CABLE TELEVISION ALIVE IN DES PLAINES
By KAREN M. HENRIKSON, Public Relations Coordinator, City of Des Plaines
First and third Monday evenings of every month
find many community-minded cable television subscribers in the City of Des Plaines tuned in to TCI
Channel #25 as City Council Meetings are broadcast
live. Channel #25 is the local government access cable
station and its engineers, nine members of the Des
Plaines Cable Commission, are optimistic about the
future of television in Des Plaines.
Des Plaines was fortunate in 1982, not long after the
signing of a franchise agreement for cable services with
TCI, to have the foresight to develop a cable television
commission. It is this group, assisted by other local
trained community access producers, that has focused
their efforts over the past two years on the "hands on"
programming associated with the government access
station and, particularly, televising live Des Plaines City
Council Meetings. |
(Above) Des Plaines Cable Television Commissioner
Chairman Richard Luckritz discusses the evening's council
meeting agenda with Commissioner Julie Koelig in the
cable television control room of Des Plaines City
Hall prior to the onset of the meeting. Council
Meetings are televised live on the first and third Monday.
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Created by ordinance, the cable television commission is comprised of a chairperson and eight members
appointed by the mayor with city council consent. All
members serve without compensation. They are
charged with various powers and duties including advising the city council with respect to all aspects of
cable television which would benefit or assist subscribers. They have the power to conduct hearings in review
of the franchisee's decisions, review the franchise
records as required, promote and review the use of
community access channels, etc. Three of the original
cable commissioners continue to serve, with one of
them presiding as chairman.
This past year, cable television commissioners,
along with a city staff member liaison, have produced
several programs for government access. These include
a program involving the mayor and the executive coordinator of Keep Des Plaines Beautiful, Inc. discussing
anti-litter campaigns, recycling, and the city's "Adopt A-Spot" Program in the production "Keeping Des
Plaines Beautiful;" and informational interview focusing on the function of the city clerk's office entitled
"Government Review: The Des Plaines City Clerk's
Office;" a live press conference involving Maine West
High School Students questioning city officials regarding pertinent issues; two entertaining productions featuring the Memorial Day Parade and July 4th Parades
and other similar productions.
This type of live government access programming
didn't happen for the commission overnight. The city
and TCI had a formal agreement whereby the cable
company agreed to move existing operational equipment from the local community access studio, located
in a former elementary school, to a control room located on the second floor of Des Plaines City Hall. It
was necessary for the city council chambers, on the first
floor of city hall, to be wired for cameras.
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(Above) Des Plaines Cable Television
Commissioners and access
producers crew a production from
the control room in Des Plaines
City Hall.
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One major concern was the audio system in the city
hall council chambers. Having been installed in 1975
when the building was constructed, it was never intended to be used for broadcasting. When the commission made their live broadcasting debut, the sound was
everything but audible.
In an effort to make an educated decision regarding
what should be done with the audio equipment or
whether new equipment should be purchased, the cable commission requested that they be given the authority to hire an audio consultant. Having been granted the
request by the city council, Westend Recording, Hoffman Estates, IL, was contracted to assist with evaluating the equipment and, eventually, with the development of bid specifications for a new system. Wizdum
Audio, Arlington Heights, IL, was awarded the bid and
by January 1994 a new system, meeting broadcast
needs as well as Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
requirements, was operational.
November 1994 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5
(Above) City of Des Plaines Cable
Commissioner Jim Brink motions
to another access producer during
the taping of the July 4th Parade.
The parade production is one of
many programs aired on the local
TCI access station.
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Response to the new system was favorable and confirmed that a considerable number of individuals watch
the government access channel audience. A fully functional studio opened up all kinds of opportunities for
productions. Currently three productions are underway; a program focusing on the many functions of the
fire department which will include video footage of
training procedures, home inspections, and burn
scenes; a police department oriented program focusing
on gang awareness/education; and a theatre guild production sponsored by Keep Des Plaines Beautiful
promoting environmental issues.
When the control room was established at city hall,
the Des Plaines Park District gave the municipality a
character generator, a device used to create alpha/numeric messages that would be transmitted over the
government access station. The park district, having
been granted their own access station at one point,
agreed to give the city the device with the understanding that the city would carry some of their messages.
Essentially, the character generator allows written messages regarding upcoming meetings, vehicle sticker
purchases, the park district's free concert series, safety
tips from the police and fire departments, aldermen's
names, addresses and phone numbers, etc. to be
scrolled over the screen on an ongoing basis when no
live programs or tapes are being telecast.
The executive director of the Northwest Municipal
Cable Council (NWMCC), to which the City of Des
Plaines pays an annual membership fee, assists commission members with the development of the alpha/numeric messages.
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Des Plaines is one of five communities that comprise
the Northwest Municipal Cable Conference
(NWMCC). The NWMCC monitors the development
and operation of the cable system and oversees activities related to the confirmation of franchise compliance. As part of an agreement whereby the NWMCC
has a rent free office in city hall within close proximity
to the cable television control room, the director has
agreed to assist in the coordination of alpha/numeric
messages. The NWMCC is also making efforts to produce public service productions for its member communities' government access stations. As franchise
renewal comes closer, the city looks forward to enhancing their relationship with the NWMCC and will have
the perfect opportunity to do so with their offices being
located at city hall.
With ever advancing technology and an interest in
local governmental cable television programming being cultivated by groups like the Des Plaines Cable
Commission, it appears that Des Plaines has every reason to feel enthusiastic about the future of cable television.
For additional information on the Des Plaines Cable Television operations call 708-391-5312.
Page 6 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1994
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