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Telecommunications giant exhibits diregard for town
By George Sampson
I would like to thank the Los Gatos Weekly-Times for its excellent coverage and editorial support of KCAT in our efforts to fight our forced relocation from Channel 6. Throughout this controversy KCAT has received a great deal of support from this community and it has been greatly appreciated.
AT&T, which recently took over the giant TCI cable company, has shown an appalling disregard for this community. Numerous requests to meet with KCAT and other public-access stations have been ignored.
Letters from the town attorney have gone unanswered. AT&T has not responded to requests to provide any legal citation for violating their franchise agreement that requires KCAT to remain on Channel 6. Instead they have claimed that federal "must carry" laws allow them to replace this local resource with San Jose commercial station KICU.
This appears to be a unique interpretation of the "must carry" laws, which were enacted to ensure that there was room on the cable for all local stations.
The attempt to move KCAT "up the dial" comes at a time when our station has just completed a near-total rebuild, adding new equipment that will allow for improved reception and giving us the ability to do high-quality studio productions. We have added the popular Classic Arts Showcase to our lineup and we continue to provide free publicity to local schools and nonprofit organizations. Yet AT&T's Andrew Johnson is quoted in your newspaper as saying of KCAT, "Perhaps their passions should be better-quality programming."
To Mr. Johnson I would say that we would be happy to compare KCAT's productions to anything produced by KICU. We would also be happy to compare KCAT's business practices and commitment to this community to those shown by AT&T.
People might wonder why KCAT is unwilling to give up our long-held dial position. There are several reasons; chief among them is our belief that cable Channel 6 rightfully belongs to the people of Los Gatos who have nurtured and supported this station since 1983. We also believe that it is not in the public interest for AT&T and KICU to, in effect, force their way into someone's home and order them to move to a less desirable location without offering fair and reasonable compensation. Channel 6 is prime television real estate. That's why KICU wants it. Unfortunately they do not seem willing to pay for it.
From the outset KCAT has been willing to negotiate. We have suggested a settlement package aimed at service to this community. We have suggested that AT&T and KICU use their resources to install cameras and cable drops at Los Gatos Town Hall so that KCAT can show City Council meetings and other civic events. We have suggested that AT&T replace the downtown Los Gatos cable drop, which the company took away earlier this year, that allows KCAT to broadcast events such as the annual Children's Christmas and Holiday Parade. In exchange we would be willing to consider a move to Channel 15, but AT&T has not budged.
We would much prefer an amicable settlement than one imposed by the courts. To be honest, as we are a small, under-funded public access station, the prospect of taking on the world's largest telecommunications company does not appeal to us. But AT&T, through its actions, has shown no inclination toward a fair solution that would benefit this community.
No matter what the outcome of this David and Goliath battle, KCAT is committed to providing a television service that serves the needs and celebrates the uniqueness of Los Gatos. We invite community organizations to take advantage of our free bulletin board service and we will continue to provide coverage of local events, provide vocational training for local youth, and produce and air programs that serve this community. If only our local cable franchisee could share in that community spirit.
George Sampson is station manager of KCAT.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
