This morning CMA member Gordon Quinn, who is also the
Founder and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films, was interviewed by Tony
Sarabia on WBEZ’s program The Morning Shift, along with CAN TV Executive
Director Barbara Popovic, to discuss CAN TV and Comcast’s franchise renewal and
the potential effect it could have on public access television in Chicago.
Gordon recalled the formative days of public access in
Chicago, when residents from a wide range of backgrounds came together to
advocate for a public space on cable. He said that the Committee for Media
Access today reflects a similar diversity in terms of the groups that
participate in and have a stake in Chicago’s public access center.
Gordon also expressed concern about the closures and other
downgrades to public benefits that result when corporations like Comcast are
able to wiggle out of their obligations, noting how those obligations stem from
their use of the public rights of way. He said that mega mergers like the
proposed Comcast-Time Warner union would embolden already powerful companies
like Comcast, even when dealing with major cities like Chicago, not to mention
smaller municipalities whose bargaining power would be further diminished.
Barbara Popovic of CAN TV pointed to Portland Oregon, where
Comcast has met standards much higher than the terms being discussed in
Chicago. She said that so many Aldermen in Chicago have pledged their support
because they have seen the benefits of CAN TV’s work in their local wards.
In March the City Council granted a 3-month extension to
Comcast’s franchise as negotiations over CAN TV were unresolved, that
extension will expire June 15. Gordon
speaks for the Committee for Media Access when he said, “We want to see this
settled, it’s been delayed already, and we think it’s time for them to settle
this so that CAN TV can be planning for the future.”
Click here to listen to a recording of the interview.
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