What is Public Access TV? 

Federal law provides that states or local communities may establish franchise agreements with cable TV service providers wishing to market their services locally. Under such agreement, a city or town may require its cable operator(s) to provide what the Telecommunications Act of 1984 calls “Public, Educational, or Government (P/E/G) Access” channels on the local channel lineup. These PEG channels are available for use by citizens, schools and municipalities. Such channels must provide equal access to all prospective users and serve as public forums for free expression. Most access centers are funded by a cable franchise fee (a small percentage of your cable bill, usually 5%) and an additional 1% fee specifically for public access. The 1% fee can only be used for capital expenses, such as a studio facility and video equipment.

How do public access centers operate? 

Most access centers operate under one of three organizational arrangements: ~ as an independent corporation, often a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, charitable educational org. ~ via a municipality or a school system through fees from cable subscribers. ~ directly by the cable service provider as part of its agreement with the community. An access center may be a Public Access facility where citizens or groups have equal access to produce their own TV programs. It may be an Educational TV facility, often located in a school and operating primarily for educational purposes. It may be a Municipal or Government facility that records and cablecasts local government meetings and events. Many access centers maintain two or all three P/E/G channels in their communities.

Do access centers produce TV programs? 

Access centers are TV studios, but unlike broadcast stations they are not fully staffed with TV producers, camera operators and technicians. An access center is more like a combination school and equipment library where individuals, groups and nonprofit organizations can learn to use video production equipment to make their own TV programs. They then have access to equipment and cable channel time to produce and cablecast their programs to local communities. Note that Public Access service does not obligate a center to provide staff to carry out citizen requests to create specific programs. Limited staff and resources are available primarily for training and technical assistance. Many access centers are required by their communities to cover government meetings. Some centers also cover key events of broad community interest such as local holiday parades and celebrations, school graduations, recitals and sports. All centers strive to promote the production of TV programs by and for their local communities.

Creating Shows

Can I have my own program on Access Tuolumne? 

As a Tuolumne County resident you have access. This is the central purpose of local access TV. If you have something to say, we help you say it – even if we don’t agree with it. Local Access TV is the first amendment writ large. If you have an opinion, a hobby, expertise or a passion for something that you enjoy and would like to share, then perhaps you have a TV program in you.

I think I have a good idea for a TV program. How do I make it happen? 

Let’s get together. We can help you make your good idea a great idea. We can help you make your great idea happen. If you would like to have a program of your own, we provide training, expert guidance, advice, support and most of the resources you will need. And yes, it should be fun. Taken step-by-step, basic TV production is not that complex. The ability to produce simple yet interesting TV programs is well within the grasp of most people.

Program copyright and ownership 

We include a copyright notice in the end credits of programs that we help you to create. Example language: Program copyright 2023 by Access Tuolumne and (the program’s creator). Our mission is to broadcast local TV programs created by and for our community. Legally, we maintain both a right and obligation to show your program over our access channel, scheduling it at various times as we deem appropriate. Once we run your program our mission is complete.

So, what becomes of your program after that? 

You created it. You own it. We give you a digital copy of your program. You may do with it as you wish. You may freely publish, duplicate and distribute your program, including posting it on the internet.

What about using other copyrighted material within my program? 

Access Tuolumne takes copyright infringement seriously and cannot run any program that includes someone else’s creative work without express permission or under a licensing agreement. This includes music, video, pictures, graphics, art and/or scripts, whole or in part.

What video formats can Access Tuolumne accept for a cablecast? 

We require the following specifications: 1920×1080 @ 29.97fps or 1280×720 @ 59.94fps, both with 48 kHz audio. Other formats are accepted but may require additional processing time.

When and how often will my program be shown? 

Typically, public access programs on Access Tuolumne are scheduled to be shown weekly. Our weekly program guide is posted to our Access Tuolumne County website, in The Union Democrat Weekender and the Comcast on-screen guide. We also regularly display the upcoming programs for each day on our bulletin board, which runs between programming. You can also view selected programs on demand through our website.

Can I use the Access Tuolumne studios or equipment for personal projects? 

Under our nonprofit charter Tuolumne County TV provides equipment, facilities and training only for creating programs that will be shown on our local channels. Tuolumne County residents must be 18 years old (minimum) with appropriate training or demonstrated experience in equipment use and care. Our equipment and facilities are not available to create personal or commercial projects.