Los Gatos Weekly-Times

KCAT pulls controversial series

By Dale Bryant

The town's community-access station has decided to pull from its lineup a television series called The New Voice of Freedom, which includes a neo-Nazi program produced in Canada.

In addition to a recent critical commentary about the neo-Nazi program by columnist Bob Aldrich in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, four others in the community voiced concern about the program to KCAT-TV, the public-access station made available by South Bay CableVision. During the program, Canadian host Ernst Zuendel claims the Holocaust never happened.

Three individuals said they were offended by the content of Zuendel's program. One, responding more to Aldrich's column than the program itself, expressed concern that removing offensive material would amount to censorship.

Still, the KCAT board is not taking the issue lightly. Board members agreed that the series will be removed from the KCAT lineup, effective immediately. Content of the program, however, is not the reason.

"Censorship is a very real concern," said Los Gatos Councilmember Joanne Benjamin, a KCAT board member. "Public-access stations cannot screen programming for content. For the board, the question was: Why were we giving air time to a show produced in Canada when our commitment is to provide local community access?"

One reason, said Diane Carlson, a longtime board member, was that Los Gatos High School, which is a source of much of the station's programming, has been without an instructor in the TV and video production classes. That left gaps in the station's programming.

Student producers are expected to become active again very soon, however, as the high school just last week hired Joe Lampkin to teach the two classes.

Carlson said that the public-access station's highest priority is for local community programming. "That's followed in importance by high-school programming, then the county and finally a wider circle," she said.

Programs from that "wider circle" come to the station on what's called a "bicycle." According to Carlson, they are shows that are produced on other community access stations that are thought to have a wider appeal.

The Zuendel piece, she explained, was only one part of a series of shows that dealt with a broad spectrum of issues. "If you only saw the Zuendel show, you would have had one impression, but if you watched the series regularly, it would have come across as a presentation of varied viewpoints."

That program is being replaced in the KCAT schedule by High School Network, a program produced and run by high-school students from across the nation. High School Network originated at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, where it continues to be put together.

One way that shows from outside the community get shown on local cable access is through a sponsorship program. "If someone in our community tells us they'd like us to run a program, that helps us decide that the show has local interest--one of our critieria," said Carlson.

The New Voice of Freedom was originally aired on KCAT because a local sponsor--no payment is involved in the sponsorship--had come forth. Recently, said Carlson, that person withdrew sponsorship of the program.