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Prohibited: |
· Commercial Programming.
· Material which is obscene or unprotected by the Constitution of the United States.
· Material which constitutes libel, slander, invasion of privacy or publicity rights, incitement, or which otherwise violates any other local state or federal law.
· Programs containing material that violates copyright or trademark law. Use of such material requires obtaining appropriate permission from music licensing organizations, publishers, representatives, copyright holders, broadcast stations, networks and/or any other intellectual property owners. Unless producers can furnish written authorization for each instance of copyrighted or trademarked materials, MCAM will not schedule the program.
· Material that creates immediate danger of damage to property or injury to persons, the substantial obstruction of law enforcement or other governmental functions or services, the deprivation of any person by threat of force or physical action of a legal right or the disturbance of any person in the enjoyment of a legal right, or the creation of a public nuisance.
· Material that contains direct or indirect presentation of lotteries or lottery information.
· Any other material which may, from time to time, be deemed to be prohibited from cablecast by applicable law or regulation.
· No paid advertising will be accepted on behalf of candidates for public office or political parties, including promoting and / or opposing ballot issues by supporting groups or lobbying organizations. |
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GET INVOLVED |
YOU are INVITED to get involved. Inquire about the next Producer Orientation
SIGN UP!!! |
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YOU should become a Public Access Producer, a one-time Orientation class is encouraged. Please contact director@mcam.org to reserve a class space.
You should be 18 years or older and live or work in the City of Manchester, NH to be a MCAM Producer.
Typically, programs on MCAM-23 are about 30 minutes in length and are allocated a fixed timeslot. Occasionaly Producers may submit longer length programs, however there is no fixed playback time opportunities.
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Q: Is Public Access Television free?
A: Well, almost. Subscribers to Comcast pay the cable company a 5% service charge called the "franchise fee"; most of this money goes to the City of Manchester, however a small portion of that is used to fund Public Access in the city--the average cable subscriber pays about 40 cents a month for Public Access services.
To produce for MCAM, you'll need to become a "Producer". Take our orientation classes first. The renewable membership lasts for one year and costs as little as $0 out-of-pocket .
MCAM encourages citizens to cover or supplement their membership with business sponsorship--
Individual equipment memberships for non- residents begins at $100 per project.
Q: What kind of programs does MCAM air on its channel?
A: The kind of programs that YOU find interesting! We do not try to influence or request any particular type, style or theme of programming from producers. It's totally up to you. There are SOME restrictions, but, essentially, Public Access TV is very open to ALL kinds of content. |
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Q: Do I need previous experience in TV production to put a show on the air?
A: No. Most producers are trained right here at MCAM.
Q: Can I air a show that I did not create?
A: Yes. Every producer will be required to complete a "Cablecast Request Form," which states that you have obtained permission from talent and any applicable copyright holders. This document states that you are legally responsible for the program. |
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Q: What kind of tapes do you use?
A: We use several formats here. Probably anything that you can get your hands on, we can accommodate. Our field production cameras use MiniDV.
Q: How many shows can one producer air?
A: Obviously, we DO have a limit for the number of available time slots for programs, and since each producer deserves an opportunity to air at least one half-hour show, you may submit one each week. Longer-format slots are also available, it depends on the supply of time (which remains fairly constant), versus the supply of programs, which fluctuates. |
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Q: How long does a show air for?
A: To a certain extent, it depends on the producer's request. Half-hour programs require a series commitment based on the time slot. You may submit one new show a month (the minimum) or one new show a week (the maximum); more committed Producers will receive greater rotation.
Q: Can you make money on Public Access TV?
A: No. Public Access TV is non-commercial, and programs that directly advertise products for sale are not permitted. |
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Q: How many people watch MCAM?
A: Nobody knows for sure...but you can work the numbers for yourself. There are about 35,000 households subscribed to cable...they all receive channel 23.
Q: Can I rent equipment from MCAM for commercial jobs?
A: No. Equipment is for use to produce Public Access programming only; ask us about equipment memberships.. |
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Q: Are there any other fees?
A: No. However we do charge for blank-media (such as MiniDV tapes or DVD-R discs), but feel free to bring your own--and there is a $10 deposit on your magnetic access card, but that fee is refundable when/if you end your membership.
Q: I don't get it. Is it that easy?
A: MCAM is here to help build community and to give people a voice that can be heard. We enjoy helping people through artistic or technical challenges, and find satisfaction in seeing them reach their goals. |
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Act Responsibly |
If, in the opinion of a Producer, any material in their program is deemed to be appropriate for adult audiences only, Producers are expected to inform MCAM staff about programming that may be problematic to viewers in the Cablecast Request Form, and to exercise good judgment. Controversial or adult programming with excessively violent material, offensive language, excessive nudity, graphic depiction of medical procedures, or sexually explicit material will be scheduled for cablecast between 11 PM and 6 AM. >LEARN MORE<
Controversial content in programming should have the effect of encouraging a greater expression of free speech; MCAM reserves the right to inform the public of controversial programming and to solicit responses from the community in the form of additional programming. |
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Producer's Rights |
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· Program producers maintain ownership of rights to all original material and are liable for all the content.
· Program producers can request a program date and time for cablecast, in accordance with scheduling priorities.
· Program producers may request that programming cease being aired, if it is determined the program information has become outdated or obsolete.
· The Equal Opportunity or "Equal Time" rule and the Personal Attack rule do not apply to public access.
· Public access users are under no legal obligation to show any viewpoint other than their own.
· Community residents with diverse and opposing viewpoints are encouraged to use the public access channel to express their ideas. |
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Learn More |
For more information about Public, Education, and Government Access, as defined in the Federal Communications Act, go HERE |
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