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The following provides background and context to the current transformation of channelAustin into a fully digital HD community media center.
History
Public access cable television has existed in Austin for 36 years, since June 1973. Between 1973 and 1990, the people’s TV operated from an old house, a decommissioned army Quonset hut and a space above a downtown toy store. In January 1990, the City of Austin dedicated its “Austin Access Television Studio” located at 1143 Northwestern Avenue in East Austin. From this building, community-based television programs produced locally by Austin area residents are distributed via channels 10, 11, and 16 to cable subscribers of Time Warner Cable and Grande Communications in Austin and surrounding municipalities.
The City of Austin owns, and is responsible for, the television studio building. Time Warner Cable and the City share ownership of the studios and field production equipment in the building. Since Austin Community Television (ACTV) was incorporated in 1973, the City has contracted with a non-profit corporation to manage the facilities, equipment, resources, community user production training and program scheduling on the three public access channels.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) subscriber fees – $0.35 per subscriber per month – fund the majority (85%) of operation costs. Nearly all the capital equipment purchases come from Time Warner Cable funds, in addition to the operational funds from subscriber fees. The current and final franchise agreement between TWC and the City of Austin went into force in 1996 and is set to expire in August 2011. For the duration of the existing franchise agreement a total of $4 million was set aside for capital equipment purchases, to be used at the community television studios and by the City’s municipal or government channel 6.
From 1973 to 2005, ACTV managed Austin’s community television resources. ACTV changed its name to Austin Community Access Center (ACAC) in 1996.
New Contract
In early 2005, the City of Austin issued an RFP for the management of Austin’s community television studios, for a six-year contract period that would start on October 1, 2005 and extend to September 30, 2011. This RFP included language asking that proposals include a technology upgrade plan. Until that time, some of the equipment in the building dated back to the early 1990s. Whereas there had been periodic new equipment purchases with the TWC (and Grande) equipment funds, there had not been a comprehensive or holistic approach to upgrading the systems, workflow, studios and gear.
In 2005, Linda Litowsky and Garry Wilkison formed Public Access Community Television Inc. (PACT), one of three RFP respondents. Litowsky brought her vast experience in the non-profit sector, and television and documentary production to the table. And Wilkison brought his years of experience as an engineer and systems designer. Together they crafted a vision that, with the promise of access to the bulk of the remaining capital equipment funds, would move the community television studios into the 21st century to become a fully realized digital media center.
In September 2005, the Austin City Council voted to award the management contract to PACT, and authorized Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs (TARA) staff to execute the contract. channelAustin was later adopted as the “doing business as” name for PACT and is the brand for this community media center.
For the first time in community television history in Austin, channelAustin became responsible for program playback for the 3 channels. Previously, program tapes had to be physically driven to Grande Communications for playback. Plans for the playback installation – manufactured by Synergy Broadcast Systems – began within months of channelAustin’s contract. In December 2006, playback ceased at Grande and channelAustin took over this responsibility.
Meanwhile, plans for the larger studio and field equipment technology upgrade were also underway by 2006. It was that year that TARA’s Rondella Hawkins first put in the request to Time Warner to draw down the remainder of the capital equipment funds – at that point $1.8 million remained. It was also that year that channelAustin’s then General Manager Garry Wilkison began developing plans for a holistic approach to the workflow and systems.
The Present
There are two major components to the 2009 technology upgrade. The first component involves the studios (now expanded to three: Main Studio, Mini Studio, and Micro Studio) and field equipment (HD cameras, tripods, microphones, HD record decks, light kits, etc.). For all these resources, a common goal was to move to an HD (High Definition) environment and to implement a completely digital workflow without the use of videotape.
The second component involves the building distribution system (BDS) for data and voice; i.e. a new building network and new telephone system. The City’s Communications and Technology Management Department (CTM) supported the work on channelAustin’s new BDS.
It took various iterations of the equipment purchase list, and numerous meetings with City staff, but in early January 2009, final plans were in place and the TWC funding was available. (Note that Garry Wilkison left channelAustin at the end of 2008 to work at AISD.) In late spring, installation of the building network began followed by work on the studios. In addition, the equipment purchase and delivery totaling $847,000 was completed. As of September 2009, all work is 95% complete. The main contractor responsible for all work was Commercial Video Systems, locally represented by Jim Zeiner.
Another key feature of the technology upgrade is the degree to which various systems are integrated, along with the fact that Apple hardware and software is very much part of the design.
For example, someone in an edit suite using Apple’s Final Cut Pro on an iMac is able to drag and drop a completed project (program) file into a folder on the desktop and send it directly to the programming department computers to be in the queue for scheduling. With the new, upgraded Category 6 cables now installed in the building, large files can be quickly moved throughout the systems. And Apple’s Xserve server is running the network. Volunteers from Austin’s CapMac group, who’ve been helping to “tweak” the Xserve server are extremely impressed with the features and capabilities the new platform offers.
Now, channelAustin is more than a community television station. The advances in technology have transformed channelAustin into a truly HD digital media center. The new tools will attract new users who will be hard pressed to find access to similar gear at a comparable cost. Austin area residents may use this state-of-the-art production equipment to create content for television and the Internet for what amount to nominal fees. Users complete training and then may use the resources for no charge.
The technology upgrade also supports the launch of a new Internet radio station called ATXchange that will be interconnected with iTunes and affiliated with a new recording label. The upgrade benefits the development and adoption of Open Media Project tools that channelAustin is pursuing with other community media centers nationally. The Open Media Project toolset will enable users to conduct more of their transactions with channelAustin through its web site and will empower users to manage their content on-line. And finally, although not technology dependent, channelAustin views the recent upgrades as one of several incentives planned to attract new producers of “green” content for what may become the first fully programmed “green” community channel.
