Council Puts Off Broadcast Decision

Will Los Angeles city government go Hollywood with its own television broadcast? What could this mean to the soaps? And which will get top billing, the Department of Building and Safety or the Bureau of Sanitation?

All of these questions were put on hold Tuesday as the City Council voted to postpone until Aug. 8 a decision on a plan to broadcast municipal government programming on cable television stations.

The council motion calls for construction of a nearly $4-million studio that would produce programming for city departments and then distribute it to cable municipal access channels, said Bill Speedie, legislative analyst to the council’s Industry and Economic Development Committee.

Programming would range from explanations of city programs to information on how people can obtain a building permit, said Speedie.

The council decided to put off the matter so that it could be heard along with a related decision over how to use space in the Civic Center Mall, where the studio would be situated.