According to Salter et al., what is a "community access cable channel"? Identify a community access TV channel in your community. What is shown on that channel?
Response:
A community access cable channel is a non-commercial, non-professional cable television network that is dedicated to providing high-quality local content to a local audience. Unlike other cable TV providers, a community access cable channel is only permitted to host local advertising and does not seek to maximize its viewers or revenues. Compared to other cable TV, a community access cable channel is more regulated in content by the CRTC (Salter et al., 2008, pp. 283-284).
Question:
What are the three elements that make community access cable in Canada special, according to Salter et al.?
Response:
First, community access cable in Canada, by its design, makes it easy for everyday people (i.e. people other than communications professionals) to involve themselves in local media. Second, this makes Canada rather unique because the facilitated participation of everyday people in the media is not at all the norm internationally. Third, in fact, community access cable in Canada is often run by citizens who freely offer to do so (Salter et al., 2008, pp. 284-285).
Question:
Can community access TV compete with conventional over-the-air TV?
Response: …show more content…
The CRTC designed community access TV to be a supplement, and not an alternative, to conventional over-the-air TV. Community access TV is required to broadcast local content and so is focused on local and not mass audiences. The budget for community access TV comes from a small percentage of the revenues of cable television providers, and the revenues of community access are limited to advertising for local businesses (before 2002, no advertising whatsoever was permitted). In fact, community access TV even lacks a commercial purpose. Thus, it simply does not have the viewer base or capital to compete with conventional over-the-air