Access for the Masses

Public-access television, whose future may hinge on a bill before Congress, is TV's public square -- a community outlet for the civic minded, musicians, and even bonsai lovers. For many viewers, local-access channels are mere speed bumps on the dial between ABC and HBO. But for the people running these channels around the country these outlets, available to all for a nominal fee, have become what Anthony Riddle, executive director of the Alliance for Community Media in Washington, calls "the public square in the electronic age."
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Teresa Méndez]

*Learn more about the Alliance for Community Media and public access TV at:http://www.alliancecm.org/