I. Objectives
The primary objectives of the City of Cincinnati's Government Access Channel are the following:

• To provide public service information to citizens of the City of Cincinnati;
• To Widen the dissemination of information regarding the activities of the City legislative and advisory bodies:
• To increase the knowledge of citizens as to various functions performed by their city government; and
• To provide additional information to citizens needing access to various city departments.

II. Overall Policy
Programming shall provide direct, non-editorial information to the citizens concerning the operations and deliberations of their city government.

III. Operation Procedures
A. Modes of Operation

1. Live Cablecast - This may consist of cablecasts of the City Council meetings and other public meetings and events of general community interest.
2. Tape-delayed Cablecast - Many public meetings and events will be video taped for cablecasting at a later date. Some meetings, such as City Council, will be cablecast live and replayed by tape at other convenient times during the week.
3. Locally-produced Programs - Programs will be produced locally to illustrate the functions and operations of City government.
4. Outside Source Programs -Programs about local government operations are available elsewhere in the country and may be borrowed for local use. This material will be used when appropriate. In addition, programming from Federal, State and County government agencies may also be used when such programming complies the objectives and policies stated herein.
5. Character-generated Announcements - During all hours of operation, when no other programming is scheduled, a character generator will provide a continuous display of current massages of interest to the public.
6. Public Service Announcements - The Government Access channel will use government-provided Public Service Announcements when possible and appropriate within the following guidelines:
   1. Such Public Service Announcements must comply with the stated objectives and policies for operation of the Government Access channel;
   2. No Public Service Announcement shall immediately precede of follow the coverage of a City Council session or other government body without the explicit request or permission of the government body in question. this exclusion shall not apply to channel identification announcements or promotional spots intended to advise viewers about meeting times of City-sponsored programming;
   3. Priority shall be given to announcements produced or provided by the City of Cincinnati;
   4. Cable Office staff will exercise discretion concerning the appropriateness of Public Service Announcements based on technical considerations.

B. Access Policy

1. Public Meetings - Any public meetings that are cablecast live or videotaped for later replay shall not be edited of subject to editorial comment. Meeting coverage shall be from gavel-to-gavel and comply with rules established by the City Council. (See Council Resolution R-76, 1987.)
2. Departmental Programs - Any programming prepared of provided by an individual City department or agency is the responsibility of that department or agency, and will not be edited.
3. Character-generated-messages - Announcements programmed into the character generator may be edited to provide clarity and to maximize the use of the character generator.

C. Programming Policy

1. Programming shall be informational rather than advocate. This does not preclude the cablecasting of public hearings, City Council meetings and other governmental meetings where advocacy may take place.
2. Requested access to the Government Access channel for the purpose of advocating a personal viewpoint shall be denied
3. The Government Access channel shall not be used for the presentation of;
   1. Any advertising which promotes or endorses the sale of any product or services offered;
   2. Any direct solicitation of funds for any Reason;
   3. Any material which is obscene, indecent or defamatory as defined by law;
   4. Any material which would violate any federal, state or local law.
4. Discussion of partisan issues will adhere to equal time guidelines.
5. Political candidates, or their representatives, are not permitted to make partisan political statements on the Government Access channel up to 6 weeks prior to any election in which the official is a candidate for office.
   1. Non-partisan programming, featuring individual elected officials or their representatives, may be included on the Government Access channel up to 6 weeks prior to any election in which the official is a candidate for office.
   2. Such programming, featuring individual elected officials, must be done in accordance with the objectives and overall policies which apply to the operation of the Government Access Channel.
6. Staff of the Government Access channel may create programs of formats which encourage the dissemination of information from or about City agencies. Such programming will be done in a manner which encourages participation by City agencies or officials on a first-come, first-serve basis.

D. Requests for Cablecast & Use of Facilities

1. The Government Access studio and other facilities are available for the use by City of Cincinnati departments and agencies, their employees, contractors, volunteers or other designated representatives on a first come, first serve basis.
2. Requests for use of facilities and/or staff as well as Government Access channel time must be submitted in writing at least two weeks prior to the intended use. Exceptions to the two week requirement will be considered when possible.
3. Besides the coverage of the weekly full session of City Council and its standing committees, requests for videotaped or "live" coverage of additional meetings will be submitted by the committee chairperson through the office of the Clerk of Council.
4. Coverage of other City Boards and Commissions will be provided when possible, following the written request of the chair of the Board or Commission.
5. When technically possible, all meeting coverage will be carried "live" on the Government Access channel.
6. When "live" coverage is not possible, videotaped re-plays will begin as soon as possible following completion of the meeting. Factors affecting the availability of replays may include but not be limited to:
   1. Adequate advance notice of the request for meeting coverage.
   2. the need for "post-production," namely adding on-screen graphics and the transfer of footage from an original tape to a "playback master," and
   3. the availability of programming slots of the appropriate length.

E. Use of Outside Resources - In order to maximize programming, every attempt will be made to use outside community resources to assist in channel utilization. For instance, student interns and work-study students will be used, when possible, to assist in special projects as well as to assist in the cablecasting of City Council and other meetings.

F. Channel Operating Hours - It shall be the general goal to provide some sort of programming on the Government Access channel continuously. The general approach will be to utilize 'live" and taped programming when available and have to have a continuous character-generated announcement service at all other times, 24 hours a day.

G. Retention of Tapes - City departments and agencies, particularly clerks of bodies which hold public meetings, are responsible for obtaining duplicate tapes and maintaining any archives of such meeting tapes.

Requests for videotape copies must be made within 5 days following the final schedule playback of such programming on the Government Access channel.

H. Tape Duplication - The City, pursuant to procedures established by the City Treasurer's Office, in conjunction with the Office of Cable Communications, shall charge a small fee for copies of any program produced by City personnel. The City may not duplicate an outside resource program for anyone other than the producer without written permission of the producer.