Public access television was a big deal in the 1990s. Wayne and Garth, those crazy kids from Aurora, Ill., piqued the interest of many in Generation X with “Wayne’s World.” Walls were broken down and cities throughout the country had regular shows staring and hosted by anyone who had the time. It was community television.
Cable television franchise fees allowed Janesville to come into the public access fold with JATV in the early 2000s. I was a self-proclaimed media geek and I watched regularly. Shows were frequent, updates were sometimes weekly, and there was relevancy and impact with our public access. JATV mattered.
Around 25 years later, this now just “geek” forgot about JATV. Yes, I know it’s the conduit that provides live video access to city hall meetings. That’s something I digest on a weekly basis. Outside of that, the most recent weekend content included programming from JPAC back in 2018, dogs frolicking at the splash pad from back in 2022, and a 1937 black and white movie not created through JATV. Not exactly “Must see TV.”
Controversy over who should oversee the channel surfaced during budget season with council member Heather Miller leading the charge. The controversy stemmed from our city manager requesting to bring the channel into the fold of the city manager’s office on the 4th floor of City Hall. The current setup allows for library board oversight.
Is it about JATV or the process our city leaders are taking that’s giving some individuals heartburn? If it’s JATV, my suggestion is to find a different hobby. The model is tired and content can be created, edited, and delivered in a more efficient manner through your handheld device. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are much easier digital sources to digest content. If it’s about the process that our employed city leaders are taking — that’s a different story.
Today, the JATV YouTube channel has 2,600 subscribers with very few views.
Park Place views from November racked up a whopping 30 views. I wonder how many of those were from within the city walls?
The city of Janesville Leader’s Breakfast from January? That got 45 views — and I’m one of them. It’d be interesting to see how much the city pays for the total number of views. My guess is it’s significantly higher than it should be.
Wayne and Garth: public access television isn’t what it once was. In Janesville, I think it’s time to sunset the channel and maintain the current media for key meetings in city council chambers.
Outside of that, let’s focus on the pieces that will really drive our community ahead. I don’t think that includes JATV. If that means a harder look at city processes and who “owns” what, let’s do it.
