As Pilgrims began to settle at the dawn of America, undivided land was established within them for public pasturing livestock and serving as a communal gathering space.
This practice was an early form of Colonial socialism. Although presently socialism often has a negative connotation, it was crucial in early Colonial America. Boston Common, the nation’s oldest city public park dating back to 1630, exemplifies this.
The land was purchased through a one-time tax on Boston residents, totaling about $50 each. The common also served as a venue for public speaking, religious preaching, military training and executions. Within city ordinances, it was free for all residents to use.
Parishes in early America were another form of social support, providing temporary or emergency lodging, medical care, entertainment, access to books, education, dispute resolution and religious activities.
These social institutions were vital for the founding, survival and growth of early settlements. As America evolved into a country, other social foundations became essential for national growth, including the national treasury, public schools and universities, libraries, Social Security, and, in some states, progressive health care programs.
Despite its controversial reputation, socialism has been integral to the birth, survival, rise, and success of our nation.
Public Access Television became a new medium in the social evolution during the late 1960s. The first experiments in public access television began in Virginia in 1968 with Dale City Television (DCTV) and at the same time in Canada, Ned Marchand, head of the Cable TV and Communications Commission, made recommendations for a free-access channel for public use.
The rent for equipment usage and studio time was opposed and later dropped, marking the contractual beginnings of PEG. PEG (public, education, and government) public access broadcasting.
Filmmaker George Stoney, considered the godfather of PEG was instrumental in developing the theoretical legal basis and evangelizing the practical need for public-access television, helping to eventually create public access television requirements in the franchise agreement between the City of New York and the cable company.
The legal basis of the local municipality regulating cable companies, which use public rights-of-way to make profits, to meet certain minimum standards of public interest requirements, i.e., facilities and equipment, channel capacity, and funding, came out of this pioneering work.
Lance Wisniewski, a college student at Syracuse University, had been a DJ at the university radio station and campaign manager for David Ifshin, who was elected as National Student Association president, and visited Hanoi alongside high-profile protesters, including Jane Fonda, in an effort to convince soldiers to desert their posts and end the war in Vietnam.
Lance became heavily involved in the antiwar movement and its associated politics, which distracted him from his schoolwork. Inspired by Timothy Leary’s counterculture phrase, “Turn on, tune in and drop out,” Lance joined thousands heading to San Francisco. He planned to work on a fishing boat in Alaska but never made it there.
In San Francisco, aspiring filmmaker Lance discovered the new technology of video and became involved in the primitive public access movement. A year later, he returned to Syracuse University and the Newhouse School of Communications.
Drawing from his experiences in San Francisco, Lance outlined a plan to build a student run public access color TV station at Syracuse University and wired the entire campus for cable. Initially underwritten by the university, this program also received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts.
Lance’s team, including his close friend, Bob Burns, were pioneers in the emerging technologies of the early 1970s. At schools like Syracuse University, these technologies were particularly important because they provided students with a new platform for self-expression.
Public access allowed the university to provide students a voice through a new form of media, potentially reducing the likelihood of violent protests like the one at Kent State University where four people were shot and killed on May 4, 1970.
Lance left Syracuse in 1977 and began working on technology that helped reintroduce the endangered bald eagle back into the wild. However, his greatest accomplishment was winning the heart of Donna Johnson.
Donna, a beautiful and brilliant woman born to a Finnish mother, is one of the smartest and classiest individuals I have ever met. She grew up in Massachusetts but lived in New York City during the 1970s, experiencing the city before its gentrification. She lived in the New York that was on fire, bankrupt, and home to a grimy Times Square – the New York with the best stories.
My wife, Nina, and I enjoy having dinner with Donna. Her storytelling is effortless, drawing you into her colorful youth, piquing your interest, and surprising you with tales of adventure and her deeply honest reflections on her remarkable life. Donna is a treasure, and her life story is nothing short of amazing.
In 2007, Lance, along with a group of board of directors, set out to bring public access television to Salisbury. PEG channels are typically funded by cable television companies through revenues derived from franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions, with cable subscribers playing a crucial role in this funding.
Lance emphasized that the story of SCTV cannot be told without mentioning Don Beaulieu, who, along with the early board members, Lou Masiello and John Housianitis (who still serves on the board), had the foresight to hire a local pioneer in the industry as the first executive director.
Under the leadership of Lance and his team, with the support of the board of directors, SCTV has grown from a standard definition channel to include multi-HD broadcasting channels on two cable systems. They have also expanded to broadcast important local town meetings on social media platforms.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, SCTV played a vital role in keeping the town operational by facilitating essential meetings through Zoom, ensuring the continuation of vital community functions and communication of essential information and services.
The rise of streaming services and the decline of cable subscriptions pose significant challenges to public access TV. These channels traditionally rely on franchise fees from cable companies for funding.
As more consumers “cut the cord” and move away from cable, the revenue that sustains public access channels diminishes. This financial strain threatens the future of community media centers, which may face closures or reductions in services if alternative funding sources are not secured.
To address these challenges, legislation has been proposed to modernize funding for community media programming. This legislation aims to impose a 5% fee on streaming services for using public utilities, similar to the fees cable companies pay. The revenue collected would then be distributed to community media centers like SCTV, Port Media and ACTV.
Lance is not only a legend in his field, but also a teacher, mentor, and tremendously hard worker. The community of Salisbury owes him a debt of gratitude for his contributions.
His work at the dawn of public access television was akin to the original colonial social experiment of the Town Common – a place where any resident could go to protest, create art, demonstrate religion, learn or teach. Public access has opened up a new frontier of technology and even helped us navigate one of the most challenging times in our history.
Email Salisbury resident C.J. Fitzwater at: cfitzwater@ymail.com.