Public Access TV in Your Town

[biscuit]

I was having a bought of insomnia last night and decided to watch tv till I fell asleep. I flipped through the channels and landed on the local public access station where a rather unusual film was (click the Dragzonia link once you're at the site below to see picts and read the plot synopsis).

Public access was just a community bulletin board station in the last town I lived in. What kind of crazy stuff have y'all seen on your local public access channels?

http://www.brian-T.com

 

[Planderella]

Okay, that movie sounds incredibly bizarre and definitely deserves a "WTF? Award" from me. I've never seen any interesting programming on the public access channel, but then again, I don't watch that much t.v.

 

[Seabishop]

Cable Access is awesome. There are some serious shows where people interview local politicians, but these are some of the more interesting ones.

"Caught in Providence" is just a minute by minute recording of Providence Municipal Court. You watch for the funny excuses and for people you might know. It was actually such a hit that the local ABC station picked it up. At the end of each episode you hear people call in and complain that the judge is either A) a racist who hates Hispanics or B) a softie who lets Hispanics get away with everything

Daphne's Mad House: Hyperactive woman talks about sci-fi and shows bootleg star trek clips.

KISS Show: Daphne's 400 lb husband is the host. He mumbles stuff about KISS and interviews KISS experts.

Misc. SciFi Shows: Lots of Star Trek shows where guests discuss Star Trek more seriously than the military analysts on CNN.

Steve White:
Grumpy old man drives around in his Cadillac swears at motorists and asks people rude questions.

Spotlight On Talent:
Clips of of kids talent shows that are literally over 10 years old. They feature a lot of dancing to New Kids songs. Its funny that these kids are now 10 years older and must be very embarrased.

Steve and Joe Show:
Guy I used to work with at a department store's really campy sketch comedy. Same awful jokes for the past 10 years.

Straight Out of South Central Apponaug:
Punky suburban kids tape themselves acting stupid in convenience stores Tom Green style.

Backyard Wrestling!!!!
15 year olds wrestle in a junked up suburban backyard



Wow . . . I sound like a geek. Keep in mind I've seen these and more over the course of many years.

 

[biscuit]

The you are all going to hell show!

I've also seen the local talk and talant shows, as well as the Spunk (suburban punk) skater trick shows. The best one I've seen however was on yesterday after I got home from church. It was a man in quasi-traditional African garb, speaking in Hebrew and angrily denouncing the false Jews, white devils and idol worshiping Africans. He was waving his arms and yelling at the camera. It was freak-out entertainment and I couldn't help but watch.

 

[Queen B]

Let's hear it for Red Green.

Duct Tape rules...

 

[Repo Man]

About 5 years ago there was a show called "The Brawl" which was an in-studio wrestling show. They didn't even have a ring, just a stage and a ladder, which they used to jump onto each other from. Sometimes the ladder became a weapon too. . It was hilarious and every Friday night we would watch it before we went out for the evening.

 

[Chet]

I like watching the liquor license hearings. The low end of humanity is always amusing...

 

[Dan]

Until Time Warner decided that I really shouldn't be watching it, and deleted it from my lineup, there was one channel on digital cable that aired nothing but a show where two rabbis were arguing with each other. What should be the public access channel here airs nothing but a field of fluffy clouds overlaid by a small arrow, with the occasional WinNT BSOD.

In Fort Collins, one public access channel aired the Amiga Workbench screen for a week. Better than scrolling elementary school cafeteria menus!

The Orlando public access channel seemed to air only black church services and a looong show called "TV Kyrol," aimed at Haitian immigrants. The production quality of the broadcast black church services was universally awful ... a barely audible preacher that sounded like he was 30 feet from the microphone, very loud audience amens and uh huhs drowning out what little you could hear, and a camera panning the crowd, most of whom were fanning themselves.

Buffalo public access is interesting; there's two public access channels, one government channel and one school board channel. The public access channels air mostly black church services, "Wayne's World" and "it's 5:15 in the AM, and it's time for Perspectives!" type shows.

The schedule looks like that of a TV station in Hell.

