Cable TV

Broadcast television became widely available across the United States in the 1950s, when radio-wave based broadcast stations became the primary medium for accessing and influencing public opinion and national culture. Cable television was invented in 1948 by Leroy Ed Parsons and was first used primarily to expand the reach of broadcast networks. From 1948 to 1952, the Federal Communications Commission put a freeze on television licenses to re-evaluate frequency allocations and avoid overcrowding and channel disruption. The popularity of cable TV exploded in the 1970s and 1980s when industry deregulation expanded the breadth of cable TV infrastructure. Expansion of major cable stations, including HBO in 1972, Showtime in 1976, and ESPN in 1979 increased consumer demand.

Public Hearing on the Award of a Cable TV Franchise Serving the Central Area

On May 18, 1982, the Seattle City Council’s Parks and Community Resources Committee held a public hearing to evaluate bids on a cable TV franchise serving the Central Area. The Central Area was the last major Seattle neighborhood to receive cable network infrastructure, and the City contract required respondents to fill out a questionnaire outlining the stated priorities of "minority" ownership, high levels of service to the community, and local involvement. Seven companies submitted proposals to the City, three of whom were represented at this meeting (Citizens Cablevision Corporation, Clearview TV Cable of Seattle Inc., and Barton Cable Television of Seattle). The following day, the council heard testimony from the other four companies that submitted bids, Emerald City, Inner City Communications, Teleprompter, and C-Com Cablevision. Two years after this council meeting, the Cable Communications Act of 1984 further deregulated federal television policies, increasing the popularity of subscription cable TV across the United States.

Testimony

Juan Huey Ray - Seattle Human Rights Department (listen to audio)
My name is Juan Huey Ray with the Seattle Human Rights Department. I just wanted to comment briefly with respect to the preparation of the report, which was submitted to the Office of Cable Communications on the selection for a cable communications franchise in the Central Franchise District.

There were - excuse me, the department became involved subsequent to the receipt of the proposals by the Office of Cable Communications in February. The focus of the department's review was limited to the ownership and control aspects, commitment to utilization of women and minority business enterprises, EEO and affirmative action policies, either in place or proposed for the franchise.

In doing so, the department utilized the practices and procedures that are ordinarily used by the department in review of women and minority owned businesses, as those businesses are defined by the Ordinance 109113, Women and Minority Business Utilization Ordinance. We solicited information, more clarifying information from the proposers such that we could ascertain one, the race of the proposed owners in each of the proposals, and the control features with respect to those minority or women owned proposers.

In doing that, we established an administrative date primarily for our convenience of March the 9th for a response to our solicitation of this more clarifying information. The report we submitted indicates that four of the seven proposals did not meet that particular deadline. And we noted that in the introduction to our proposal to our report. We left the decision as to what significance that would have to the board and the Office of Cable Communications.

Going beyond that, we looked at information that was submitted by the proposers with respect to their EEO and affirmative action policies that were currently in place or proposed for the franchise district. Where proposals were already operating in other cities, we contacted the rights agencies in those areas to ascertain whether there had been any charges against them for discrimination, and we noted those charges with respect to each proposer in the report. You will find a copy of our solicitation to the proposers in an appendix to that report. Okay.

Where we had information of a local nature with regard to a proposer, we added that information to our report. We wish to emphasize that we did not rank or recommend one proposer over another. We looked at the proposals individually against the standards that are currently in place in the city, i.e., the Women and Minority Business Utilization Ordinance and our 101432 Contract Compliance Ordinance, which governs equal employment opportunity and affirmative action on contracts with the city. We will be available for any questions that you may have during the course of these hearings.

L.E. (Ed) Parsons - Citizens Cablevision Corporation (listen to audio)
I'm L.E. Parsons. I am the originator of cable television. It originated in Astoria, Oregon. I've been active in the development of cable since its inception. I do not believe that a single cable now to be installed in the Central District can be financially successful. I think you have to have a double cable system. I think there's no choice.

I've been very active in the communications field all these years. I've worked with the minority interests. I built a broadcast station for the natives, that - Point Barrow, 10,000-watt broadcast station to give the natives a voice up there. Barrow had the cable system in operation almost 20 years ago. Has been operating continuously. Strictly Eskimos. It's run, operated, and owned by the Eskimos. So, I state again, as an engineer with many years of experience in development, that I do not believe a single cable system, 54-channel system, will be economically feasible in the Central District. Thank you.

Omari Tahir - National Black United Front and Young Voters League (listen to audio)
Omari Tahir, and I'm a member of the National Black United Front and the Young Voters League. Last time I was down in front of the City Council, we were dealing with the issue - and I hope we don't have the same problem on - and that was the selection of the police precinct site that I see the City Council finally came to some decision on that, and I'm glad that you finally listened to the community.

With the awarding of the cable TV, I'm glad that we have seven groups that are capable of putting in, that have the financial backing, to put in a cable television system, that also have community involvement. When I look around this room, I see that there is kind of a split, and I hope that the awarding of this contract does not cause a permanent split in this community.

