City Prepares to Launch Its Own Channel

The City of Martinez is about to embark on a joint venture with Clayton and Pleasant Hill to launch a channel on Comcast that will feature local programming aimed at marketing the city’s amenities. Patch asked Michael Chandler, Senior Management Analyst at City Hall, about the project.

Patch: What can you tell me about the TV show Martinez is going to do with Clayton and Pleasant Hill?

Chandler: It’s actually a new TV Channel we are calling the “City Channel.”  This endeavor is between the aforementioned three partner cities and CCTV (who will manage and program the channel).  It will air on Comcast Channel 28 for most of central Contra Costa County and replace and expand the Government Access content presently airing on Comcast Channel 26, including the playback of City Council meetings.

Patch: Where did the idea originate?

Chandler: As part of the 2006 Cable Franchise Agreement Renewal with Comcast, a number of cities, among them Martinez, Clayton, and Pleasant Hill, received Public-Educational-Government (“PEG”) funding to develop local origination programming and channel space to air the programming.  Comcast has cut back on their Northern California PEG staffing and are concentrating their local production efforts on their “Hometown Network.”  Establishment of the City Channel will complete the transition of Government Access programming over to the partner cities. Local secondary institutions such as Contra Costa Community College; DVC; and Cal State East Bay have already taken advantage of the additional channel space provided by Comcast for Educational Access purposes.  Public Access programming as it stands is still being evaluated to determine the most effective way to transition this responsibility away from Comcast.

Patch: What kinds of programming will it be?

Chandler: Programming content will reflect the uniqueness of the partner cities and will include playback of public meetings; special events; Public Service Announcements; bulletin boards promoting city calendars and events; and promotional content designed to promote the cities’ features, amenities, and attractions.  In Martinez, this type of content will include some economic development promotions generated by our Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Martinez organizations.

Patch: When will it begin?
Chandler: Our target date is May 1^st, but we are finding that the complexity of launching a new channel in a modern digital cable environment might make that date unrealistic.  Comcast is doing what they can to expedite the process, and the City Channel partners will use the time to refine the look and feel of the channel before it launches.

Patch: Where will it appear?
Chandler: It will appear on Channel 28 for Comcast subscribers in central Contra Costa County, Channel 99 for AT&T U-verse subscribers.  Comcast subscribers in Concord and Clayton might see the City Channel on Channel 26, depending on the terms in the existing franchise agreements.