For Immediate Release:  July 27, 2004
Contact Alex Jones:
Media Only please 512-291-5750/mediaonly@infowars.com
Concerned individuals, please email saveactv@infowars.com

DEATH OF FREE SPEECH:  AUSTIN INSTITUTION TO BE SAVAGELY DISMANTLED

The planned destruction of Austin Community Access Television 

For months, the Staff and Board of Austin Community Access Television (ACTV) have been plotting to “change” the 31-year-old award-winning institution.  These “changes” include turning one channel commercial, regulating and deciding which programming will be allowed on the channels, and turning over a channel to the decidedly failed Austin Music Network.  These planned changes, contrived without the input of the many users of ACTV, mean the death of an Austin institution and the end of Free Speech on Austin cable television. 

Over a month ago, Alex Jones (infowars.com) talked to several of the ACTV Board Members as well as one of the telecommunication lawyers from the City.  They  revealed that the failed Austin Music Network was to take over part of ACTV's Channel 16, while Time Warner's new music channel, Austin Music Partners will take over Channel 15 (a non-access channel, formerly Austin Music Network).  The two remaining access channels, 10 and 11 will lose their free speech charter and be turned into City-managed channels with brand names like “Inspirational TV” and “Free TV.”

ACTV Board Members admitted that programs will be chosen and monitored and controlled.  This runs diametrically opposite to the stated mission charter of Access Television.  Also against the charter is their plan to make one or more of the channels commercial, with “sponsorship.” Board Member Hill told Jones that there's also a plan to shut down the ACTV building which was constructed in the early ‘90s expressly for Access TV. He said they would be looking for another location.

Jones has it directly from the Board that commercial channels are maneuvering to gain access to the channels currently occupied by ACTV.  They are doing this because the FCC is obligated to give them VHS and UHF transmitters if they are able to occupy one of these so-called lower tier channels for a year.

They've admitted that what small amount of community programming will be allowed on the “Access Channels” will be selected by them.  They're conspiring with Time Warner and private interests like Telemundo of how the channels can be shuffled for commercial interest.

The bottom line is this:  whereas in the late 80's they tried to shut down ACTV and were confronted with such an uproar they were stopped in their tracks, they are now sneakily “transforming” ACTV into what will be an unrecognizable, unrepresentative and ultimately a planned failure.  They are killing Access Television with a whimper, not a bang.

Their goal is to destroy one of the last highly-visible forums for free community speech in Austin:  a forum that has programs representing all of Austin's community.

Help save ACTV.  Come speak out during Citizen's Communications at the Austin City Council meeting tomorrow (July 28, 2004) at 3:30 PM in room 304 of the Municipal Building at 124 W. 8th Street. Help save Austin ‘s Free Speech!