GOVERNMENT: CABLE ACCESS CHANNEL PROPOSED

Cape Girardeau residents could be watching more educational news programming if the city and school district finalize an operating agreement for a new public access channel.

The city already operates Cable Access Channel 5 and could add another channel by spring 2001 for educational programming. The additional channel is part of a franchise agreement with Charter Communications, which operates the city's cable service.

No details are available about how a new channel would operate because members of the Cable TV Advisory Board and representatives from the school district are working out a plan. The agreement must be approved by the Cape Girardeau City Council.

"The possibilities are endless, and we are just getting our feet wet," said Mark Bowles, assistant superintendent for secondary schools. The school district hopes to find more grant money available for continuing the operation it began this year.

The sooner the agreement is finalized the better, Bowles said. "We want to work together and get the biggest bang for our buck."

An educational channel could air athletic games, school activities, band concerts, dramas and plays and informational announcements. It has the potential to meet needs in the district and community, Bowles said.

Rodney McConnell knows how important a public access channel can be for a community. He is director of video services for the Sikeston school district and coordinates programming for the city's public access channel.

The school district has owned a TV studio for 25 years, so when a cable access channel was created, it seemed only logical for the school district to run it, McConnell said.

Sporting events are the most popular programming choice for Sikeston's Cable Access Channel 12.

"The problem here is that we've been a victim of our own success," McConnell said. "People come to expect from us the same quality of programming you would see on ESPN or other professional channels."

The public forgets that students are involved, and the goal of having a channel is as an instruction tool. "That means there will be some mistakes that you wouldn't have on a professional channel," McConnell said.

Dufek said the Cape Girardeau city board is interested in upgrading existing equipment and connecting with satellite services to offer even more programming.

"There is a lot of room for more programs," he said.

The existing channel doesn't offer programming 24 hours a day, only a select few hours each day. The rest of the time, the channel serves as a bulletin board for public service announcements.

Currently, programming is produced through an agreement with the university. Students in mass communications classes often tape programs like "Behind the Badge," "City Source" and "Chamber Matters," which usually air on Tuesday nights.

Charter Communications hires a crew to tape the School Board and City Council meetings that regularly air on the channel.

Residents can submit programming, but only about 25 percent of it comes from submissions, said Tracey Glenn, public information officer for the city.

Upgrading equipment the city owns also would prevent a person from having to be in the studio office each Tuesday to switch tapes and line up programming, Dufek said.

If programming was automated, the channel could rebroadcast more shows and provide a better service, he said.