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1. Comment - FCC abandons its 'a la carte' cable programming plan

   (Nov 29, 2007 - 1:01 AM)

   I'm president of the national trade association of leased access programmers and hope you'll allow these comments for me to reply to Commissioner McDowell's reported comments on our industry.
   
   Dear commissioner McDowell.
   
   I note in BetaNews (http://www.betanews.com/...ramming_plan/1196283815) that it’s apparent you fail to realize those of us who are truly ‘bona fide’ leased access programmers do indeed seek revenue from the programming we produce. For example we cover a local high school football game, from start to finish. We pay $200 for airtime and $500 to tape and edit a multi-camera show.
   
   Then we sell advertising to those businesses that want to reach those viewers of the show. This is exactly what I did as a newspaper publisher. We covered the game, published the story and presented readers for our advertisers.
   
   BlabTv, Pensacola, Fl. .is an independent programmer that for over 24 years has been very successful with local businesses hosting their own shows. Lawyers, doctors and even politicians take phone calls from viewers. Ask former Congressman Joe Scarbrough about this. He credits his use of Blab with being elected.
   
   True leased access programmers do not do ‘home shopping’ or traditional ‘infomercials’. The cable companies themselves accept this type programming on their proprietary ‘local origination’ channels or as ‘local origination’ content the cable site itself places on channels they’ve designated as ‘leased access’.
   
   Yes, some churches are willing to pay for leased access airtime to air their services and many churches buy Sunday morning airtime from broadcast network stations as well.
   
   The idea of ‘adult content’ being on leased access is news to me as the nation’s largest user of leased access and president of our national association. However, there is plenty ‘raw sex’ on HBO and other cable networks. Oops! I nearly forgot. A cable MSO owns HBO as well as some of the other cable network channels that profit from soft porn.
   
   I’m a Republican. I’ve been an active Republican since the early 60’s. I became a Republican when I had enough of Democrats fattening themselves from holding political office and now I see Republican office holders doing the same. I’ll name them if you like.
   
   I’ve been engaged in journalism 49 years; owned several newspapers; been a TV and radio news reporter and for the past 12 years a leased access programmer. I’m a businessman; the same type of small businessman I thought the GOP represented. I now realize today’s GOP office holder, elected or appointed, serves the mega-corps and not the small business person.
   
   Now I see why Joe Scarbrough no longer considers himself a Republican. Persons like you are driving me out as well.