County PEG presentation reviews budget, equipment and plans for a local news show; residents ask about editorial independence
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Summary
The county PEG (public, education and government) team reported on revenues, capital funding and upgrades to PEG TV and livestreaming. Residents and board members asked about funding contingencies, editorial control of proposed news programming and community access to production resources.
At its April 22 meeting the Board of Supervisors received the annual presentation from the county’s PEG (public, education and government) television group on operations, recent equipment purchases and future plans to expand services and create a community news program.
Supervisor Sabatier presented the report and said the PEG board is staffed by a station manager, Thomas DeWalt, and a new assistant station manager. The presentation listed operating contributions from local jurisdictions (Clear Lake, Lakeport and the county) and described capital funding that comes from a Mediacom 1% pass‑through tied to subscriber fees. The presenter said that pass‑through capital revenue has fallen from about $55,000 in prior years to roughly $48,000 this year and that the PEG capital fund can be used only for equipment (not operations).
The presentation described recent capital spending of about $32,000 on equipment and upgrades, ongoing support for local events, and a public‑private partnership to create a podcast facility in Lakeport. The PEG team said they are exploring paid production work (including commercials for nonprofit groups, with a pro‑bono sample for demonstration), partnerships with KPFC radio, school collaborations and the possibility of a monthly local news show.
Residents who spoke praised station manager Thomas DeWalt and asked about long‑term funding if Mediacom pass‑throughs continue to decline. Presenter Sabatier said PEG has begun contracting for production work to diversify revenue and aims to run more like a small business to reduce dependence on the Mediacom pass‑through.
Margo Kambara asked directly whether a proposed news program would have editorial independence from county funders; Sabatier said the board intends to seek community funding rather than county funding for a news show and to adopt editorial criteria intended to be neutral, and that staff will solicit public comment as the project develops.
The presentation did not change county policy; PEG requested continued support for operations and described next steps for revenue diversification, partnerships with schools and pilot programming.