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EDITORIAL: Local access to the airwavesSep 21, 2012 (South Bend Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It's all too easy to mock cable access as the opposite of must-see TV, to poke fun at production values, to offer dated references to Wayne and Garth. But in a television landscape of seemingly unlimited choices, making sure that a tiny fraction of that universe is set aside for the public is no small thing. Which is why the return of local cable access to Michiana is a good thing. Earlier this month, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved part of the financing for the TV station. An inter-local agreement with the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka will provide the funds needed to establish and launch the station, which will be operated and managed by WNIT Public Television. In the years before cable access went off the air locally, the hodgepodge of programming ranged from religious-themed shows to the airings of common council meetings. In its return to Michiana, the station will continue to offer government and education-related programming. Whether you plan to develop a show of your own or would like to avoid the channel altogether, everyone should appreciate what cable access represents: the idea that the airwaves belong to the people. ___ (c)2012 the South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Ind.) Visit the South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Ind.) at www.southbendtribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |