I Want My CTV (Page 1 of 5)

If you channel surf in Knoxville, chances are you’ll come across something on Comcast Channel 12 to make you pause there and possibly stick around a while, if not for entertainment than at least to satisfy your curiosity.

Maybe it’s a local wrestling match in the cavernous National Guard Armory, followed by analysis of the match by enthusiasts of the sport; maybe it’s a fired-up preacher flanked by old-time gospel musicians, or a man interpreting Bible scripture at his kitchen table; maybe it’s a meeting of the local Beer Board or City Council, or a chance to adopt a pet or local doctors offering medical advice. If you’re awake as Friday night turns into Saturday morning, maybe you’ll see a program alleging Sept. 11 as an inside job, or even a group of puppets practicing Satanism.

That’s just a sampling of what you might see on the wild, wonderful and — many contend — absolutely necessary world of public access television, in the local form of Community Television of Knoxville. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week (including repeats), offering Knoxvillians a chance to see and be seen by their neighbors and a public space for the airing of government meetings, educational shows and television programs produced by everyday citizens.

CTV of Knoxville was actually one of the first public access channels in the country, going on the air in 1975, and since that time, it has offered a vital service to residents by broadcasting meeting in which their government takes action and fellow community members voice their opinions.

Public access television had a small and shaky start in New York City in 1971, with two channels reaching a potential 80,000 cable customers in Manhattan. In 1972, soon after cable television began to be widely disseminated, the Federal Communications Commission insisted cable providers offer channels for public, education and government (PEG) purposes.

In addition to televising local government meetings and educational programming, the FCC required cable companies to provide airtime and equipment to anyone who wanted to make noncommercial use of these PEG, or public access, channels. In 1979 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the FCC had no such authority to make these demands, but by that time, cable was becoming such a competitive, high-growth industry, cable companies were more than willing to appease city governments with offers of multiple access channels.

Public access television now enjoys a relatively healthy, untroubled existence, but recent legislature passed in several states is threatening their existence.  Now, lobbyists for various cable companies, most significantly AT&T, are working to have current Tennessee state laws changed— a move that could spell disaster for public access channels such as CTV of Knoxville.

YOU DOWN WITH CTV?

Airing on Comcast Cable Channel 12 in Knoxville and Charter Cable Channel 6 in parts of West Knoxville, CTV of Knoxville went on the air Dec. 24, 1975, broadcasting St. John’s Cathedral’s Christmas Eve service, with City Council meetings broadcast the following week. The station began with the intention to broadcast these meetings but eventually expanded to allow “gavel to gavel” coverage of Knox County Commission meetings, as well as most other local government committee and subcommittee meetings, such as the Beer Board, Zoning Commission, Knoxville Community Development Corporation and Transportation Organization.

In addition to the shows produced locally by community members, the station also provides airtime for a community calendar, non-profit organization programs, and Equal Time, which allows candidates in upcoming primary elections a public platform. David Vogel, CTV general manager, says before the recent elections, 54 of the 70-plus local candidates took advantage of Equal Time.

Currently housed in the Andrew Johnson building at 912 S. Gay St., the station occupies a sizable portion of the sixth floor, with several offices, multiple storage and equipment rooms and two studios. Vogel says the station is looking to move into a ground-floor location with storefront visibility, to increase the awareness of the station and its services.