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Public access station squeaks by
By BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Hillsborough County's public access television station will continue its broadcasts for now. Commissioners on Wednesday narrowly accepted the station's proposed remedies for alleged contractual breaches, including new time slots for adult shows and random audits of its programming to check for problems such as copyright violations. But commissioners made it clear they intend to take a hard look at the station's $350,000-a-year contract. "We're delighted that we got the support that we needed and that the majority of people on that board understand the issue of free speech," said Louise Thompson, president of Speak Up Tampa Bay, the nonprofit group that runs the station. "Do I think it's over? No." Commissioners voted 4-3 to accept the agreement, with Commissioners Ronda Storms, Jim Norman and Stacey Easterling dissenting. Norman said he would bring the station's contract up for discussion during budget deliberations. Tom Scott, who had earlier voted with the dissenters to find the station in breach, said he was accepting the agreement on the advice of county attorneys. Rejecting the agreement would probably have led to the station's being shut down, and Scott said he was told the lawsuits that would likely follow would be tough to defend. "At some point we have to deal with reason and logic," Scott said. Commissioner Chris Hart also invoked the staff's advice in explaining why he changed sides. Storms, who has been complaining for months about public access, said the station continued to violate its contract even during settlement negotiations. She said that showed the station would continue to break rules, new agreement or not. "My point goes to credibility," Storms said. "They're making new promises and saying this time they're really, really, really going to honor the contract." Storms began her campaign against the station in March after the airing of a show featuring graphic nudity. But she failed to persuade the State Attorney's Office to bring criminal obscenity charges against the producer.
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From the Times |
