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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-09-07PEG ACCESS COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES, 10-09-07 The Regular Meeting was held at the Gael Stuart Building. The meeting started at 3:40 p.m. Members attending were Mark Welch, Julian Ray, Tom Opstad, Theresa Percy, Gary Nelson and Karen Nelson. John Watts had a scheduling conflict and Secretary, Kitti deLong, was unable to attend due to her granddaughter's illness. James Fritz and Paul Gottlieb attended during the public comment period, as representatives of the Port Townsend Producers Guild. Mr. Welch moved to approve the Minutes from the 9-25 Special Meeting. Mr. Nelson seconded. The motion passed and the Minutes were approved. Ms. Nelson noted the presence of Mr. Fritz and Mr. Gottlieb. She stated that after she had been elected Chair of the PEG Committee in July, she had immediately notified the Port Townsend Producers Guild that she would no longer be in a position to serve as its President, since there might be a potential for a conflict of interest in the future. During the October 2 meeting of the PTPG Paul Gottlieb, commentary editor of the Peninsula Daily News, was elected president of the PTPG. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: James Fritz, a PTPG member, submitted a written statement that the broadcast quality for the Public Access channel # 97 had "severely compromised" PTTV and caused the loss of many viewers and members, including the Jefferson County Department of Health. The PTPG resolved during its October 2 meeting to submit a formal complaint to the PEG Committee that the broadcast quality for channel 97 was inadequate and that the PTTV membership fees should not apply for the 6 month period during which PTTV was without a station manager and suffering from substandard technical quality. Mr. Gottlieb stated that as President of the PTPG he would work hard to steward public access for all members of our community. Mr. Gottlieb noted that he understood that the PEG Committee was preoccupied with restructuring PTTV. The key issue for Mr. Gottlieb is that first impressions are everlasting and he was not pleased at the report he had received from Jeff Chew, the Port Townsend editor of the Peninsula Daily News, who had been watching the live broadcast of the Peninsula Daily News Show at 2:00- 2:30, just prior to the PEG Meeting. During that program Mr. Gottlieb interviewed Port Townsend City Council member, Laurie Medlicott, and Port Townsend City Council candidate, Richard Wiener. Mr. Chew watched the program from the PDN headquarters and reported that the broadcast was not stable, but was moving up and down. Mr. Gottlieb stated that any viewer who watched would not last past the first five minutes because the broadcast was of such poor quality. Mr. Gottlieb wanted to know exactly what could be done to solve this problem. PTTV Technical Supervisor, Julian Ray stated that some of the poor broadcast quality was due to old tape decks and recycled VHS tapes and that all tapes for programs should be new. Ms. Nelson left the meeting for a minute to check with Steve Emery to find out whether the PDN program had been recorded on a new tape. He said that the S -VHS tape had never been used before and that, at any rate, the live broadcast would not be effected by the tape quality until the program was rebroadcast. The Peninsula Daily News Show was a live broadcast at 2:00 that afternoon. Ms. Nelson reported this conversation to the group. Mr. Ray stated that he would come in and work on the problems that could be fixed without a complete systems analysis, but that repair issues relating to the cable itself would need to wait until a more thorough assessment was performed after the Production Manager was on the job. Ms. Nelson stated in response to Mr. Fritz and Mr. Gottlieb that the PEG Committee had decided that any equipment upgrades were on hold until a Production Manager was able to meet with an independent IT consultant, so that the Production Manager would be in a position to give input and feedback regarding a new system. She also stated that the AGENDA included an item relating to a systems analysis by an independent IT consultant as soon as possible after October 22 and that the technical problems should be resolved quickly, once the new Production Manager was on board, the systems analysis was complete and the new upgrades were installed. Mr. Gottlieb stated that he would like some assurance of the capacity to fix the serious technical problems before the election coverage. Mr. Ray responded that he would do what he thought he could do, in light of the circumstances. BUDGET REPORT: Ms. Nelson reported the results of the Finance Subcommittee's findings: Available funds in the PEG Budget as of 9-30 for the remainder of 2007 are approximately $30,893.28, minus wages paid Steve Emery after 9-30 and miscellaneous expenses that should not total more than $2,000 . The amount of $5,670 for "furniture, Machinery, and Equipment" had been mistakenly charged to the PEG account in 2007 and would be added to the 2008 PEG Budget. Also, an amount of $3,041, reflected a carryover from the 2006 PEG Budget that had not been included in the 2006 Budget plus an excess charge to the PEG account for "operating and office supplies". As a result of the October 2 meeting between City Controller Michael Legarsky, John Watts, Kitti deLong and Gary Nelson, it