[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Crystal Lake 4-5-2005
by Ord. No. 5923 (Art. IV, Ch. III, Section IV, §§ 4.379
and 4.380). Amendments noted where applicable.]
The goal of Crystal Lake TV, the government-access channel for the City
of Crystal Lake, as well as electronic bulletin boards, and community bulletin
boards located in municipally owned, operated and/or maintained facilities,
is to provide the citizens of Crystal Lake with information about their government,
community and quality of life.
The purpose of these regulations is to provide guidelines for the use
of Crystal Lake TV, the government-access channel provided by the City of
Crystal Lake, as well as the electronic bulletin boards, and community bulletin
boards located in municipally owned, operated and/or maintained facilities.
Crystal Lake TV is a government channel as provided for in the Cable Communications
Policy Act of 1984 (47 CFR 531). This federal legislation establishes government
channels, educational channels and public channels for use by each of the
corresponding broad groups. Because Crystal Lake TV is a government channel,
there is no legal requirement to broadcast any type of programming that is
not government-sponsored. Crystal Lake TV is committed to programming that
helps residents learn more about City programs, services, their neighbors
and about important issues facing the area in general. The City's electronic
bulletin boards and community bulletin boards serve the same purpose and objectives
as the City's government-access channel.
The objectives of the government-access channel are:
A.
To serve as an ongoing source of government information
for the citizens of Crystal Lake.
B.
To increase public knowledge of the functions and responsibilities
of City government, and of the functions of the various departments, commissions,
committees and City Council.
C.
To serve as an information center in the case of a local
emergency situation; i.e., weather, fire, crime, etc.
D.
To supplement the ongoing communications between the
City of Crystal Lake and its residents.
A.
Crystal Lake TV is an operating branch of the City Manager's
office. City Manager's office staff is responsible for programming activities
and program schedules, which are established based on direction from the City
Manager and in accordance with these guidelines adopted by the City Council.
B.
The City Manager's office staff is responsible for approving
items to be posted on community bulletin boards located in municipally owned,
operated and maintained facilities.
A.
Crystal Lake TV, the electronic bulletin boards, and
community bulletin boards will provide information to the citizens of Crystal
Lake concerning the functions, activities, programs and issues of the City.
The channel and boards are not intended to be used as a political forum by
an individual or group, nor as a mechanism for building exclusive support
for a particular person, program or issue. Use of the channel and boards shall
be governed by the operating procedures as set forth herein, and by the rules
of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as they may apply to operations
of Crystal Lake TV.
B.
The City Manager's office staff reserves the right to
review all programs and postings, proposed and/or completed, to determine
compliance with programming regulations and channel purpose, objectives, priorities,
restrictions, and access policy. Any program or posting under consideration
may be accepted as presented, may be turned down completely, or may be given
conditional approval. Notification of approval, conditional approval or denial
shall be in writing.
C.
In the case of conditional approval, a program or posting
may be deemed appropriate and worthy, except for stated objectionable or offensive
program portions, which will be listed as needing revision or deletion from
the program or posting. The presenter of the program will then have the option
of making all specified changes or withdrawing the program or posting from
consideration altogether. All submitted material must be provided in broadcast
quality in technical standards determined by City Manager's office staff,
and be accompanied by fully completed forms whenever applicable.
D.
Appeals regarding denied programming or posting of messages
on the electronic or community bulletin boards may be submitted to the City
Manager for review. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the City Manager
at the following address:
|
City Manager
100 W. Municipal Complex
P.O. Box 597
Crystal Lake, IL 60039-0597
ATTN: Channel Programming Appeal
|
E.
The City of Crystal Lake is only responsible for programming
and/or information posted on electronic and community bulletin boards sponsored
and produced by the City.
Programming on Crystal Lake TV will fall into one of the following programming
categories, listed by scheduling priority:
A.
