Wheelhouse

Two years ago, on February 10, 2005, my good friend and colleague Dirk Koning died. He was a world leader in community media working from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I first met him in 1992 when I contacted him to help our community establish public access television. The Traverse City region was in the process of negotiating a new franchise agreement with C-tec cable (now Charter Communication) and I knew we needed help. Dirk was incredibly helpful. With his help and guidance, along with other colleagues of his — Lauren-Glen Davitian and Fred Johnson, we held several small conferences about community media to help educate our community on the importance and need for the publics access to media. We were successful in getting a franchise agreement in 1994 that established tctv2, our public access community television in the Traverse City region.

On February 9, 2007– the eve of the 2nd anniversary of his death Dirk’s death — the local NPR affiliate ask me to be on their locally-produced live talk radio show, Points North . The topic was tctv2. The issue: is it important and should local units of government keep funding it? You can listen to the audio archive here.

I had been thinking a lot about Dirk as the 2nd anniversary of his death approached. It seemed so cosmic that I was given an opportunity to speak on the very topic of community access television on the eve of his passing — the spirit of Dirk was with me in the radio studio yesterday.

There is much to do in the area of media reform. Locally there is an immediate need to support tctv2.

The Cherry Capital Cable Council (4Cs), a council of the local units of government that each have a local franchise agreement with Charter Communications, is debating whether to continue providing funding to tctv2. Currently 9 of the 12 members are contributing some of the money they receive from the franchise fee assessed on Charter Communication’s subscribers; three stopped contributing to tctv2. This fee leveed on cable subscribers generated $821,461.44 in 2005 for the local governmental treasuries. The local units keep the majority of this fee for their general funds and pass on a small amount to tctv2. The fees from the nine remaining units is projected to be only $165, 260.00 in 2007, if the nine remaining continue. Those nine are: Acme, Blair, Elmwood, Garfield, Green Lake, Long Lake, Paradise townships and Kingsley Village and the City of Traverse City. The units that dropped out are Bingham, East Bay and Peninsula townships.

What can you do? If you are a citizen in one of the local units of government that still supports tctv2, urge them to continue or if you are in one that has stopped funding tctv2, urge them to reconsider their decision.

Acme Township
6042 Acme Road
Williamsburg MI 49690
(231) 938-1350
http://www.acmetownship.org

Bingham Township
7171 S. Center Highway
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 922-6767
http://www.leelanaucounty.com/binghamdir.asp

Blair Township
2121 County Road 633
Grawn, Michigan 49637
(231) 276-9263
http://www.blairtownship.org

East Bay Township (stopped funding)
1965 North Three Mile Road
Traverse City, Michigan 49686
(231) 947-8647
http://www.eastbaytwp.org

Elmwood Township
10090 E. Lincoln Road
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 946 - 0921
http://www.leelanaucounty.com/elmwooddir.asp

Chart Township of Garfield
3848 Veterans Drive
Traverse City 49684
(231) 941-1620
http://www.garfield-twp.com

Green Lake Township
9394 10th Street
P.O. Box 157
Interlochen, MI 49643
(231) 276-9329
http://www.greenlaketownship.org

Long Lake Township
8870 North Long Lake Road
Traverse City, Michigan
(231) 946-2249
http://www.longlaketownship.com

Paradise Township
2300 E. M-113
Kingsley, MI 49649
(231) 263-5251
http://www.paradisetwp.org

Peninsula Township (stopped funding)
13235 Center Road
Traverse City MI 49686
(231) 223-7322
http://www.peninsulatownship.com

Kingsley Village
115 E. Blair Street
PO Box 208
Kingsley, MI 49649
(231) 263-7778
http://www.villageofkingsley.com

City of Traverse City
400 Boardman Ave
Traverse City, MI 49684
(231) 922-4440
http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us