was determined that the two above amounts, i.e., $5,670 and $3,041 would be added to the 2008 PEG Budget, a total amount of $8,711. The projected amount of Revenue for the 2008 PEG Budget will be $56,250. The addition of the $8,711, will provide a total amount equal to $64,961. PROTOCOL REQUIRED BY CITY COUNCIL TO SECURE 2008 FUNDS: Ms. Nelson stated that she wanted to wait to discuss this until John Watts was available and would ask him by email what the PEG Committee needed to do in order to comply with any City requirements relating to submitting a request for 2008 funding. PROCEDURAL DETAILS FOR NON-PROFIT STATUS APPROVAL FOR OPEN MEDIA: Port Townsend School District: Mr. Opstad stated that he would place this on the PTSD School Board Agenda for Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 and that the concept for the non-profit proposal could be submitted to the Board for review at that time. Ms. Nelson will attend that meeting. City of Port Townsend: Mr. Welch stated that he would place this on the City Council Agenda for October 15 on a "first touch" basis: i.e., a review of the concept for the non- profit proposal . ELECTION PROGRAM PREPARATION: Ms. Nelson mentioned that the Jefferson County Democrats had scheduled a six member panel discussion for Wednesday, October 10 at 2:00 p.m. Among the scheduled panel members are the Washington State Secretary of State, Sam Reed, and various Jefferson County officials. This would require advance technical preparation, especially since only four wireless lavolier mikes were operational. Mr. Welch, Mr. Ray and Mr. Nelson stated that they would assist with the set-up. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson will operate the cameras. Ms. Nelson reported that the Leader, through Fred Obee , had requested that PTTV cover the Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 11. Each year Gary Lemons, as station manager, had performed that service for this widely viewed program. She stated that she thought it was important that a professional videographer cover this event so that PTTV appeared in a good light. During a meeting with Mr. Watts, Mr. Welch and Ms. Nelson, one local videographer quoted an amount of $600. He mentioned that another videographer might film the Forum for $300 and gave Ms. Nelson the name and number of that videographer. Mr. Nelson stated that he would do it for $200. Mr. Opstad asked if this would be a conflict of interest. Ms. Nelson said she would check with Mr. Watts, but that a professional videographer would be required for Thursday night, since no Production Manager was available to shoot the Forum. TWO NEW DVD DECKS TO BE PURCHASED: Mr. Ray stated that in light of the continuing problems with the old VHS tape decks, it seemed necessary to go ahead and purchase two new dvd decks. He estimated their cost to be around $600 each. A motion was made by (?), seconded by (?), and unanimously approved. Mr. Ray stated that he thought the two new decks could be available for installation early next week and that this would help with the broadcast quality during the pre-election period. EXECUTIVE SESSION RE PRODUCTION MANAGER POSITION: Starting at 4:10, the Committee was in executive session for approximately ten minutes to finalize the details regarding the choice of Production Manager. VOTE FOR PRODUCTION MANAGER POSITION: Mr. Welch moved to offer Jonathan Stratman the position of Production Manager for a period of approximately 3 months beginning on October 22 and ending on January 31. Mr. Stratman will be retained for 35 hours per week. Any extra time should be authorized by Ms. Nelson, as Chair, and brought to the PEG Committee for final approval. Julian Ray seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. Ms. Nelson suggested that Steve Emery continue to work at the studio for thirty hours per week for a three month term (October 22 through January 31) under the direct supervision of Mr. Stratman and Ms. Nelson. This allocation of labor would maximize the ability of Mr. Stratman to perform highly skilled functions and for Mr. Emery to do the daily tasks required for operational consistency and efficiency. The allocation of tasks would be decided by Mr. Stratman and Ms. Nelson and discussed with Mr. Emery. No more than 30 hours per week would be authorized without Ms. Nelson's and the Committee's approval. Mr. Welch stated that since Mr. Emery is a City employee that no formal action needed to be taken. Ms. Nelson stated that she would speak with Mr. Emery as soon as possible about these terms to see if he would agree to them. Ms. Nelson stated that she will notify the other candidates in person of the PEG Committee's decision. AUTHORIZATION TO RETAIN INDEPENDENT IT CONSULTANT FOR PRELIMINARY SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT: Ms. Nelson stated that Mr. Stephen Jacobsen, an independent IT consultant, would be available at $25 per hour to meet with the Production Manager, Mr. Welch and Mr. Ray soon after October 22, when Mr. Stratman indicated he could started working as Production Manager. Mr. Ray stated that he thought there should be a preliminary cap on the hours authorized for Mr. Jacobsen to bill and recommended 5 hours maximum for the initial review, subject to later authorization for more billable hours. Mr. Welch made the motion related to the above and it was seconded by Motion to retain Mr. Jacobson for a first meeting was unanimously approved MEETING ADJOURNED AT 4:30