OFFICIALS: CABLE TV PROGRAMMING NEEDS EXPANDING

Cape Girardeau's local cable access channel is an opportunity just waiting to be plugged in.

That is the view of at least two Cape Girardeau councilmen and the chairman of the city's cable TV committee.

At its July 11 meeting, the council may ask the cable TV committee to determine how best to use the local access channel. The committee would also explore putting a third party in charge of the channel.

Councilman Richard Eggimann said the third party could be the cable TV committee itself.

The new franchise agreement with TCI Cablevision of Missouri states that the channel will be used exclusively for public, educational and governmental programs. The use of the channel is the city's responsibility.

The new agreement allows the city to contract with a third party to manage the channel. "We have the right to control our own station," Eggimann said.

Michael Maguire, who chairs the cable committee, said his group could supervise the operation of the channel and also ensure the cable company adheres to the franchise agreement.

"There are precious few things that cities have control over in cable TV," he said. One of the few areas of control is the cable access channel.

Maguire, Eggimann and Councilman Melvin Gateley said local Channel 5 is under used.

"We could have educational programs on there," Eggimann said.

Gateley wants the channel used more to share information with citizens.

TCI Manager Roger Harms has said that seven to eight hours of local access programs are broadcast a week. The rest of the time the channel runs C-SPAN, which provides coverage of House and Senate proceedings.

TCI has received council permission to move C-SPAN to the local access channel temporarily. Channel 5 currently runs C-SPAN programs, except for the few hours that local programs are run.

City Attorney Warren Wells said the council agreed to allow the arrangement for about a year.

Wells said the council could order TCI to remove C-SPAN from the access channel.

Maguire said if the channel is used solely for local programs, everything from news headlines to concerts could be shown.

The channel could run "Mind Extension University" programs. "We could have college people getting college credits watching the local access channel and it wouldn't cost a penny." Maguire said.

But there are production costs associated with local programs. Gateley said those costs could be borne by sponsors, as is currently done, or cable TV franchise tax money might be used.

Currently, TCI is only required to air City Council and school board meetings.

Other programs such as "Perspective on the Law" and "Ask Your Doctor" are funded by groups such as the bar association and the medical society.

Southeast Missouri State University provides tapes of some of its sporting events, and the local channel also rebroadcasts the school's basketball and football coaches' shows. It also broadcasts University of Missouri basketball games and two religious shows sponsored by local churches.

The university used to operate the access channel for the cable company before bowing out in June 1988. Since then, Ron Duff's video production company has broadcast council and school board meetings and put other local programs on the air under a contract with TCI.

But Duff said he isn't in charge of the local channel.

Maguire said that is part of the problem. "Right now, there isn't anybody who assumes that responsibility."