Public Access Television

* We commend “Pulling Plug on Public Access TV?” (March 25). David Thompson’s plight, with the tide of cable companies and city management leaning toward the extinction of public access, is typical. The City Council of Beverly Hills in early 1995 “pulled the plug” on BHTV, their public access station, claiming lack of funding, but not liking what they saw on the channel. No 1st Amendment rights for Beverly Hills?

In Los Angeles a few are producing “risque” programs that make legitimate access programming look “bad” and irritate management in cities and cable companies. Don’t pull the plug because of some bad apples, but get those community standards set and use those guidelines to eliminate the trash, not freedom of speech.

ROGER MARTIN, President

Public Access Awareness Assn.

Beverly Hills

* * I’m personally quite fond of the graphically uninhibited programs available only on public access television. I love cable television and I’m constantly flipping channels to check up on what these public access channels are showing. I’m sorry to report that I’m only able to find two or three programs that exceed a PG-13 rating on any given week. Always at 11:30 p.m. or later.

Are politicians interested in getting rid of public access because of so-called smut or are they putting cable company interests ahead of their constituents and using a couple of off-color programs to justify it? I think the answer to that is obvious.

JOHN ROEDA

Studio City