The Town of Oyster Bay is in the process of re-newing their franchise agreement with Cablevision. On April 7, there will be a public hearing that is part of that process, at which local residents will have an opportunity to let the Oyster Bay Town Board know what they want to receive from Cablevision now and in the future.

The last 10-year franchise contract expired last year, and Cablevision service continues under temporary operating authority pending decisions of the town board. Cablevision has been negotiating with the town for over a year. They have been in negotiation with the Town of North Hempstead since 1996, and they still do not have a contract with them.

Reports filed with the town by Cablevision indicate a total of more than 65,000 Cablevision subscribers in the town, (not including the villages, which have separate agreements). The reports said Cablevision's subscriber and advertising receipts from Oyster Bay for the year ending June 1997 amounted to about $35 million. The town currently receives 3 percent of that amount as its franchise fee, which last year amounted to about $1 million. The proposed contract would increase the fee to 5 percent, a rate already in effect in Cablevision agreements elsewhere on Long Island.

The Public Access Movement of Long Island, an association of access program producers, is seeking improved franchise arrangements "To make it easier and less costly to put community programs on the air," said PAM coordinator Robert Goldberg of Jericho. Mr. Goldberg will be among the speakers at the April 7 hearing. He said most Oyster Bay residents are not even aware of community access programming and do not know they have the right to use a Cablevision channel to reach their neighbors.

Charles Gaulkin of Oyster Bay has been working with Mr. Goldberg to promote public access television. He and Mr. Goldberg asked Shirley Ann Bruno of Public Access Television Corporation, (located in Great Neck and serving Great Neck and Manhasset) to attend the last town board meeting on March 24, to talk about public access.

Mr. Gaulkin said, "We hope it would be possible to achieve what they have in Great Neck and Easthampton - at the far end of Long Island. We have a great system across the water in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, and in Boston there is great public access, yet, they don't want to provide them here and still - this is Chuck Dolan's hometown." Charles Dolan, former CEO of Cablevision, lives in Cove Neck. His son James Dolan is the current CEO of the company.

Although Mr. Gaulkin asked the councilman to allow Ms. Bruno to speak at 7 p.m., at the beginning of the meeting, she had to wait until 11:30 p.m. for the public comment portion of the meeting - after four public hearings.

Ms. Bruno came to explain what other areas receive in their contracts with Cablevision - the only cable company on Long Island. "Shirley was really very sharp and very knowledgeable about it," said Mr. Gaulkin.

He too is very knowledgeable about the rights the FCC ensures for the public. He said Cablevision should put a phone number for public access on the screen, during their broadcast time.

"They want scheduling information 7 days notice in advance, but the law says they can't put country music on as a replacement for a public access program, as long as they have 3 days notice," said Mr. Gaulkin. The process should be easily accessible to the pubic and easy to integrate into by PAT producers.

For your information, the Town of Oyster Bay has the proposed renewal agreement on file at the office of the town clerk at both Oyster Bay and Massapequa and it may be viewed daily (except Saturday, Sunday and Holidays) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.

Shirley Ann Bruno, executive director of the Public Television Corporation (PATC) of Great Neck executive director, in a telephone interview, Ms. Bruno explained that "PATC is a 501c-3, not for profit corporation that administers the public access channel - Channel 49 in our area. We also give training workshops to community residents that enable them to use public access so they can create programs. We also share a studio with Cablevision, they use it for local programs and public access programs use it."

The Public Access Movement (PAM) is a group of producers who formed an organization to go to town officials in the process of going to contract with cable systems, to ask for what they have received from PAMC, which is equipment and facilities - a studio and editing equipment so the material they create on their own can be shown on television.

Mr. Gaulkin filmed the entire Western Waterfront presentation before the Oyster Bay Town Board. She said he should be able to send it to Cablevision to be shown on Channel 80 - "If you have a channel in Oyster Bay."

In the Great Neck/Manhasset area there is a 77 Channel system. "People should see it. Here we have had school programming and individual producers since 1984."

She brought a clip-tape of their programming for the past year. The board took it to view later, she said.

"In spreading the word, I also told them the Town of North Hempstead is in the process of negotiating their franchise. I told them to call May Newberger and see what they are doing," said Ms. Bruno.

She said that night they were setting a meeting date for a public hearing. "Unfortunately, they set a meeting date of April 7 at 10 a.m. which might not be convenient for residents to attend."

But, she said the public hearing is the first step: rates, programming, service are other issues involved in the cable franchise.

"You can complain about the rates, but the federal government has deregulated the cable industry. Even if they are a monopoly, which they are, they can do what they want. There isn't another cable company to come out to Long Island - and we have looked for them!

