Policies

Trumbull Community Television Policies

​Board of Education / Town of Trumbull
As approved by the Trumbull Cable Advisory Committee: April 2016*

I. PREAMBLE
Trumbull Community Television (“TCTV”) is supervised by the Town of Trumbull Television Advisory Committee (“TCTV Committee”), which is comprised of representatives of the Trumbull Board of Education (“BOE”), the Town of Trumbull, local organizations, and residents. ­The primary goal of TCTV is to make the local educational system, community and government more accessible, available, and understandable to the residents of Trumbull through televised media productions.

II. OBJECTIVES
A. To provide programming and information about events, programs and services offered to the Trumbull community by its schools, town departments, and community organizations;
B. To provide residents with school-specific and school system-wide information and events;
C. To expand community awareness of local government and its decision-making process, and to inform residents about the organization of town departments, what town services are available, and how to utilize town services;
D. To provide emergency information and alerts to the community.

III. SUPERVISING AUTHORITY
TCTV is under the direct supervision of the BOE and the Town of Trumbull through the TCTV Committee. The BOE Manager of Technology is responsible for overall operation and oversight. The TCTV Operations Manager reports to the BOE Manager of Technology, and is responsible for daily operations.

IV. PROGRAMMING PRIORITIES

A. Primary Programming Priorities
1) Televised coverage of school-specific and school system-wide events and programs.
2) Televised coverage of local governmental legislative meetings: Town Council, Board of Finance and Board of Education.
3) Alphanumeric display of school and town-wide emergency announcements, school-specific and school system-wide information and event schedules, announcements and meeting schedules of local governmental departments, commissions, boards and committees; and community information and announcements.
4) Televised coverage of local governmental commissions, boards, and committees such as Inland Wetlands Commission, Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, etc. (see Section V.D.4.d.)
5) Programs regarding town services such as the library system, recreation, public safety/crime prevention, fire safety, highway maintenance, animal control, tax assessment/collection, health services, income maintenance, electric/sewer/water utilities, elections, youth, town records/permits, veterans, etc.

B. Secondary Programming Priorities
1) Special programs, whether produced by TCTV or by an outside source, on current events or particular community issues: Such as recycling, candidate debates, emergency planning, building projects, health issues, etc.;

V. PROGRAM PRODUCTION AND SCHEDULING

A. Event Production
1) Taping Requests
a. Taping requests will be considered on a first come, first served, non-discriminatory basis with the exception of town government public meetings that will always be given priority. Scheduling of videographers will be in accordance with the policies of TCTV and the availability of staff, equipment and other resources.
b. Requests to tape events should be made in writing at least two (2) weeks prior to an event or activity. Requests may be granted depending on time, date, and availability of videographers. TCTV reserves the right to decline any request. An authorization form must be signed by both the TCTV Operations Manager and the event producer allowing the taping of the event or activity.
c. Cancellation or changes to the location/timing of a taping request should be made to the TCTV Operations Manager at least 24 hours prior to the event or activity.
2) Program Production and Editing
a. Town government public meetings will be recorded and distributed without editing in their entirety, gavel-to-gavel. Recesses will not be recorded and distributed. Explanatory information identifying agenda items and individuals may be provided to aid the viewer.
b. Recordings of meetings will not be considered to be official records of the meeting.
c. Any program prepared for or provided by a town department or agency may be modified or edited as deemed appropriate by the TCTV Operations Manager, or an agent directed by the Manager. This determination may be made by policy restrictions or by technical, scheduling or staff limitations and may be subject to the review of the TCTV Committee.
d. Programs focusing on individual candidates for public office or elected officials may only be produced by TCTV and must be informational in nature.
e. Any panel discussion program that features commentary by elected officials, candidates for public office, or officials representing town departments or agencies, and which may include members of the general public may not be modified or edited. This does not preclude the editing of introductory, transition or closing segments that are designed to complement the discussion portion of the program.
f. Statements by announced candidates for public office will be permitted in the regular discourse of a public meeting (pursuant to the rules of such meeting) or within a forum of public debate with other declared candidates under the oversight of a non-partial third party using mutually agreeable ground rules.
g. Written permission for the use of copyrighted materials must be authorized in advance by the materials owner and obtained by the program producer sponsoring the local use of the materials.
3) Production Request Review
Production and distribution requests will be subject to the review of the TCTV Operations Manager, or designated members of the TCTV Committee, for compliance with the policies herein and technical and logistical considerations. The decisions of the Manager or designated members may be appealed in writing to the TCTV Committee.

B. Use of Production Equipment
1) Municipal Employees: Employees of town departments who have been certified in the operation of portable, studio or editing equipment may apply for the use of such equipment, providing that the equipment will be used to produce or edit material for an approved project and for airing on TCTV.
2) Employees of Nonprofits and Members of the General Public: Employees of nonprofit organizations that are funded, in part, by the municipality and members of the general public who have been certified in the operation of portable, studio or editing equipment may use such equipment only under the direct supervision of the TCTV Operations Manager or his designate.
3) Prohibited Use: Equipment under the supervision of TCTV may not be loaned or rented for personal or commercial use.