Emergency. This may consist of live, taped or alphanumeric
text programming, shown at any time, as emergency dictates. The purpose of
this programming will be to inform residents of emergency situations, and
to instruct viewers in evacuation, detour, notification and escape procedures
or measures involving the protection of public health and safety. In the case
of an emergency, regularly scheduled programming may be interrupted or canceled.
The content and scheduling of any emergency programming must be approved by
the City Manager, or his or her designee.
B.
Broadcast of City of Crystal Lake City Council Meetings.
Live coverage of City of Crystal Lake City Council meetings takes place on
a biweekly basis, or more often or less often as necessary. Meetings are aired
gavel-to-gavel without editing or editorial comment, and may be rebroadcast.
C.
City of Crystal Lake programming. This includes programs
and series produced or acquired by the City of Crystal Lake. Programs will
be directly related to City issues or City government-sponsored programs and
services. Programs will be informative in nature.
D.
Crystal Lake taxing bodies and quasi-governmental entities
programming. This includes programs and series produced or acquired by taxing
bodies located in Crystal Lake and Crystal Lake quasi-governmental entities
including educational institutions. A quasi-governmental entity is one that
has the ability to tax or receives funding from the City. Programs will be
directly related to City issues or local taxing bodies or quasi-governmental
sponsored programs and services. Programs will be informative in nature. Crystal
Lake taxing bodies and quasi-governmental entities are (including, but not
limited to) Algonquin Township, Nunda Township, Door Township, Grafton Township,
Crystal Lake Park District, Crystal Lake Public Library, Elementary School
District 47, Community High School District 155, McHenry County College, Downtown
Crystal Lake Main Street, and the Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District.
E.
County, regional, state and national governmental programming.
This includes programs and series produced or acquired by county, regional,
state and national governments. Programs will be directly related to City
of Crystal Lake issues or governmentally sponsored programs and services available
to Crystal Lake residents. Programs will be informative in nature.
F.
Other government-related programming. Other government-related
programming from outside sources may be telecast on Crystal Lake TV. Such
programming will be screened for suitability and compliance with channel purpose,
objectives, access regulations, and programming restrictions, and is subject
to approval by City Manager's office staff for scheduling on Crystal Lake
TV. Programs will be directly related to City issues or government-sponsored
programs and services. Programming by any individual or entity not an official
branch of the City of Crystal Lake may be allowed if the event or program
to be taped or shown is cosponsored by the City or other Crystal Lake governmental
bodies. An example of an additional eligible source of other government programming
is PACE.
G.
Crystal Lake TV electronic bulletin board. Alphanumeric
is a bulletin board style text service used to display City government related
messages to the public. Message content and decisions on message suitability
will be governed by channel purpose, objectives, access regulations and programming
regulations and is subject to approval by City Manager's office staff.
A.
The City of Crystal Lake recognizes the programming content
restrictions imposed on Crystal Lake TV by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) regulations, by prevailing community standards, and by applicable federal,
state and local laws. In particular, Crystal Lake TV will not cast, or allow
to be cablecast, any programming containing the following:
(1)
Paid advertising material in which commercial appeals
for funds are made. Grants for programming purposes shall not be considered
as advertising. Paid advertising material includes, but is not limited to,
advertising by or on behalf of a candidate for public office or program material
made available without charge by persons, corporations, or institutions which
have a commercial interest in the subject matter. This provision shall not
prevent the identification of persons or institutions providing grants or
contributions, or other support to underwrite the cost of programs unrelated
to the commercial interests of the donor or to programs which have a public
interest overriding the private commercial interests.
(2)
Copyrighted material, unless clearances for use have
been obtained, and written proof of such clearance can be presented.
(3)
Programming which is prohibited by applicable federal,
state or local laws.
B.
