Community Media Centers Under Attack

The Alliance for Communications Democracy (ACD), in cooperation with the Benton Foundation, last week released results of a nationwide study on public, educational and government (PEG) access that shows that public access cable channels have been the hardest hit by a wave of funding cuts and closures across the country in recent years. The
primary causes are new state franchising laws and decisions of local governments.




The study looked at results from over 200 PEG centers from around the country, as well as tracking closures of centers in the past five years. Findings show:

• PEG Access Centers in at least 100 communities across the United States have been closed since 2005. A disproportionate number (93) exclusively served the public.
• Hundreds more PEG Access Centers in six states affected by state franchising laws may be forced to close or experience serious threats to financial and in-kind support over the next three years.
• Half of the 165 survey respondents providing financial information for 2005 and 2010 reported an average funding drop of 40% since 2005.
• The primary reasons cited for reductions in funding and in-kind resources for PEG
  Access Centers were new state franchising laws and/or decisions by local
  governments.

Take a look at the complete study.

MetroEast is a long-time member of the Alliance for Communications Democracy.

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