Conneaut City Council holds meeting about commercial advertising on local access channel

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

July 02, 2009 09:38 am

— CONNEAUT — City Council will decide whether commercial advertising will be accepted on the city's local access channel.
Ward 4 Councilman Tony Julio met with members of the council-appointed Cable Advisory Board to discuss concerns with the panel's operation. The meeting took the form of an official inquiry, sanctioned by Julio's peers several weeks ago.
At the heart of the meeting are paid ads that appear on the channel's locally-produced, weekday "AM Live" talk show. Law Director Lori Lamer has issued a ruling that such ads are not allowed on a public/education/government channel like the one operated by the city.
City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr., who sat in on the inquiry, said he is unaware of such ads on similar channels in other communities where he has worked. Schaumleffel said he will obtain the bylaws of a multi-community cable group in southern Ohio for the CAB members to review.
James Supplee, a CAB member and also an employee of the Conneaut Telephone Co., which helps subsidize a portion of the city's cable operation, produced a ruling from a CTC attorney that differs with Lamer's opinion. Under the right circumstances, the attorney believes the channel can be used for some "commercial purpose," Supplee said.
Members of the advisory board, a group of volunteers dedicated to operating and improving the PEG channel, have said money earned from the ads helps purchase or repair video and audio equipment.
Julio has said he has no problem with commercials on the channel. In fact, they could become a good source of revenue for the cash-strapped city, he said.
"If it's deemed proper to advertise, (ads) could be under-utilized," Julio said Wednesday.
The amount of money earned through ads is unclear, Finance Director John Williams has said.
Schaumleffel indicated authorizing paid ads on the channel may only need formal approval to become reality. It was decided the board would discuss, research and then vote on the issue, then pass along their stance to council for a final decision.