The future of Denton’s public access television channel could come down to a fight between a six-year-old nonprofit media organization and the University of North Texas’ journalism school.

A five-year-old telecommunications franchise agreement between the city of Denton and Charter Communications grants the cable company management and operations responsibilities for the local public access channel. The agreement expires Dec. 31.

Betty Williams, the city’s director of administrative services, said city officials are looking for a third party to review the proposals to take over the public access channel — Channel 25 on Charter cable, Channel 38 on Verizon FiOS.

DRC/David Minton

Carol Hillendahl, left, Tania Khalaf, Josh Butler and Scott Gunn of Texas Filmmakers are shown Saturday in Denton. The nonprofit media company and the University of North Texas’ journalism school have both made proposals to take over Denton’s public access channel.

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“When so many people showed up the other night, the council figured we needed an independent party to look at both proposals. We want to be fair,” Williams said. “The bottom line is we want to keep public access television. We don’t want it to go away. We’re not dragging our feet. We want it decided sooner rather than later.”

Texas Filmmakers, a nonprofit Denton media company, presented its 86-page “Denton Open Media” proposal to the City Council on Tuesday, which would revolutionize the local public access channel. The proposal includes plans for a downtown media center, with a studio, digital equipment rental for organization members and residents, and ongoing training workshops in both television and Internet media.

The proposal requests $1.4 million in public, education and government (PEG) funds over 11 years. The funds are collected as a franchise fee by three cable media companies serving Denton — Charter, Verizon and Grande.

“I’ve been working on this for three years,” said Josh Butler, founder of Texas Filmmakers. Butler is also the public access coordinator for Charter Communications and director of Thin Line Film Fest, the only documentary film festival in Texas, held each year in Denton.

“I’ve been wanting Texas Filmmakers to take over the public access channel ever since the franchise law changed,” he said.

Butler, who graduated from UNT with a degree in radio, television and film, said he was surprised to learn the city was already in talks with the university, discussing an agreement that would move the public access studio from the Charter Communications office on Industrial Street to the General Academic Building on campus.

“I haven’t seen the proposal,” Butler said. “I’d love to see it. I think the citizens of Denton deserve to see it. I think the future of public access television deserves input from citizens.”

UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism gave its three-page proposal to the Denton Record-Chronicle after the newspaper requested a copy. The proposal calls for a channel run by faculty and students in partnership with Denton residents. The proposal would use an undisclosed amount of PEG funds to launch the channel.

Mitch Land, the interim dean of the journalism school, said City Manager George Campbell sent him a letter inviting the school to consider managing the public access channel.

“He was impressed with the work our students have done with the city in Denton Ventures, and with the work we’ve done with DTV,” Land said.

DTV is the city-run government channel. It broadcasts council meetings and public work sessions. Students from the journalism school produce Denton Ventures, a show that features local entrepreneurs. Journalism students serve internships with the city to write, shoot, edit and anchor programming on the government channel.

Land said the university program has everything the city needs to keep broadcasting a public access channel to its residents. He cited a department studio, equipment and a steady corps of students who can act as producers and liaisons to both city and residential public access users.

Nann Goplerud, interim chairwoman of the UNT news department, said the university also has a stable of faculty at the disposal of a public access channel.

“We’re talking about a deep knowledge of this industry,” Goplerud said. “Myself and several other faculty members have spent years in television and news, and we’re prepared to put that to use for a public access channel. We can provide this service for the city. We want to do it.”

The principal difference between the proposals is money. Texas Filmmakers doesn’t have the money to take over the channel. The Mayborn School of Journalism could assume operation of the channel in January.

“Our proposal doesn’t ask for any general-fund money,” Butler said. “Ultimately, Texas Filmmakers is willing to step it up and get underwriting.”

Another major difference between the proposals is community involvement. Texas Filmmakers proposes a media center run by a small staff and volunteers who would mentor citizen journalists, commentators and television producers.

“Texas Filmmakers has given public access to camera equipment, a suite of editing and production services and training since we started this thing six years ago,” Butler said. “No one else in Denton does that. No one else offers that kind of service to the public.”

The Mayborn proposal doesn’t mention equipment or software access.

“Right now, in terms of citizens using our editing and camera equipment — no. That’s not part of the proposal right now. That equipment has to be purchased from the department budget, and it isn’t available for public use. It’s for student use,” Goplerud said.

Goplerud said she’d be willing to be in on a discussion about public access to equipment and software in the future.

“This isn’t just us doing this. The public is welcome and invited to produce content,” Goplerud said. “Let’s say they wanted to do a political talk show. They tell us what they need. They book a time, they come into the studio, and our students would be available to run cameras and get lights and mics set up. They do their show and then we put it together and broadcast it.”

The UNT proposal includes media workshops for residents, professionals and students taught by industry professionals and faculty members.

The university doesn’t have policies and procedures for residents yet. Texas Filmmakers’ proposal includes policies, procedures, rentals rates and content rating guidelines.

