
The company had built a single cable system in another state and then the economy tanked.
Now we are considering a release of their contract. They tell us that it is hindering their ability to secure financing because the agreement represents a libility. So we are compling with their wishes. Another one spit the hook.
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Copyright licenses
Just like bars, retail shops, sporting events and concerts, the local government has to pay for the use of publihsed music, When I tried to explain this to people here at the City of Grand Rapids thier first response was
"We don't use any copyright music".
"What about music on hold?" I said.
Then they realized that use of published music is in many ways in widespread use in many things we do. From the music played during the open skating at the Community Ice Rink to the Ethinic festival on Calder square.
About a year ago we were approaced by ASCAP to purchase a license to cover most things we do with this publihsed music. This license had many exclusions, such as events which gross over $25,000 and televison production syncroization, but it did include the playing of recorded music at free evenets and such things as "Music on Hold"
This License cost the City about $1,300. per year, wich we promptly paid.
This week SESAC, the second largest behind ASCAP, sent us a letter offereing a license for $1,300. It is probably a matter of time before BMI does the same.
Rather than recommending we go with these two additional licenses. I am recommending that we just purchase the one ASCAP license and pursue a policy of not using any SESAC and BMI published music. I don't know if this will work. How do you tell a band to only play ASCAP Music. Hopefully, they will not send inspectors into the field to spy on us.
How does this relate to Cable Televison? Well, for our cable channel we have pursued a policy of not useing any copyright music. We use sofware packages such as Sonic Foundry's ACID to produce our own Music or we use BUY OUT Library Music for which the copyrigths we have purchased. While this practice increases our produciton time per program, it does give us a unique sound and Identy.
Just like bars, retail shops, sporting events and concerts, the local government has to pay for the use of publihsed music, When I tried to explain this to people here at the City of Grand Rapids thier first response was
"We don't use any copyright music".
"What about music on hold?" I said.
Then they realized that use of published music is in many ways in widespread use in many things we do. From the music played during the open skating at the Community Ice Rink to the Ethinic festival on Calder square.
About a year ago we were approaced by ASCAP to purchase a license to cover most things we do with this publihsed music. This license had many exclusions, such as events which gross over $25,000 and televison production syncroization, but it did include the playing of recorded music at free evenets and such things as "Music on Hold"
This License cost the City about $1,300. per year, wich we promptly paid.
This week SESAC, the second largest behind ASCAP, sent us a letter offereing a license for $1,300. It is probably a matter of time before BMI does the same.
Rather than recommending we go with these two additional licenses. I am recommending that we just purchase the one ASCAP license and pursue a policy of not using any SESAC and BMI published music. I don't know if this will work. How do you tell a band to only play ASCAP Music. Hopefully, they will not send inspectors into the field to spy on us.
How does this relate to Cable Televison? Well, for our cable channel we have pursued a policy of not useing any copyright music. We use sofware packages such as Sonic Foundry's ACID to produce our own Music or we use BUY OUT Library Music for which the copyrigths we have purchased. While this practice increases our produciton time per program, it does give us a unique sound and Identy.
Monday, June 16, 2003
PEG Access
Stands for Public, Eucational, Government Access. A term we use to refer to all varieties of Access television.
In Grand Rapids we have 6 channels. One (1) Governemntal - run by the city of Grand Rapids.
Two (2) Educational - one is designed to accomodate the K-12 schools and is run by an association of k-12 schools called KETA (K-12 Educational Television Association). The other is designed to accomodate College level shools and is run by an a HETA (Higher Educational Television Association).
And Two (2) Public Access Channels both run by the Community Media Center.
Stands for Public, Eucational, Government Access. A term we use to refer to all varieties of Access television.
In Grand Rapids we have 6 channels. One (1) Governemntal - run by the city of Grand Rapids.
Two (2) Educational - one is designed to accomodate the K-12 schools and is run by an association of k-12 schools called KETA (K-12 Educational Television Association). The other is designed to accomodate College level shools and is run by an a HETA (Higher Educational Television Association).
And Two (2) Public Access Channels both run by the Community Media Center.
Monday, June 02, 2003
Government Access Television
It began in 1975 when the City of Grand Rapids signed an agreement with General Electric Cable Vision. In return for use of its rights of way, the City was given a number of Public, Educational and Governemental Access channes.
