Philadelphia Public Access TV

Philly IMC reports that Philadephia finally has public access TV:

The fight for access has been frustrating, sometimes contentious and now very rewarding. It is our hope that Public Access TV will strengthen the civic engagement and cultural expression among residents and neighborhoods by using media to build and empower community—especially for those who have been left out or marginalized by mainstream media.

About ten years ago PCAC started with a small group of citizens concerned that Public Access TV was being left out of the City's refranchising of its cable companies. The Coalition quickly blossomed to include over a hundred organizations and countless individuals. The members include religious groups, civic activists, arts and cultural groups, disability advocates, media professionals, educators, civic organizations, labor unions, and consumer groups.

As our coalition grew so did our expertise. We organized our fair share of protests, phones blasts and council testimonies. We held an all day hearing in city council, a prayer vigil outside the mayor’s office, a 2-day forum on community media. And over the years we became increasingly knowledgeable in telecommunications policy and were recognized nationally for our media advocacy work. We even filed a lawsuit against the city. Though it was thrown out for lack of standing it got us to the table with a group of committed city officials to look at how public access television could become a reality. And that is how it is that we find ourselves here today. So it is with unmitigated joy that we stand here in the company of city officials and cable company representatives – at the end of nearly a 25 year long campaign – to be able to talk about what public access television in Philadelphia will mean to citizens and what it can look like.

The full article here at PhillyIMC. And the homepage of the Philadelphia Community Public Access Coalition.