In the case of programs deemed to be worthy or of social
or artistic value, but also containing some program content or language that
may be considered offensive to some viewers, the following message may be
run prior to the program, and during any natural program break:
|
"The following program has been deemed worthy of cablecast on Crystal
Lake TV, but contains language or other program content that may be offensive
to some viewers. Viewer discretion and parental guidance are advised."
|
Declared candidates for any elective public office, political incumbents
and persons advocating any cause, viewpoint or policy, proposed or otherwise,
will not be eligible to appear on Crystal Lake TV. Candidate forums, candidate
debate/discussions, and "town hall" meetings will not be aired on Crystal
Lake TV. Candidates for public office or incumbents may appear on Crystal
Lake TV if the appearance is incidental to presentation of the subject matter
or in coverage of official City meetings such as City Council meetings. Crystal
Lake TV and City Manager's office staff will make every effort to ensure that
any appearance by any political candidate or incumbent on Crystal Lake TV
will abide by these restrictions, and will tailor such appearances so as to
minimize the fact of their candidacy.
Information posted on community bulletin boards located in municipally
owned, operated and/or maintained facilities will fall into one of the following
categories:
A.
Emergency. The purpose of this posting will be to inform
residents of emergency situations and to instruct viewers in evacuation, detour,
notification and escape procedures or procedures for the protection of public
health and safety. In the case of an emergency, other posted information may
be removed. The content of any emergency posting must be approved by the City
Manager or his or her designee.
B.
City of Crystal Lake postings. This includes information
regarding and/or produced by the City of Crystal Lake. Postings will be directly
related to City issues or City government-sponsored programs and services.
Postings will be informative in nature.
C.
Crystal Lake taxing bodies and quasi-governmental entities
postings. This includes information regarding and produced by taxing bodies
located in Crystal Lake and Crystal Lake quasi-governmental entities including
educational institutions. A quasi-governmental entity is one that has the
ability to tax or receives funding from the City. Postings will be directly
related to City issues or local taxing bodies or quasi-governmental sponsored
programs and services. Postings will be informative in nature. Crystal Lake
taxing bodies and quasi-governmental entities are (including, but not limited
to) Algonquin Township, Nunda Township, Door Township, Grafton Township, Crystal
Lake Park District, Crystal Lake Public Library, Elementary School District
47, Community High School District 155, McHenry County College, Downtown Crystal
Lake Main Street, and the Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District.
D.
County, regional, state and national governmental postings.
This includes information regarding or produced by county, regional, state
and national governments. Postings will be directly related to City of Crystal
Lake issues or governmentally sponsored programs and services available to
Crystal Lake residents. Postings will be informative in nature.
E.
Other government-related postings.
(1)
Other government-related postings from outside sources
may be posted on community bulletin boards. Postings will be screened for
suitability and compliance with board purpose, objectives, access regulations,
and restrictions, and is subject to approval by City Manager's office staff.
Postings will be directly related to City issues or governmental sponsored
programs and services. Postings by any individual or entity not an official
branch of the City of Crystal Lake may be allowed if the event or program
is cosponsored by the City or other Crystal Lake governmental bodies. An example
of an additional eligible source of other government programming is PACE.
(2)
Any posting containing the following will not be posted
on the City's electronic bulletin board or community bulletin boards:
(a)
Paid advertising material in which commercial appeals
for funds are made. Paid advertising material includes, but is not limited
to, advertising by or on behalf of a candidate for public office or program
material made available without charge by persons, corporations, or institutions
which have a commercial interest in the subject matter. This provision shall
not prevent the identification of persons or institutions providing grants
or contributions or other support to underwrite the cost of programs or messages
unrelated to the commercial interests of the donor or to programs or messages
which have a public interest overriding the private commercial interests.
(b)
Copyrighted material, unless clearances for use have
been obtained, and written proof of such clearance can be presented.
(c)
Information prohibited by applicable federal, state or
local laws.
(d)
Information regarding candidates for any elective public
office, political incumbents and persons advocating any cause, viewpoint or
policy, proposed or otherwise, will not be posted. Candidates for public office
or incumbents may appear on posted materials if the appearance is incidental
to presentation of the subject matter; or in coverage of official City meetings
such as City Council meetings. City Manager's office staff will make every
effort to ensure that any appearance by any political candidate or incumbent
will abide by these restrictions.