While the Public and Educatriona channels we all online by the 1980s, the governmental channel did not really get started unitl 1987 when the City hired its first Cable Television Administrator. It made its frst cable cast in 1988 with a very limited programming schedule.
Prior to this, the cabel company asked for permisison to program the channel with CSPAN until such time as the City wished to program it with local information.
In 1988 the City began programming its channel with live and taped programs of the Grand Rapids City Commission Comittee of the Whole. This new channel was named the Grand Rapids Information Network or GRIN. A name which continues to this day.
It began in 1975 when the City of Grand Rapids signed an agreement with General Electric Cable Vision. In return for use of its rights of way, the City was given a number of Public, Educational and Governemental Access channes.
While the Public and Educatriona channels we all online by the 1980s, the governmental channel did not really get started unitl 1987 when the City hired its first Cable Television Administrator. It made its frst cable cast in 1988 with a very limited programming schedule.
Prior to this, the cabel company asked for permisison to program the channel with CSPAN until such time as the City wished to program it with local information.
In 1988 the City began programming its channel with live and taped programs of the Grand Rapids City Commission Comittee of the Whole. This new channel was named the Grand Rapids Information Network or GRIN. A name which continues to this day.
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
History of Cable Television in Grand Rapids.
General Electric Cable Vision (GE Cable) 1975 - 1985
United Artist Cablesystem Corporation Midwest (UACC Midwest) 1985 - 1992
TCI Cable 1992 -2000
AT&T Broadband 2000 - 2003
Comcast Cable 2003 - present
Note; although the cable company has changed hands many time since 1985, the local corporation is still registered as UACC Midwest.
TCI, AT&T and Comcast are all d.b.a names of UACC Midwest Inc. (d.b.a. = doing business as).
We have had two cable operators propose to overbuild the Grand Rapids system. The first was 21st. Century Cable, based out of Chicago, and the second was Everest Cable, based out of O'Fallon Missouri. Only the later recieved a franchise agreement. Everest became let the agreement lapse wen the economy tanked
General Electric Cable Vision (GE Cable) 1975 - 1985
United Artist Cablesystem Corporation Midwest (UACC Midwest) 1985 - 1992
TCI Cable 1992 -2000
AT&T Broadband 2000 - 2003
Comcast Cable 2003 - present
Note; although the cable company has changed hands many time since 1985, the local corporation is still registered as UACC Midwest.
TCI, AT&T and Comcast are all d.b.a names of UACC Midwest Inc. (d.b.a. = doing business as).
We have had two cable operators propose to overbuild the Grand Rapids system. The first was 21st. Century Cable, based out of Chicago, and the second was Everest Cable, based out of O'Fallon Missouri. Only the later recieved a franchise agreement. Everest became let the agreement lapse wen the economy tanked
Friday, May 23, 2003
My name is Jon Koeze. This is my blog. I am the Cable Television Administrator for the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a position that I have held for over 16 years. I have extensive experience in the legal/administrative issues of cable television regulation at the local level. As the Cable Administrator, I am the general manager of the City's Governmental Access Television Channel. I function as a Television Producer/Director, with extesive experience in all postions of Television/Film production, a video systems engineer and also pretty handy with computers.
I have included three links to other cable television resources on the web. The first is to the Federal Communicaitons Commission Medai Bueru Fact sheet, an excellent explaination of federal cable regulation. The second is to the National Association of Telecommunicationa Officers and Advisors (NATOA), a trade group of other Cable Television Adminstrators. The third is the Alliance for Community Media which is a special interest group of for Public, Educational and Governemental Access television operators and users.
Please note that the advertisements on this page are not endorsements on my, or my employers, behalf.
I have included three links to other cable television resources on the web. The first is to the Federal Communicaitons Commission Medai Bueru Fact sheet, an excellent explaination of federal cable regulation. The second is to the National Association of Telecommunicationa Officers and Advisors (NATOA), a trade group of other Cable Television Adminstrators. The third is the Alliance for Community Media which is a special interest group of for Public, Educational and Governemental Access television operators and users.
Please note that the advertisements on this page are not endorsements on my, or my employers, behalf.