And I am concerned about the content that's going to come over the cable TV. And I am hoping that all those that apply for this cable franchise will use their expertise to support whoever awards, whoever wins the award of the cable TV, but I would like the City Council to put a stipulation, because we're dealing with forming content, I would like the City Council to put a stipulation that the community, and when I say the community, I'm talking about a wide spectrum of the community, that some type of advisory board will be set up, because this cable TV is going to be serving people, and it's also going to be making a profit.

And I am concerned that an advisory board be set up, that organizations within the community and people in the community can get on this advisory board and have something to say about the content that comes over the TV, because cowboys and Indians and Amos and Andy, uh, we have serious problems in this society and the media has a large responsibility to start putting out accurate information.

The media has led the attack on leaders in the Black community, and it's time that we get a local controlled and owned media that can counteract some of this negative information, especially about nonwhite people. Thank you.

[extended applause]

Dave Wood - Fund raiser and consultant (listen to audio)
Chairman Sibonga and council members. My name is Dave Wood and I have a prepared statement here, which I'm going to summarize briefly. I describe my background in fundraising and public affairs consulting work, largely in the Central Area for the last several years. Let me just summarize where I'm coming from and why I have a concern with this process tonight.

My experience generally in the fundraising area has led to the firm conclusion that the only corporations who give a damn about Seattle and its social problems are those who are headquartered here in Seattle. I have yet to raise a nickel from top management who live and work in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, New York, San Francisco, or anywhere else. And believe me, I have tried. No matter how enthusiastic the local management appears or pretends to be, the home office always says no. Let me be very specific within the broadcast field.

A couple of years ago, I helped KRAB FM raise money to relocate in a building at 23rd and Jackson, which, by the way, the City Council was instrumental in providing to KRAB the management that both KING and KOMO, both locally owned and operated, as you all well know, contributed generous sums of money, some equipment, and their technical expertise. KIRO, on the other hand, would not even give us an appointment. The Seattle Times contributed $2,000 to the emergency shelter program at Sea Haven. The Hearst Foundation in San Francisco could afford nothing. This happens time and time and time again. What I am obviously leading up to is the point that you should give much greater weight to local ownership in processes such as the one here tonight.

I know it's in your criteria, but conversations with one longtime member of the Citizens Committee and with Mr. Gripe caused me to think that they place local ownership down near the bottom instead of at the top. And even back in my day, the mayor's office's answer to everything was a nationwide search. I've just recently been the witness to a process at City Light, in which another citizen's committee recommended spending $75,000 with a San Francisco firm to accomplish something that a team of local consultants could do much better. I'm mad enough about this issue to come back here when the City Council awards that contract, too.

[laughter]

The entire meeting can be heard in Digital Collections. (Event 228, Seattle City Council Audio Recordings, Record Series 4601-03)

Resources

Legislation:

  • Comptroller File 291484 - Report and recommendation of Mayor, Office of Cable Communications and Citizens Cable Advisory Board re Central District Cable Franchise.
  • Ordinance 101432 - requiring inclusion of certain provisions in contracts with the City to prevent discrimination and promote equality of opportunity in employment, establishing affirmative action requirements, providing procedures and penalties to enforce compliance, and repealing Ordinance 98386.
  • Ordinance 109113 - relating to the procurement of goods and services by the City of Seattle from women's business enterprises and minority business enterprises, establishing requirements for ensuring full and equitable opportunities for such business to provide goods and services to the City; and providing procedures and penalties to enforce compliance.
  • Ordinance 102998 - establishing the Office of Cable Communications in the Board of Public Works, creating two positions, making an appropriation from the Emergency Fund and declaring the emergency therefor.
  • Comptroller File 274879 - Final Report of the CATV Advisory Committee re. development of policy re. community antenna television.
  • Comptroller File 281612 - Communication of the Mayor re alternatives available for development of CATV to provide public information on government activities, etc. 

Audio from other meetings:

Textual records:

  • Cable Franchise Boundaries map, April 2003. Item 2303, Seattle Public Utilities 
  • Cable or fable / the future of cable television in Seattle, August 1, 1973. Document 4997, Published Documents Collection (Record Series 1801-92)
  • Cable TV material relevant to the seven applicants, May 1, 1982. Document 594, Published Documents Collection (Record Series 1801-92)
  • Cable Television: Central District Cable Franchise, 1979-1982. Box 35, Folder 6, Norm Rice Subject Files (Record Series 4674-02)
  • Cable Television: Central District Cable Franchise, Parks and Community Resources Committee Decision, 1982. Box 35, Folder 7, Norm Rice Subject Files (Record Series 4674-02)
  • Land Use and Urban Development: Cable TV: Central District Franchise Award, 1981-1982. Box 6, Folder 1, Jeanette Williams Subject Files (Record Series 4693-02)
  • Seattle Community Access Network (SCAN) Board Meeting Materials (Record Series 3902-03)

Moving images:

Background:

Municipal Archives, City Clerk

Sarah Shipley, Interim City Archivist
Address: 600 Fourth Avenue, Third Floor, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 94728, Seattle, WA, 98124-4728
Phone: (206) 684-8353
archives@seattle.gov

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