12M-12:30AM Growing and Glowing
12:30-1AM Let’s Go to Church
1-1:30AM New Zion MBC
1:30-2AM White Rock MBC
2-2:30AM Friendship Baptist Church
2:30-3AM Antioch Baptist Church
3AM-4AM Mount Olive Baptist Church
4-4:30AM The Master’s Message
4:30-5AM True Bethel Baptist Church
5AM-9AM Community Billboard
9-11AM Ad Council Public Service Announcement Showcase
11AM The PEG Access Show
11:30AM-12PM Pat Ragin Gospel Show
12:00N The Daily Mass
12:30PM-1PM It’s Your Business, Buffalo!
1-1:30PM Dining in the Word
1:30-2PM Abundant Life Telecast
2-2:30PM Today’s Victory
2:30PM-3PM Back to God’s House
3PM-4PM One on One
4PM Farrakhan Speaks
5:00PM-6PM Impact of Salvation
6PM Aviva
6:30PM Queer Journeys
7:00PM-8PM Hola Buffalo
8PM Euforia
8:30PM-9:30PM Pee Wee TV
9:30PM Living Proof
10PM Pee Wee TV
10:30PM Rhythm & Business
11PM-12M CZWWrestling.com

I hear that in New York City, public access broadcasting is dominated by porn and Nazis.

 

[Seabishop]

About 5 years ago there was a show called "The Brawl" which was an in-studio wrestling show. They didn't even have a ring, just a stage and a ladder, which they used to jump onto each other from. Sometimes the ladder became a weapon too. . It was hilarious and every Friday night we would watch it before we went out for the evening.

Economic activity on our Main St. hit a new low last year when a furniture rental company was replaced by a Professional Wrestling School. There was a ring in a small storefront and you could train to be a professional wrestler for $1,200. Our zoning officer who is not a big guy had to go tell the wrestlers they couldn’t keep putting on events without a special permit – they were nice about it. Luckily for downtown’s image, they couldn’t afford to pay the rent and were gone after a couple months. But . . . there could have been some good cable access wraslin' from that place!

 

[pete-rock]

I hear that in New York City, public access broadcasting is dominated by porn and Nazis.

There used to be a "show" on public access here in Chicago where all you saw was an electric light-up dildo, sparkling and twisting to a song that went, "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon now touch me, babe..."

 

[pete-rock]

BTW, do any cities have as aggressive a municipal station as the City of Chicago does? Here, 24-7 you hear about the status of capital projects, the latest and greatest news in the parks, the "transformation" of public housing by the Chicago Housing Authority, the vast improvement of the school system, etc. This is all done by a former network news reporter who presents all his stories like news features on the nightly news.

It's a public relations machine.

 

[BKM]

Vacaville used to have the typical public access stuff:

Some high school kid cooking wierd high school kid dishes.

Rock Candy- A "rocker" aged 35-45 with long, lank hair playing old "Scorpions" and "Mollie Hatchett" records and videos.

Some wierd show where a bunch of fogies sat around in what looks like someone's basement bar and discussed sports.

 

[Maroon]

Traffic Babe

It's on a government channel, not public access.
From TV36, "On Your Side" in Lexington, KY

"The Urban County Government is hoping to ease traffic woes with a new approach to Lexington's roadways. The Mayor hosted the grand opening of the new 'Traffic Management Center' Tuesday morning.

"The center includes computer and video systems to monitor traffic in Lexington and surrounding areas. The government channel will broadcast live traffic updates weekday mornings with a new show called 'Crosstown Traffic'. City engineers also share the facility to evaluate traffic patterns, and they can even adjust signals as needed when backups happen. Funding for the center is shared between city and state government with 80-percent of the cost covered by the Federal Highway Administration."

The host of the show has been christened "Traffic Babe" by some of the locals. The program is for about three hours every weekday.

The channel broadcasts the usual council meetings, community bulletin board, etc. the rest of the time.

 

[Dan]

There used to be a "show" on public access here in Chicago where all you saw was an electric light-up dildo, sparkling and twisting to a song that went, "c'mon, c'mon, c'mon now touch me, babe..."

... and people would watch this? Really? Would the songs change from time to time?