“I want greater open access to the public airwaves,” Butler said. “Look at the resources the city has put toward green space. The city has worked with commercial entities to create green space that all people can use. Why not use the same approach to public airwaves? Electronic media is growing — fast. Texas Filmmakers is in the perfect position to manage public access, and to integrate electronic media into the public airwaves.”

Butler said the proposal benefits the nonprofit, too.

“I’ll be honest with you; I want Texas Filmmakers to grow. I want to see it get more membership — a lot more,” he said. “I can get more members if this proposal were to go through.”

Butler and several public access TV hosts addressed Denton City Council members Tuesday night, asking them to support the filmmakers’ proposal.

Theresa Westbrook, who produces Christian programming, said she worried UNT would be focused more on its own activities and programs rather than the community as a whole if it ran the channel. Dale Branum, who hosts a show on organic gardening, said the Texas Filmmakers proposal would ensure public access TV would be open to all residents.

Several council members said they wanted a separate meeting on the topic and asked city staff to provide more research, including an accounting of where PEG funds had been spent.

Williams said the meeting date hasn’t been set, but that the city wants to hold a session soon.

Land said the journalism school’s proposal is a “win-win” for town and gown. Undergraduate journalism students and graduate students in the Frank W. Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism get hands-on media experience, he said. The experience they’d gain in public access TV would be invaluable when they graduate and start looking for media jobs. 

“This is not a done deal. Nobody has pulled the trigger on this,” Land said. “The city will benefit because they have a competent manager for their five PEG channels. We have accountable operators. We have two producers who work for [KXAS-TV] Channel 5 and [WFAA-TV] Channel 8.

“It would be an outlet for students. It’s an opportunity to have a laboratory for them. If the city decides there are other partnerships it would like to pursue, we’re supportive of that. We can do this, though, and we want to.”

LUCINDA BREEDING can be reached at 940-566-6877. Her e-mail address is cbreeding@dentonrc.com.

DENTON AND TEXAS FRANCHISE REGULATION

Before 2005:

* Cable TV operators negotiate franchise agreements with Texas cities for “right of way,” to run lines and access utilities. City governments are franchise authorities under state law.

* Franchise agreements require cable operators to pay a fee to the city governments. In Denton, Charter Communications collects 50 cents per customer monthly. The fee is paid to the city as the public, education and government (PEG) fund.

* Cities are allowed to regulate cable rates. Denton halts this practice to accommodate vibrant satellite television commerce.

* Telephone companies start offering television and Internet service. These companies are not subject to franchise agreements.

In 2005:

* Senate Bill 5 streamlines the franchising process for cable operators. New operators, like Verizon, have to file an application with the state to provide television service. Upon approval from the Public Utilities Commission, those operators get a certificate under state franchise law. Contracts with Texas municipal governments aren’t required.

* Certificate requires those companies to pay a municipal franchise fee, collecting 50 cents per month from each customer for the city. Verizon and Grande Communications begin to collect the fee from Denton customers.

* Companies that serve fewer than 40 percent of the local market are permitted to opt out of municipal franchise agreements and apply through the state to offer services.

After 2005:

* Charter Communications applies for a state franchise agreement and is approved. Its municipal franchise agreement with Denton expires at the end of 2010. Its public access management ends Dec. 31.

SOURCE: Charter Communications

PEG FUNDS

The Federal Communications Commission restricts the use of public, education and government funds. Funds can be used to buy additional PEG production equipment, capital and other lawful PEG purposes.

The city of Denton could use PEG funds to remodel a room for public, educational or government use. City officials have consulted the legal department to find out if PEG money can be used to rent or buy space for a public access TV operation.

No taxpayer dollars support city-owned public television channels, and residents who don’t subscribe to cable television service do not pay franchise fees.

SOURCE: City of Denton

DENTON’S PEG CHANNELS

DTV: city government channel broadcasting City Council meetings

Denton Access: public access — Channel 25 on Charter, Channel 39 on Verizon

NTTV: News and information about the University of North Texas

TWU access: news and information about Texas Woman’s University

Denton ISD access: news and information about Denton schools

PROPOSAL HIGHLIGHTS

The Texas Filmmakers proposal includes:

* Eventual rebranding of public access TV as Denton Open Media

* 6,000-square-foot building as an anchor to a bigger mixed-use development. The center would have a 3,000-square-foot studio with room for an audience; a 600-square-foot studio; editing suites; editing labs and classrooms; and dressing rooms, offices and a screening venue.

* Denton Open Media Online, a website with social networking and automated online distribution system, including sharing and downloading mechanisms. Users could create their own online channels to share video with other users.

* Programming covering health, the environment, news and public information, documentary, youth voices, narrative and experimental.

The University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism proposal includes:

* Existing studios, with a larger studio under renovation.

* Establishment of a community advisory board reflecting the city’s diversity.

* Playback equipment.

* Free and affordable production training in camera use, editing and social media.