Have Poetry? Perform It On TV!

Get a DVD of your Performance to use as you wish!

Download your application! Applications & $10 Submission Fee Due by April 9, 2010 @ 7PM

Call 512.478.8600 Ext. 10

Or visit www.myspace.com/exsespokenword

Imagine being able to quickly upload hour long programs from your home computer and sending them directly to channelAustin for playback!

Google is looking for a place to build a super-fast, gigabit open network that would allow you to do just that. And Austin is on Google's list for consideration. Follow this link to learn more.

The public is invited to appear before the Austin Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission and speak for 3 minutes about how greater bandwidth speeds would benefit Austin, and how Google would benefit from being in Austin.

The commission especially invites presentations from residents on: how they would use a high-bandwidth Internet connection, creative uses for such a facility, and points to present to Google that recommend Austin as a location for their fiber network trials.

The public hearing will take place on Wednesday, March 10, at 7PM at Austin's City Hall located at 301 W. Second St. Austin, TX 78701

Another site for more information is BigGigAustin.org

channelAustin is now streaming channels 10 and 11. We are proud to announce channelAustin's newest feature, though we are currently only streaming 2 of our 3 channels due to bandwidth limitations. We would really appreciate your feedback and if you experience any technical difficulties, please email our webmaster via our Contact page.

Watch Austin’s leading social media experts tell you how to promote your nonprofit with cutting-edge networking tips and viral media promotions. Social Media for Nonprofits A One-Hour Special to Benefit Austin’s Community Friday, February 26 from 7:00 – 8:00 PM *LIVE* on Austin's TimeWarner & Grande Channel 10 and streaming on channelAustin.org.
 
Tweet your questions and comments during the live program using #npotv as your hash tag.
 
Panelists will include:
 
David J Neff, 2009 founder of Lights.Camera.Help, http://www.lightscamerahelp.org
 
Jon Lebkowsky, culture strategist and social commentator, http://weblogsky.com
 
Lani Rosales, president and co-Founder, New Media Lab, http://nmlab.com
 
Armando Rayo, vice president, Engagement at Cultural Strategies, http://www.cultural-strategies.com

The channelAustin Spring 2010 Series schedule is now set. You can download and view the schedule (PDF). channelAustin is still taking applications for series programs.

The combined impact of the new statewide franchising system and the restrictive parameters of federal law are a poison pill for community television and community media centers here in Texas, while similar disastrous scenarios are played out in many other states. But there’s hope.

Join channelAustin's Executive Director Linda Litowsky as she directs the production of the documentary, The History of Public Access, and teaches you the ins and outs of making a documentary.

Every Thursday in January 2010 from 2pm to 7pm | FREE

Contact (512) 478-8600 Ext 18 for more information

channelAustin wishes you and yours all the best during this holiday season. We will be closed for several days in observance of Christmas and New Years. On other days during this period we will be open with reduced hours and limited staff.

Please be advised that Reception (aka Producer Services) will close on Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 7:00 PM and resume its normal schedule on Monday, January 4 at 5:00 PM. If you want to make reservations for use of equipment, studios, or edit bays between Dec. 26 and Dec. 30, or on Jan 2. and Jan. 3, you need to do so well in advance.

We will be sending an announcement soon about the Spring Series. Stay tuned for that.

HOLIDAY HOURS

Thursday Dec. 24: CLOSED ALL DAY
Friday Dec. 25: CLOSED ALL DAY
Saturday Dec. 26: 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Sunday Dec. 27: 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Monday Dec. 28: 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Tuesday Dec. 29: 2:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Wednesday Dec. 30: 2:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Thursday Dec. 31: CLOSED ALL DAY
Friday Jan. 1: CLOSED ALL DAY
Saturday Jan. 2: 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Sunday Jan. 3: 10:00 AM 11:30 PM

Show your support for the Community Access Preservation Act

As you may know, future funding for channelAustin is not guaranteed. But there is hope.

The problem

channelAustin's budget is 85% dependent on a special "cable access fund". This fund comes from Time Warner Cable subscriber fees. In less than two years, this fund will no longer exist. It will go away after August 12, 2011, when Time Warner Cable's contract with the City expires. After that, Time Warner Cable will continue to provide funds to the City that could be used to support channelAustin.

But due to language in the federal Cable Act, those monies can only be used to for "capital" purposes, such as new HDV camera purchases. Those monies cannot be used for the day-to-day operations to keep channelAustin's doors open. It seems silly, yet it's the way the law reads.

The solution

A new federal bill introduced into Congress in October, the Community Access Preservation Act, will solve this problem. This bill, H.R. 3745 -- if enacted into law -- will remove the unfair federal restrictions on the monies that the City receives from local cable providers. In short, channelAustin will continue to thrive. If the Community Access Preservation Act passes in 2010, we will have no worries in 2011.

channelAustin learned today that Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) is now a sponsor of the Community Access Preservation Act, or CAP Act.

“This is great news for the ongoing development of community media everywhere,” said channelAustin Board of Directors co-chair Scott D. Roberts. “Austin's longtime support of community media will be greatly enhanced by Representative Doggett's support for this Act.”

“I am thrilled to tears,” said channelAustin Board of Director member Deborah Hill. “Representative Doggett is championing the democratization of electronic citizen's communication.”