Mergers, diversity of ownership, and multiple perspectives.
Communications Daily Feb 27 2014
The public, educational and government channel community plans to continue its push to protect the interests of PEG channels while monitoring Comcast’s efforts to buy Time Warner Cable for about $45 billion, PEG advocates said in interviews this week. If the companies combine, PEG channels could be negatively impacted, they said. Continue reading PEG Community Sees Challenges Coming From Combined Comcast/TWC
by Ellen Goodman – Rutgers Institute for Information Policy and Law – May 28 2013
About 20% of the hugely valuable TV spectrum — slated for auction in 2014 — is reserved for noncommercial stations. Only noncommercial stations (mostly owned by universities and community non-profits) can operate on this spectrum and when they sell, they must sell to other eligible noncommercial operators. Two years ago, Congress made the fateful decision to allow noncommercial stations to cash out of their spectrum when it goes up for auction to wireless providers. That means that a university licensee can sell its spectrum and put the proceeds into a gym or a dorm. Or, the licensee can enter into a deal with a commercial entity to split the proceeds in return for subsidizing its operations until that fateful auction day. It’s like this: a nonprofit is granted (at no cost) public land to operate as a park, and then allowed to sell the land on the commercial market, splitting the proceeds with a private equity firm. The park is gone, and the public gets nothing other than more commercial real estate.
Continue reading Scandalous Privatizaton of Noncommercial TV Spectrum
Originally published in the AFT Advocate – May 10 2013
Updating the San Mateo community on the sale of the non-commercial TV station KCSM-TV, which has been housed at the College of San Mateo since 1964, is no easy task.
For the second consecutive time, a public records request filed by Media Alliance (MA), this time accompanied by a request by the Palo Alto Daily Post newspaper, has been denied by the Board of Trustees. In 2012, the names of the bidders were not released until the District had already decided to reject all 6 bids. In 2013, the District confirms that negotiations are on-going with one “top bidder”, but refuses to divulge who that top bidder may be and what their plans are. Continue reading District Refuses To Be Open About KCSM-TV Sale
Article in the American Federation of Teachers newspaper on the KCSM-TV threatened dissolution via spectrum sale.
Published April 4 2013
October 25, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director, Media Alliance (tel) 510-684-6853
KCSM-TV Sale Postponed
San Mateo Community College District Votes to Reject All Bids for the 5th Largest Public Television Broadcasting License in California
San Mateo, CA-On October 24th, the San Mateo Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to reject the final two bidders (of an original six) for the broadcast license for KCSM Television, bringing to an end an 18-month process by the District to try to sell the television broadcast license housed at the College of San Mateo since 1964. KCSM Television reaches 10 Bay Area counties and is broadcast on 60 municipal cable systems in Northern California. Continue reading KCSM-TV Sale Postponed
Save KUSF volunteers and Media Alliance filed comments with the FCC pointing out loopholes in a proposed rule changes which put public airwaves at risk of further consolidation.
Originally published in the AFT Advocate – Feb 17 2012
As part of an epidemic of higher education institutions ridding themselves of educational television and radio licenses, the San Mateo Community College District has announced the upcoming sale of KSCM-TV, although not (yet) KSCM-FM, the district’s jazz radio station. Bids were due on February 14th to the District’s Board of Trustees. Continue reading Questioning The KCSM Sale
Originally published in the SF Bay Guardian – Feb 4 2012
The San Mateo Community College District Board of Trustees has announced the upcoming sale of its independent public television station, KCSM-TV. Some potential new owners are cause for alarm.
A January 10th walk-though for potential bidders was attended by the Christian broadcasting giant Daystar Television. The fastest-growing faith-based network in the country, Daystar’s mission is to reach souls with the good news of Jesus Christ as one of a “new breed of televangelists.” Continue reading Public TV For Sale