Here's some beauties that I pulled from the Chicago public access Web site:

Muhammad and Friends
Can I Step with You?
Taped with Rabbi Doug
3 Guys Pickin'
Reverend William Ripple
Black Nurses Association
The Bible is Right
Tropical Riddims and Beats
Let Us Talk About Jesus
Manhood Shelter
Prison Action Hotline
Jesus Saves to the Uttermost Hour
It's Time to Meditate
We're Geniuses in France
Black Women Lawyer's Association
Thad-A-Vision

I didn't have cable in Denver. These are some of the shows I missed.

The F*g Hag Dairies (sic)
Big Mouth and Knucklehead
Queen City Players
John Birch Society Presents
The G Spot
The LaRouche Connection
Colorado Out Spoken
Perils for Pedestrians
Otto Immune Rainbow
Brain Injury Speaker Series

 

[Runner]

We have a couple of satellite dishes on the roof so are not cable fans/customers. We don't have public access TV and from the sounds of it we are not missing much.

 

[donk]

I actively watch our cable access news show.

It is the only one that focuses exclusively on the province and tends to present things differently (and not too weird or off kilter) then the main stream media. However, it is main stream as rogers owns it.

I also watch some of the phone in shows, a photography show and when I know something interesting is on our council meetings.

 

[Jen]

On public Access! WHo Knew!
A local nut got national exposure for Tim's Area of Control on Grand Rapids Community media access cable. Yup he took his bored penis and created a puppet show, He was busted, i think his show is still on with the same bad jokes and singing.i imagine his penis puppetry was not the first in history, butwhat is up with this amateur hour?GRTV

 

[BKM]

Puppetry!

Heck, he should have adopted a plummy British or matey Australian accent (sorry British and Australians) and taken his "show" on the road to major theatres throughout the country. Maybe he could have had a "dialogue" with it

 

[donk]

Was the puppet's name monty?

 

[pete-rock]

... and people would watch this? Really? Would the songs change from time to time?

Here's some beauties that I pulled from the Chicago public access Web site:

Muhammad and Friends
Can I Step with You?
Taped with Rabbi Doug
3 Guys Pickin'
Reverend William Ripple
Black Nurses Association
The Bible is Right
Tropical Riddims and Beats
Let Us Talk About Jesus
Manhood Shelter
Prison Action Hotline
Jesus Saves to the Uttermost Hour
It's Time to Meditate
We're Geniuses in France
Black Women Lawyer's Association
Thad-A-Vision

You know, I've actually seen many of these. On Muhammad and Friends, this guy actually gets interviews with local political officials. The church shows are a hoot. And Thad-A-Vision is a weird talent/variety show with AWFUL talent.

 

[Mud Princess]

Polka videos!

Just happened to find this article on a public-access TV controversy in Johnstown, NY...

More public-access time for polka videos sought

Polka fans want more time to air videotapes of polka bands performing on public-access television. Joe LaGreca of Johnstown brought along a videographer, Joe "Polka Joe" Trzeciak of Clifton Park, and Scotia polka fan Joe Cintula to Monday's Common Council hearing on the city's contract renewal with Time Warner Cable, and all of them asked the city to ensure that more local time is allotted.

No decision was made.

LaGreca said he used to deliver Trzeciak's one-hour tapes to the station in Johnstown. But the broadcasts have recently been cut to 30 minutes....

Trzeciak offered testimonials from viewers and programmers in the region and said he also sends his tapes to about 20 public-access cable channels in New Jersey.

LaGreca said people in Johnstown used to call in and thank the local carrier for airing Polka Joe's tapes. "The people in Johnstown here, they really loved it," LaGreca said. "It'd be a good thing: There's a lot of Polish people here in Johnstown."

Cintula said Schenectady and Amsterdam broadcast public-access programming for many more hours than Johnstown.

Cintula said expanded hours here wouldn't have to be used solely for polkas. He said other shows would allow viewers to express their opinions on national or local government issues or on local functions.

George Smead, Time Warner regional government relations director, said the amount of programming time for each show is dictated by the available amount of time and the number of interested people. He said the company has to divide the time evenly among the users, taking into consideration the financing that is available....

Mayor Bob Schultz said he would do his best to address the issue before the council authorizes him to sign the new 10-year contract next month.

"Before I sign I will see if there's some way we can make that happen," Schultz said.