HOW-OF-WHY

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

A Short History fo the How of Why

For a period of time in the 1990's I worked at the Milwaukee Access Telecommunication Authority. That was the fancy-schmansy name of the Public Access cable TV nonprofit organization. Public Access was an amazing, visionary, paradigm shifting idea.

MATA (as it was called) was funded by money from Milwaukee cable subscribers that passed thru the monopolistic franchise holder for the City, Time Warner Cable. When the 15 year franchise was renewed Time Warner Cable renegotiated the franchise contract with the City of Milwaukee. All but a couple of the members of the Common Council were bribed to sell out the citizens in favor of becoming business partners with the monopoly.

In the process they gutted the Public Access funding and screwed over the public they were sworn to serve.

During the first 15 years one could pay $4.95 a month for cable TV. Now the lowest fee is ten times that amount.

While all but a couple elected politicians sold out the citizens, MATA was not faultless. We fought a good fight and many citizens and community groups showed up at a hearing to speak for continued full funding of Public Access. Even the then afternoon daily newspaper giant (the Milwaukee Journal) wrote an editorial supporting Public Access.

But in the end money talked again, and the people lost, again.

The City had a watchdog Cable Regulation Office. They office was closed and the staff laid off. The City Clerks Office now "regulates" cablr in Milwaukee.. But there is actually no regulation for the life of the 17 year period of the franchise.

MATA was, and is, maybe the worst managed & administered non profit agency I have ever encountered. The rather highly paid (compared to the resy of the staff) Executive Director is as devoid of those qualities requisite for effective leadership a any person I have ever worked for.

Back to THE HOW OF WHY. The column originated as a monthly element of the MATA newsletter. It was then mainly a media literacy column. Next it became a column in a print publication, THE BAY VIEW COMPASS, which basically serves the Bay View neighborhood on the southeast side of the City of Milwaukee. It expanded beyond media literacy content at that time. It had a short print life. Now it is in the present form, a blog. And it is less neighborhood centric in content.

With the INTERNET now in the middle of a big battle to either stay somewhat open or go the way of commercial sponsored media, who knows how long the present diversity of blog forms will survive? As long as it can the HOW OF WHY will continue to be one version of thousands of Milwaukee voices online. Check back from time to time, won't you?

© 2006 Michael John Moynihan

posted by m j m  # 7:02 AM

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