PLACENTIA : City May Cut Back Cable TV Functions

The city’s troubled cable television division would continue to operate on a smaller scale next year under a proposal to fund coverage of City Council meetings and about half a dozen community events.

City administrators last month recommended eliminating the cable division from the 1991-92 budget because the Placentia Unified School District may be unable to finance its portion of the $120,000 operating cost. The cable division, which pays for programming and staff on the city’s three cable channels, would cease operations when the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

At a meeting last week, a majority of council members said they favored including in the $20.7-million budget funding for coverage of council meetings and events such as the Heritage Days festival and Fourth of July celebration. City officials estimate that the cost of such coverage would be about $9,000, to be financed in part by an anticipated increase in the cable company’s franchise fee.

In addition, the city would offer its cable equipment and a production van for rent to any group that wishes to cover its own events, such as football games and school concerts.

Council members said the partial-funding proposal would ensure that some form of communication between city government and residents is kept intact.

“We don’t have much communication (now),” Councilman John O. Tynes said. “Hardly a month goes by where I haven’t found out that someone died three months before.”

Still, the funding would not be enough to pay for several award-winning regular programs produced by city residents, such as talk shows and concerts. Although the costs of the shows are minimal because most producers are volunteers, city staff must be paid to supervise the use of equipment and broadcasts over cable TV.

Under another proposal, Tynes suggested allocating an even larger amount of money for cable programming. He recommended that the city eliminate $29,000 in funding to operate a city-run trolley, which carries residents to city business districts. He said that ridership is low.

But Councilwoman Carol Downey said neighboring cities are considering trolleys, which could lead to a new network of public transportation in the area.

“I look at that as kind of the old Red Cars in Los Angeles,” she said.

Tynes said the city also could put off repainting the historic Bradford House and the purchase of a radar trailer, which flashes speeds as vehicles go by in an effort to slow down traffic. City administrators said those expenses would be financed by restricted funds that might not apply to cable TV.