Program Categories

PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Different categories of Programs

Programs airing on our channels come from four different sources. They can be produced at AH by AH members; produced elsewhere in the community; produced by AH staff; or imported from outside the area but sponsored by a local resident. It is important to know what type of program you are presenting for playback, because there are specific responsibilities for each type of production.

• Access Productions are ones produced using AH equipment and/or facilities.

Access Productions include single time studio programs, a series, and individual field productions. Access Productions must have a designated Program Producer, a current AH member who assumes responsibility for initiating a program idea, finding certified crew, completing all applicable AH forms, supervising crew, talent and guests, and complying with AH rules and responsibilities. Series programs may have an assistant producer, but all other Access Productions must have a single designated Program Producer.

• Local Productions are programs submitted and produced by residents of Humboldt County (whether an AH member or not) that did not utilize AH facilities or equipment. Local Productions might include student work, documentaries made by a local resident, animation, community events, or short video projects. These programs may have been made at school, home, at another access center, or in a professional setting. Each Local Production must also have someone who completes the Request For Playback and assumes responsibility for the program. The content considerations spelled out above apply to Local Productions as they do to Access Productions.

AH expects and encourages community video producers to submit their work in order to find a venue for their programs. AH wants to expand its programming breadth, scope, and quality by actively soliciting videos produced by community members.

Local Productions will be scheduled and aired with the same priority as Access Productions. Local productions must be submitted on DVD.

• AH Productions are programs produced by AH staff, volunteers and/or interns working with AH. AH is also responsible for producing or obtaining programming, including acquisition of curated programming, covering local events, and creating local programming which may air on access channels. AH staff will produce some programs of community interest for free, as time and funds allow. In addition, AH will offer fee-based production services to governmental, nonprofit, and educational organizations.

• Import productions are those programs produced by a person or organization not residing in Humboldt County. Every Import Production must have a local resident who initiates and signs the Request for Playback Form, and who assumes complete liability and responsibility for the program content. This information will be a public record, and, upon requests from viewers, AH will provide the information to callers.

AH will continue to accept Imports. However, they will air less frequently than Access Productions, Local Productions, or AH Productions. They will be scheduled according to available airtime at the discretion of channel management. Imports that qualify as a series will also be scheduled according to available airtime. Import Productions must be either submitted on DVD or the submitter must pay AH a $5 fee to copy the program to DVD for playback.

Series Programming

A series is defined as programming with a common theme, format, length and title that is produced weekly, on alternating weeks, or monthly. Each program in a series must contain at least 75% new material. No more than 25% of the programs can be re-runs. A series can originate from any of our four program categories: Access Production, Local Production, AH Production, or Import.

Applying for Series Status and the Programming Seasons

Presenters may apply for New series status at any time. When series status is granted, a time slot will be reserved for that particular series program for the duration of that programming season. At the end of each programming season series time slots may be reassigned.

There will be two six-month long seasons per year. The first will begin February 1st of each year, and the second will begin August 1st of each year. Presenters who already have a series on AH and who wish to continue this series on the same time slot into the next season must reapply for Renewal of series status prior to the ending of the programming season that is in progress. There is however, no guarantee that their current time slot will continue into the next programming season.

In order to give priority to Presenters of New series, Presenters of existing series have a limited time to apply for Renewal of their series. Presenters applying for a Renewal of Series status for the Spring Season beginning February 1st must submit their application to AH as early as November 15th, and no later than December 15th. Presenters applying for a Renewal of their Series for the Fall Season beginning August 1st must submit their application as early as May 15th and no later than June 15th. Access Humboldt reserves the right to consider applications that arrive after deadline at its discretion.

Presenters of New series programs may apply for their desired time slot at any time during the season, upon approval of their series, and after they have successfully submitted three programs to Access Humboldt for Playback.. If the time slot applied for is already taken, the Presenter of the new series has the option of applying for a different time slot that is available at the time of his/her application, or s/he can choose to wait for the end of the current programming season to apply for their first choice of time slot.

Time slots for series will re re-assigned on a first come, first served basis. In the event two presenters submit their request at the same time, for the same time slot, priority will be given to newly approved local series. In the event both are new, local series, priority will be given to the person who is a new Presenter with AH.

Requests for series status will be honored if the producer has completed, submitted, and successfully cablecast three individual programs, thereby demonstrating ability to produce or provide programming that meets playback standards.

For each programming season, series producers may request a specific playback slot. AH staff will make every effort to honor the time slot request, but will also take into consideration other programming priorities as described at the outset of this chapter. Maintaining a consistent series time slot from season to season is not guaranteed.

Presenters must fill out an Application for Series in order to be considered for series status. In addition, Presenters must complete a Request for Playback form for each episode of their series.

AH reserves the right to determine time slots at its discretion. Presenters requesting for a series time slots are not guaranteed the time slot of their choice. Committed series time slots may be preempted at AH’s discretion in order to play programs that are timely, newsworthy or urgent.

Series Episode Cancellation

Presenters may cancel their series at any time

In order to maintain a regular series time slot, a producer must submit episodes as scheduled. Failure to submit two consecutive programs within a scheduled season may result in loss of the regular scheduled time slot and cancellation of the series.

PLAYBACK PRIORITIES, PROCESS, AND REQUIREMENTS

Priorities

AH staff will assign programs for playback with the goal of presenting a coherent schedule that maximizes fairness and diversity of expression, and which helps fulfill our mission. AH serves both producers and viewers and will work to develop schedules that are interesting, timely, logical and beneficial to the community. AH will reserve ample space for the individual voice, single-issue programs, and other non-series programming.

AH productions will qualify to air on any of the designated access channels. Programming submitted by accredited schools and educational institutions will qualify to air on channel 8, the channel designated for educational access. Programming submitted by government agencies will qualify to air on channel 10, the channel designated for government access. All other programming will qualify to air on channel 12, the channel designated for public access.

AH maintains the following general scheduling priorities:

• Access, Local, and AH Productions are the highest priority;

• new programs are favored over repeat ones;

• building a regular viewership with a viable programming schedule is important;

• AH has final authority in all scheduling determinations.

AH will attempt to honor specific requests, but specific channel time, studio slots, and equipment use commitments cannot be guaranteed.

AH reserves the right to preempt previously scheduled programming in order to cablecast programs that are time sensitive and are of general community interest and public importance.

Playback Scheduling Procedures

Requests for playback and DVDs must be submitted two weeks in advance of the desired cablecast date. At the discretion of staff, if the desired time slot is available, the two week submission rule may be waived to allow the timely cablecasting of time-sensitive or newsworthy events.

With the exception of live and series programs, channel time will not be scheduled until a program has been received with a corresponding completed and Signed Request for Playback form, and audio and video has been tested on AH playback equipment.

AH will air each Access, Local or AH Production at three scheduled times, preferably once at night, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.

AH will commit to air each Import Program once; additional airdates are at AH discretion.

Programs may be repeated and replayed more than the scheduled times at AH’s discretion and as space permits. AH reserves the right to replay programs produced by members on access channels, as appropriate. AH reserves the right to limit or deny re-runs within six months of original playback.

Programs containing adult material will air only in the “safe harbor” hours between 11 PM-5 AM and must contain both a visual and audio warning as previously described.

Subject to change without notice.

AH reserves the right to interpret and implement these policies at its own discretion in order to further AH's overall mission.

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