CCTV Leverages Public Funds to Fight Local TV Station

CCTV is using public funds in direct competition with a commercial station, the only broadcast station truly serving the mid valley.

Photo and video by Jerry Freeman Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Regarding last week's meeting of the Cable Regulatory Committee in Salem, I want to make sure we center on the point of this meeting, one we with great reluctance asked for.

I would like to add that the issue is simple; if KWVT covers a local Salem Football game, we can provide a noncommercial feed with as little or as much video information that is desired (scores, downs, time each individually selectable). To make sure we are not adding a commercial element we, change from KWVT to Northwest Television Spots as the branding.

Our announcers have different scripts if indeed a non-commercial is taking our feed (Scan TV in Silverton used our coverage as an example). If a non-commercial is taking a feed we do not do what is called "drop in's" (audio commercial announcement including promotions for shows on KWVT)

We have provided at a cost of several hundreds of dollars, a converter to change 16x9 to 4x3 letter box.

KWVT has the only high definition truck in the mid valley so our video quality should be beyond reproach.

Now this sounds simple, but it is unique in that all of these are concessions to allow CCTV to carry these kids and the games they participate in, let me repeat this if I may; these are ALL to accommodate CCTV requirements.

Meeting last week between KWVT, CCTV & the Cable Regulatory Committee in Salem

Still, CCTV refused to send out one person with a VTR to take our pool feed which they had done with ASN a couple of years ago. We even went so far as to provide video files as a last ditch effort to work this out and we were met with good reception from staff, though the director of CCTV still was in opposition.

One point is that CCTV has no problem taking an announcer feed from COMMERCIAL radio and they MAKE no accommodations for CCTV it is just KWVT's video CCTV will not utilize it seems.

KWVT has been trying to play well in the sandbox, hoping that we could make this work and get these kids not only on KWVT 213,000 homes but to CCTV 50,000 Comcast viewers, since Comcast had not allowed KWVT on their system. We have run out of patience from having sand symbolically thrown in our face.

The straw that broke the camel's back was the playoff game between West Salem and Roseburg. We had worked with the OSAA (owners of the broadcast rights of the playoffs) saying we would like to air at this game.

After working out all the details we went forward to cover this game. KEVU in Eugene, which serves Roseburg, was on board to broadcast the game. It was only when the OSAA informed West Salem that KWVT would be covering the game did we find out CCTV had already laid claim to the game via West Salem.

Now we try to work with and have a good relationship with all the athletic director's, including the West Salem AD. As a side note, West Salem High is great to work with by the way. We once again tried to get CCTV to compromise, utilizing a feed and they flatly refused to do so.

So we had a choice: push the point and just tick off the AD or take the high ground and step away - we stepped away. The end result is that instead of the 500,000 households (about 1,500,000 people) with the combination of KWVT and KEVU able to watch this game, including those on Comcast vie CCTV, only a mere 50,000 homes could watch this game NONE of which are in Marion County, Polk county or Roseburg.

CCTV is using public funds in direct competition with a commercial station, the only broadcast station truly serving the mid valley. KWVT is not competing we are trying to provide as much exposure for these kids as possible, but is CCTV?

You say "well you make money on these games", no we do NOT, last season it cost KWVT to cover these game with ad revenue far below cost. For every dollar fifty spent we LOST a dollar-twenty. Mike and my goal are to serve the people of the whole mid valley including Salem and in the end hope to break even for cost.

This brings me to a point I was unaware of until the first part of this meeting before our agenda item. CCTV has an annual budget of $1,200,000 dollars... yes over one million dollars. That is larger than most small market's broadcast stations.

None of this is taxable income except employee salaries, unlike a broadcast station or ANY commercial business, so the comparison dollar are even more lopsided.

Who pays for this? The people of Salem do this in public funds that come from Comcast fees. Remember this is an ANNUAL budget so CCTV gets this kind of money each and every year!

Although it is not up to me where Salem and Marion county spend their money normally, we find KWVT competing with a very well funded public entity which from our prospective has unlimited funds that can only be seen by Comcast, a paid service.

We just want to play fair in the sandbox and get alongm but in our opinion this is not going to be unless the Cable Regulatory Commission (CRC) can force this to happen. Who suffers until then? Salem resident, students and Salem as a whole.

Also on Salem-News.com: Local TV Station Engages in Turf War With Cable Access Station (VIDEO)Opinion by Tim King Salem-News.com

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Along with Co-Owner Mike Mattson, Ken Lewetag founded and operates Salem, Oregon's broadcast TV station KWVT. KWVT, available on channels 17 / 17-1, is part of Willamette Valley Broadcasting, as is KSLM 17-2. Ken can be reached at 503-930-7228, you can send him an email at ken@kwvtsalem.com. You can visit their Website at: kwvtsalem.com.