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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-20-2007-9d. ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 20, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. SUBJECT: Authorization to Debut Live Casting of BOCC Meetings DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No ATTACHMENT(S): Introducing Orange County Government Channel 265 (Digital Tier, Time Warner Cable) INFORMATION CONTACT: Gwen Harvey, Assistant County Manager, 245-2300 PURPOSE: To receive authorization to officially debut live casting of BOCC meetings from Southern Human Services Center on March 27, 2007 on Orange County Government Channel 265. BACKGROUND: A major objective and outcome of the cable franchise renegotiation with Time Warner Cable (TWC) that concluded in 2005 with a new 15-year agreement, was the designation of an exclusive Orange County governmental access channel, 265, on the digital tier. Additionally, TWC agreed to capitalize the technical up-fitting of the two BOCC public meeting rooms - Southern Human Services Center (Chapel Hill) and the soon-to-be remodeled Link Center (Hillsborough) to accommodate live casting of regular BOCC meetings. As the BOCC is aware, the County currently contracts with The People's Channel (TPC) to videotape BOCC meetings at both locations for rebroadcast on Channel 8. The new franchise agreement called for TWC to install a basic package of technical equipment valued at approximately $50,000. In preparations to begin live casting procedures, upon the recommendation of County staff from the Clerk's Office, Manager's Office, Planning, Purchasing, and IT, the BOCC approved $23,000 to provide additional enhancements to the basic equipment package. Requisite equipment to initiate live casting of BOCC meetings has been installed and tested. County staff has worked with The People's Channel and the TWC technical contractor to plan for transition from tape to delayed broadcast, to live and replays on Channel 265. BOCC meetings at Southern Human Services Center since December have allowed TPC and TWC to experiment and tweak systems as a prelude to live casting. The live signal has been monitored and validated through TWC Engineering and TPC production. 2 In January, County staff, in conjunction with TWC Public Affairs, launched a public information campaign on the County's web site advertising the arrival of Channel 265. The information includes steps all TWC subscribers anywhere in Orange County can follow - if not currently digital customers - to acquire a free digital converter box. This box enables viewers to receive Channel 265 and view BOCC meetings. A quick reference guide for BOCC meeting viewers by residency is shown below: Chapel Hill - Time Warner Cable subscribers were able to watch a rebroadcast (tape delay) of BOCC meetings via The People's Channel 8 the Wednesday after the meeting (8:OOPM) and Thursday after the meeting (8:OOAM and 2:OOPM) ... Beginning March 27, subscribers will be able to watch the BOCC meeting live from the Southern Human Services Center facility on Channel 265 and a rebroadcast schedule planned for the following Wednesday and Thursday on Channel 265. BOCC meetings from the Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough will be rebroadcast on Channel 265 on the following Wednesday and Thursday. BOCC meetings will no longer be scheduled for rebroadcast on The People's Channel 8. Hillsborough - Same as Chapel Hill Unincorporated County - Same as Chapel Hill Carrboro - Time Warner Cable subscribers were unable to watch a rebroadcast of BOCC meetings via The People's Channel 8 due to a technical idiosyncrasy in the build out of the Carrboro and Chapel Hill cable systems ... Beginning March 27, subscribers will be able to watch the BOCC meeting live from the Southern Human Services Center facility on Channel 265 and a rebroadcast schedule on Channel 265 planned for the following Wednesday and Thursday. BOCC meetings from the Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough will be rebroadcast on Channel 265 on the following Wednesday and Thursday. Satellite Customers - Orange County residents who do not subscribe to Time Warner Cable will not be able to receive Channel 265. NOTE: The ability to receive the Channel 265 signal is based upon the following - that the Orange County resident is a Time Warner Cable customer who subscribes to digital service or has requested and installed a free Time Warner Cable digital converter box. To receive the free digital converter box, residents are asked to contact the County Manager's Office at 245-2301 or us. Attached is a background document that provides a summary of fledgling Channel 265. All systems are "go" and County staff seeks BOCC formal confirmation to officially air live beginning with the meeting at Southern on March 27, 2007. County staff is planning to arrange a brief recognition of TWC officials by the BOCC during that inaugural broadcast. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no cost to the BOCC in declaring its intent to officially debut live casting beginning on March 27, 2007. The County will continue to contract with The People's Channel to conduct the live and delayed casting. An amended contract, reflecting the new technology, will be brought back for BOCC action on a future agenda. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board authorize live casting of its regular meetings from Southern Human Services Center to begin March 27, 2007. INTRODUCING ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT CHANNEL 265 A Brief History Orange County and Time Warner Cable signed a new franchise agreement in November 2005. As part of that agreement, Orange County received a government access channel so that Orange County Commission meetings could be cable cast live to the residents of Orange County who were Time Warner Cable customers. In order to accommodate that request, Time Warner Cable agreed to give Orange County a channel on the digital tier, and make "special" digital converter boxes available at no charge to the residents of Orange County who were Time Warner Cable customers. The two facilities where County Commission meetings are held - Southern Human Services Center (Chapel Hill) and currently, the Gordon Battle Courtroom in the New Courthouse - but planned to become the new public meeting space as part of the John M. Link, Jr. Government Services Center remodel (Hillsborough), needed to be equipped and readied for such an operation. The process began in early 2006 to outfit the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill with the necessary equipment to make this happen. The County Commission also authorized supplemental funding for equipment enhancements to further upgrade staff audio and visual presentation for the Commission and public. Equipment installation has been completed, tested, and is ready to go live. The channel is 265 on the digital tier. Watching Channel 265 Beginning March 27, 2007, Orange County residents may view a live cablecast of the County Commission's regular monthly meetings held at Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill. These live cable casts will be available to Time Warner Cable customers on Channel 265, on the Chapel Hill and Carrboro channel line-ups. This channel is located on the digital tier of service. To bring Channel 265 at no cost to Time Warner Cable customers in Orange County who may not currently have digital service, customers must request a digital converter box. The digital boxes are being provided at no charge to Orange County customers by Time Warner Cable. If you are a Time Warner Cable customer and already subscribe to digital channels, simply tune in to Channel 265 to see the Orange County Commission meetings cable cast live from Southern. 5 If you a Time Warner Cable customer with basic or standard service (receive channels 1-77 only) and you would like Time Warner Cable to come and install a special digital box for you, please contact the County Manager's Office at 245- 2301 or e-mail, cbarber(a-).co.orange.nc.us and provide the following information: - Name - Time Warner Cable Account Number - Street Address - Home Phone Number - Best Time of Day for Contact by Time Warner Cable to Set Appointment If you are a Time Warner customer with basic or standard service (receive channels 1-77 only) and you want to connect your own special digital box, you can pick up the equipment at the Time Warner Cable Chapel Hill Payment Center at 1201 B Raleigh Road in Chapel Hill. Simply tell the Time Warner Cable associate you are picking up a special digital box for Orange County Commission meetings. Easy to understand connection directions are included in the box. What Lies Ahead Live cable casting of Orange County Commission meetings will be available at this time only when the Commission meets at the Southern Human Services Center - typically the second regular meeting date in the month. Plans are to be able to cable cast live from a renovated John M. Link, Jr. Government Services Center as part of the Hillsborough County Campus expansion project. The County intends to repeat cable casts of the Commission meetings on Channel 265 and to transition altogether from tape delayed on The People's Channel, Channel 8, following the first live cast the end of March. Announcements to alert viewers to this change are currently running on Channel 8. Beyond live casting and replaying Commission meetings, what other programs will be available on Channel 265? Orange County is starting out, as do most government channels, with one principal program - live meetings of its elected leadership. Renovation for public meeting space and live casting in the Link Center hold the potential for the Commission to grant the Town of Hillsborough and Orange County Schools County facility use and the opportunity for them to contract for live casting and delayed broadcast as well. Under the new statewide cable franchise legislation, counties and municipalities are scheduled to receive cable services sales tax revenues of up to $25,000 for each public, education, or governmental channel contained within existing agreements. It appears that Orange County would be eligible for at least that amount for its Channel 265. Additionally staff understands that the E-North Carolina Authority will also have available limited grant funding to help support technical operations for public, education, and government access programming. (O County staff remains in dialog with The People's Channel, a regional coalition of government channel operators, and local cable industry experts about future programming opportunities and options that could be both publicly beneficial and cost-conscious. Recommendations can be brought forward as part of normal annual budget process for BOCC authorization.