Talking Back to Television: Confidentiality Public Access on Cable TV Explored by

Any person in the United States can now show their videotapes or films on television on a newly-created public access cable channel. UC Comm ittee , 's public access station is Mission Cable channel 24, run hy thc Community Video Center. A UC committee has urged that Channel 24's manager, St ve Crouch, and production man~ger, the University continue to use An ne Prutzman, were both communications majors at UC San DlCgo. confidential evaluations in its In addition several UCSD interns are conducting independent studics review process, but recommended for credit ~t the station. Channel 24 is located on Federal Blvd. in that a few changes alJowing in­ southeast San Diego. dividuals to learn the substance of A recent Federal Communications Commission ruling states that their personal records be made. very community located within a major television market is required The Special Committee on to have at least one cable TV channel made available free to the Personnel R cords submitted that public. The channel must also make available equipment and a ~ tudio report to President Saxon on on a first-come, first-served basis, to any individual or group 10 the Monday. commt:nily. (Another channel goes towards the municipality and a In October, Saxon appointed the third to educators). eight-member committee to The limitations placed upon any production are few: no blatent review UC policies regarding (' ommercial advertising; no political candidates running for office; no employee personnel files. lotterics; and no obscenity or offensive material. Other than that, Much of the impetus for the every tape or film that follows the rules can be put on a public access committee came from Gov , channel. Brown's veto of a bill which would To Promote Access have required full disclosure of the The Community Video Center (CVC ) is a non-profit, tax-exempt. contents of his personnel file to a community group whose goal is to promote access. The evc has public employee. UC officials contracted with Mission Cable to manage the public access channel urged the veto of the bill because of for them. Mission Cable has provided CVC with their own equipment, the alleged serious adverse impact space and office. There are four paid staff whose salaries are it would have in the peer review generated by CVC activities, grants and donations. process in faculty evaluation. Public access TV is not to be confused with local origination TV, UC agreed to work with Brown whic h is represented by cable Channel 2 on Mission Cable, and UHF - and the legislature to develop a Channel 15 at State College in San Diego. They are non-commercial measure incorporating the intent stations run like regular commercial TV stations, with a live of the original bill while still origination studio, film chain, and distribution center. protecting their own interests. In order to maintain the goal of public access, evc is trying to gain The committee's report states Continued on Page 6 that a degree of confidentiality is needed to obtain accurate evaluations of the UC faculty. " Experts in an academic field, 7000 People to Sample Peanut Butter This Week able to provide useful appraisals of . the quality of work of a UC faculty by James G. Soto join Russo in manning three booths Store Brands price does not have to include member, are, we believe, much City Editor around UCSD today through advertising. " less likely to provide these in­ Friday. From 10 :30 to 2:30 there One of the goals of the ex­ dispensible critical evaluation if Over 7000 people will sample will be booths in both the Revelle periment is to see how store Welcome News their letters of evaluation are not peanut butter at UC San Diego this and Muir Plaza, and another in brands, which are usually cheaper, kept confidential," the report said. week. front of the bookstore. In the stand in relation to major brands. The survey will be welcome news That is the hope of Jay Russo, an