A bundle of papers, yet unsigned, is all that keeps Athens Media Access Center Director Richard Sams from knowing the fate of his organization.
Public Access Channel 23, which is managed by AMAC, has only a few weeks of funding left before a new contract must be implemented, Sams said. A clash between the city, which provides those funds, and AMAC, a nonprofit television programming group, has delayed the 2005 contract's progression.
Airing copyrighted material and auditing methods are the major concerns behind the conflict. At this point in the negotiations, however, involved parties feel assured that there soon will be resolution.
I feel like things are progressing
Sams said, following a meeting held yesterday to address the issue.
While the city threatened not to renew its contract with AMAC to continue managing the public access channel, a contract now has been drafted, and it is likely to be signed, Sams said.
The drafted contract for 2005 will be identical to last year's, Sams said, which includes a $56,000 annual budget.
A $5 access fee on subscriber's Time Warner Cable bill is used to help fund the public access channel, said city Councilman Dale Tampke, D-at-large. AMAC has managed the station since late 1991.
The contract's vulnerability arose in a Jan. 12 letter to AMAC from Scott Thompson of the Athens Government Channel, who oversees the city's contract with AMAC for Channel 23.
Thompson's letter to Sams explained that the city did not plan to renew the contract for 2005. In it, he referred to several areas of conflicting interest between the two organizations according to Athens Service/Safety Director Wayne Key.
Mr. Key cites concerns over issues of copyright of music and videos airing on your station AMAC's inability to provide the city with basic financial accounting reports and records concerning city assets as examples of why he feels the city should not enter into a contract with AMAC for 2005
the letter said.
Although Sams said specific guidelines in AMAC's contract prohibit copyright infringement, he said he had no warning the city might unexpectedly cancel the contract for the present year.
In Tampke's opinion, the letter served as a warning after several terms of the contract were violated in 2004.
(The city administrators were) raising their hands
saying
'Let's get this squared away before we sign a contract
' Tampke said.
While City Council approved the budgeting of money for the channel in December, city administrators must sign the contract into effect. Upon hearing Thompson's letter, Tampke organized a meeting between the two parties, he said.
Copyrighted music and video concerns mainly centered on Athens Music Video
a weekly music video program produced by Kevin Holy of Athens. Athens Music Video airs independent, promotional music videos from various record labels.
Administration officials want written verification of their legal use on the show and Sams agrees that this is a necessary step.
The city's just trying to make sure that we're not in contract violation and we're trying to make sure that we're not either
Sams said.
The program has been suspended until Holy receives express permission to use the music videos, Sams said, and hopefully that will satisfy the city.
The station allows any original video productions to air and provides services to make sure that people have the equipment and means to make programming for the channel
Sams said.
AMAC does not preview tapes before they air, but rather trusts that they follow established guidelines, Sams said.
The city also requested revision of AMAC's financial system. Missing audits and recording problems have been a problem with the organization in the past, according to an April 23, 2003 Post article.
The contract also outlines AMAC's financial and inventory-related bookkeeping responsibilities, and Sams said understands the city's concerns.
I think that we just want to set up a schedule for formal reports to be delivered in a timely manner
Sams said. They want to make sure that they're staying up-to-date with our books.
Essentially, the clash comes down to a need for better communication, both sides agreed.
I'm really hopeful that now that there's a commitment to meet pretty regularly... we'll have a steady flow of communication