Crystal Lake TV is a government-access channel, as outlined in the Federal
Cable Communications Act of 1984 (47 CFR 531), created for the dissemination
of government-related information to the viewing public. Access to the channel
may range from submitting a public service announcement for the Crystal Lake
TV electronic bulletin board to submitting a VHS or DVD program for playback.
In each case, proper procedures must be followed before access will be provided.
A.
Crystal Lake TV electronic bulletin board procedures.
(1)
All City departments may submit public service messages
to be displayed in alphanumeric text form on Crystal Lake TV during nonprogramming
hours. All messages must be submitted in writing, and must be submitted at
least five working days prior to the requested start date. Electronic bulletin
board request forms for this service are available from the City Manager's
office.
(2)
Messages submitted by a City department must be approved
by the City Manager's office staff.
(3)
Messages are prepared by City Manager's office staff
on a "character generator" and appear on the Crystal Lake TV screen a "page"
at a time. Messages should be concise and should contain basic information
concerning what, when, where, how, and how much. Messages should be limited
to approximately eight brief lines. If necessary, City Manager's office staff
will edit the message to improve readability, to make it fit on one page,
or to ensure message is grammatically correct.
(4)
All submitted messages must be accompanied by the name
and phone number of a contact person, and whether or not that information
is to appear in the message. Submissions should include desired start and
end dates.
(5)
No classified ads, other than City of Crystal Lake job
postings or commercial messages, will be allowed.
(6)
Submission of a public service message request does not
in any way guarantee its appearance on Crystal Lake TV. Suitability for this
channel and compliance with City policies will be determined by the City Manager's
office. The date of input and the length of run of any message will be determined
by staff availability and channel capacity.
(7)
Every attempt will be made to input all messages received
by Crystal Lake TV from City departments. In the case that channel capacity
is at a peak, messages will be carried a maximum of three days each, and on
a first-come-first-served basis, with the following priorities:
B.
Community bulletin board procedure.
(1)
All messages must be submitted in writing to the City
Manager's office, including a contact person's name, address and phone number.
Messages must be submitted at least five working days prior to the requested
posting date.
(2)
All submitted messages must be accompanied by the name,
address and phone number of a contact person, and whether or not that information
is to appear in the message. Submissions should include desired start and
end dates for posting.
(3)
Submission of a posting request does not in any way guarantee
its appearance on a community bulletin board. Suitability and compliance with
City policies will be determined by the City Manager's office. The City retains
the right to edit any submitted message for reasons of style and length.
(4)
No classified ads, other than City of Crystal Lake job
postings, or commercial messages will be allowed.
C.
Event playback procedure.
(1)
To request playback of an event by Crystal Lake TV, the
applicant must contact the City Manager's office for a Crystal Lake TV programming
request form.
(2)
The Crystal Lake TV programming request form should be
submitted a minimum of five working days prior to the requested playback date.
(3)
A request originating from any City department must be
approved by the City Manager's office staff.
(4)
Submission of a Crystal Lake TV programming request form
does not in any way guarantee approval of applicant's request.
(5)
Completed programs and all work footage shall be the
sole property of the City of Crystal Lake.
D.
City Hall, Council Chambers and Control Room/Studio Usage
Procedures. Allowed use of City Hall or Council Chambers for meetings, discussions,
informational sessions or other forums, when granted by the City's policy
regarding the use of City Hall, does not include or imply use of video equipment
for broadcast or taping.
E.
City Manager's office staff will consider each electronic
bulletin board or event playback request based on:
F.
Emergency procedures. Emergency programming is to be
originated by the City Manager's office, police, fire, public works or other
emergency personnel and authorized only by the City Manager or designee. Only
trained personnel are allowed to access the equipment to broadcast an authorized
emergency bulletin. Under no circumstances will access to Crystal Lake TV
for emergency communication be granted to anyone who does not have the proper
authority to initiate procedures.
Individuals wanting copies of programming played on Crystal Lake TV
must complete a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) form for copies. Costs associated
with programming reproduction will be based on current costs of reproduction
at the time of request.