"In Queens, there are three cable companies that provide service."

She called it a beautiful community access program, heavily and richly funded by these cable companies. York College and Queens College have million dollar facilities and equipment. They have four community access channels, she said.

Ms. Bruno was candid about the beginnings of public access programs. In the past, there have been obscene programs but when they are community-run, not-for-profits running them, as they are in the other boroughs, with equipment and training, the standards rise.

"Here we have students from high school and colleges come and be trained. Sometimes they are from junior high. We are a neighborhood organization. I can say, 'I know your teachers, your parents,' when you have that community involvement - that you are working alongside of your neighbors, the level of programming rises to the level of the community."

An asset of public access programs is that they don't have to interest millions of viewers, but just that segment of the community interested in the subject matter.

In the case of the waterfront meeting Mr. Gaulkin filmed, not all communities would find it interesting, but people in the Town of Oyster Bay would.

She said PATC will have an April 22 show about volunteer firefighters. Two local men are award winners and will be honored in the annual ceremony at Uniondale High School. There will be a crew of public access volunteers filming the event, but using a Cablevision truck. Those PA volunteers are also firefighters, from age 17 to 50, "So that is unbelievable programming," she said. "That is what Bob Goldberg and Charles Gaulkin are interested in seeing happen in the Town of Oyster Bay."

Ms. Bruno said the town board members were concerned about rates and frachise fees. "I am going back to the experts in Washington to get answers to their questions."

She is on the cable advisory negotiating committee for PACT and for North Hempstead. "For whatever reasons," she said, North Hempstead had a public hearing in 1996, and they still do not have a single agreement.

"I know Supervisor May Newberger is doing everything she can to come to an agreement to a franchise," she said. Ms. Newberger and the schools want a channel. PATC has two school channels, one for Great Neck and one for Manhasset.

"There, Cablevision proposed one channel to be shared with county music, and government and public education and public access. In Great Neck we have eight channels: a public community bulletin board, government access, an adult education channel, a regular school district channel for Great Neck and Manhasset schools each, a library channel, a park district channel and a public access channel and local origination, which is the cable company's local program in our area.

"Ours are not-for-profit, no commercials. We have public service announcements for things like "no smoking." They do have corporations that fund them and get announcements that say "This program has been brought to you by ....."

Ms. Bruno was proud of a program produced by a senior citizen; an interview with the Grandparents Association for Autistic Children. From that one show they are now up to about 8 or 9 hours of programs about autistic services - what is available.

"People are calling from all over the tri-state area looking for these tapes. Two of the series are on research. They may not be slick Channel 7 presentations, but the content you can't duplicate. Public access has the time to meet the needs of the community."

There are also two Oyster Bay students who use the PATC facilities. "Colleges ask for tapes of their work. They come here. I never say no to a student. The schools know they are coming. I give them community service credit."

Currently involved are Courtney Russell a graduating senior of Oyster Bay High School who is going to Elon College and Donavan Sell, an OBHS graduate, now a student at the Five Towns College. He produces "Stu's Hot Rod Shop" and Courtney works on it. It is about repairing cars - with a blend of rock music and classic cars.

Ms. Bruno's advice to residents is to "Talk up, be a good shopper, know what questions to ask and their answers. You have to learn. You cannot be isolated. You have to know what other communities are getting and it's hard to know that. There is a 5 percent franchise fee that is standard throughout this state. (Three percent is not standard.)

In Great Neck, in 1991, they tried to get 5 percent but instead they received 4 percent: 3 percent goes to the village and 1 percent goes to not-for-profit and Cablevision gave certain sums of money to promote PA and to help the organization grow.

The PATC has an operating budget of $180,000 which includes donations. Funding is partly through franchise fees and is added to by contributions and membership donations.

Her question to Oyster Bay was, "Will the town council say they will give 1 percent to public access?"

She said people get worried that Cablevision will raise rates. She said the town board should be able to say that Cablevision will not raise rates, but, they are not regulated, and they can charge whatever they want to charge.

"You really need a channel and facilities from Cablevision and hopefully the town will see how important it is to see the PA movement growing. At least if you have those two items the town will see people come out and volunteering. Then they might be willing to fund a group."

Ms. Bruno was pleased that Anton Newspapers publishes their schedule weekly. An example is that Temple Beth El, tapes their services, for people who are sick and can't get out. They also cover Easter and Passover programs. They are done by a local priest and rabbi. "These are our people talking about our special issues. In Manhasset they are taping the school spring concerts. The Manhasset American Legion is taping their service awards."

With that food for thought, remember the meeting is on April 7, in the town hall hearing room. You are asked to fill out a name and address to make it easier to call people up to the microphone. For more information call 624-6380.