County seeks cable ad deal
Hillsborough wants free advertising if stations are moved.
By BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writer
Published January 3, 2008
TAMPA - St. Petersburg and Tampa sued Bright House Networks when the cable provider bumped government television from basic service last month.
But Hillsborough County government is taking a different approach.
The region's dominant cable company is requiring customers to rent digital converter boxes at $1 a month to keep getting four government channels.
In exchange, the county wants Bright House to give it $150,000 in free advertising over the next two years to promote county government.
That's the highlight of an agreement commissioners will consider today. The proposal is on the commission's consent agenda, usually reserved for noncontroversial items.
Deputy County Administrator Wally Hill said local governments have little leverage in challenging cable decisions. Last year, the state took over the power to grant franchise agreements with cable companies.
Bright House then announced it was bumping government channels from prime real estate near the networks to the 600 and 900 channels. Hill said nothing would prevent Bright House from abandoning its existing agreement with Hillsborough.
"We thought the better approach was an amicable solution," Hill said.
Hill said it is not the county's intention to use the advertising to combat a citizen-driven proposal in November to create a county mayor or a statewide vote this month that would cut property taxes.
In addition to the advertising, the county would get:
-$5,000 to "rebrand" the county station, which moved from channel 22 to 622.
-Free digital conversion equipment for the county's TVs.
-Guarantees that for the five years residents will not be charged more than $1 dollar monthly per television for converter boxes.
-A promise that Bright House won't force the county to meet mandated hours of original programming.
-Access to programming on demand and to instant polling systems that the county expects to be available soon.