C. Community Information Messages

1. Messages for inclusion on an alphanumeric display such as a “scroll screen” or “crawl bar” on TCTV may be submitted by any school, government department, town-funded agency or bona fide nonprofit organization that serves the residents of Trumbull. Information for inclusion on alphanumeric displays may consist of program schedules, meeting schedules, meeting agendas, descriptions of services and programs offered by schools, departments and agencies, and messages regarding noncommercial community events.
2. Messages submitted must announce events or services that are noncommercial, open to the general public, and do not discriminate based on age, sex, race, religion, national origin or physical impairment.
3. Messages submitted must not solicit funds. They may, however, provide general info about specific fundraising events.
4. Messages must be submitted two (2) weeks prior to the event.
5. The TCTV Operations Manager will decide which messages are displayed, and reserves the right to edit messages displayed for clarity and brevity, and to determine the format in which the message is displayed.

D. Government Meeting Programming

1. TCTV recorded content is delivered as either television broadcast, on-demand internet, or live internet broadcast, or any combination thereof, all herein referred to as “broadcast.”
2. Recording Criteria
   The goal of TCTV’s local government meeting coverage is to make the town government working process transparent for the community. Since TCTV has budget and resource limitations, the station has established recording criteria that will best service this goal.
   a. Reach: TCTV’s priority is to record town government meetings that affect and are relevant to the greatest number of Trumbull citizens.
   b. Regularity: Local government meetings (commissions, boards, and committees) that are regularly scheduled are given a higher priority than ad hoc or impromptu meetings.
   c. Resources: Since TCTV has limited field equipment and videographers, TCTV considers all concurrent meetings and the above criteria, and parses these resources as effectively as possible.
   d. Requests:
   i. Local government meetings where a commission/board/committee chairperson or member requests that TCTV record will be given priority consideration.
   ii. Town residents may submit a request to TCTV through www.trumbullps,tv to record an individual local meeting, or a series of regularly scheduled meetings. TCTV will consider the request based on the above criteria.
3. Public Submission of Recorded Government Meetings
   If TCTV is unable to record a local government meeting and the meeting is open to the public, town residents may record the meeting at their own expense (as outlined in the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act). These unaltered digital recordings of local government meetings may be submitted to TCTV for broadcast. TCTV reserves the right to decide if and how the submitted meeting file will be broadcast – on TV or available through the on-demand internet system. The submitted, unaltered digital file must be accompanied by a signed “TCTV Video Content Submission Agreement.” See www.trumbullps.tv for details and agreement form.
4. Government Meeting Coverage
5. TCTV’s local government meeting coverage, based on the above criteria, spans as follows:
   a. Broadcast:
   Meetings that are recorded on a regular basis by TCTV, and are scheduled to broadcast on the available TV cable channels and on TCTV shows on-demand website archive. These meetings are typically recorded by TCTV personnel using TCTV equipment.
   b. On-demand:
   Meetings recorded by TCTV, as budget and resources allow, that do not generally air on the TV cable broadcast, will air on the TCTV’s shows on-demand website archive. TCTV has the right to upgrade the status of these meetings to full broadcast at any time.
   c. Other:
   Meetings that have been determined not to meet the above TCTV recording criteria. Town residents may record these meetings using their own means and equipment, submit the digital meeting files to TCTV with a signed TCTV Video Content Submission Agreement swearing that the meeting files have been unaltered in any way. The meetings in this category will air on the shows on-demand website archive
   d. Meeting Coverage (as of April 2016):
   TCTV reserves the right to change meeting category groupings. Email: trumbulltv@trumbullps.org for most up-to-date meeting category groupings.

Broadcast:
• All Public Forums & Hearings
• Board of Education
• Board of Finance
• Charter Revision Commission
• Economic & Community Development Commission
• Inland Wetland & Watercourse Commission
• Planning & Zoning Commission
• Police Commission
• Senior Citizen Commission
• Town Council:
• Legislation & Administration Subcommittee
• Financial Subcommittee
• Town Redistricting Committee
• Water Pollution Control Authority
• Zoning Board of Appeals

On-demand:
• All future building and/or planning committees
• Central Emergency Dispatch Commission
• Health Board
• Land & Acquisition & Preservation Commission
• Parks & Recreations Commission
• Senior, Community Center Building Study Committee

Other:
• Any and all Ad Hoc Committees
• Arts Commission
• Beautification Commission
• Board of Assessment Appeals
• Community Television Committee
• Civic Service Board
• Conservation Commission
• Ethics Commission
• Fire District Meetings
• Golf Commission
• Library Board of Trustees
• Pension Board
• Senior Volunteer & Tax Relief Commission
• Tax Partnership Screening Committee
• Trumbull EMS
• Trumbull Housing Authority – Stern Village
• Trumbull Nature & Arts Commission

E. Production Distribution/Scheduling

1. The decision whether or not to air any videotape is made by the TCTV Operations Manager. If a videotape is aired, the TCTV Operations Manager reserves the right to determine the time and date of broadcast.
2. Program scheduling is the sole responsibility of the TCTV Operations Manager.
3. The decisions of the TCTV Operations Manager may be appealed in writing to the TCTV Committee.

F. Program Production and Distribution Prohibitions

1. Programs that contain, in whole or in part, any of the following subject matter will not be produced or distributed.
   a. Commercial Message or Material
   Anything promoting a product or service, with the primary objective of producing a monetary profit for a specific for-profit organization or individual, will not be produced or distributed. NOTE: This is not to preclude incidental mention of a business or product where the primary purpose is to disseminate information of public benefit. Businesses, individuals and organizations may be acknowledged for assistance in the production of a program.
   b. Religious Material
   Program material that would advocate a particular religious belief will not be produced or distributed. Religious organizations or ideals may be mentioned as incidental information as part of a program. NOTE: This does not preclude the appearance of an individual representing a particular religion as part of a program that provides general information. This will also not preclude the distribution of announcements of public events that are sponsored or conducted by religious organizations.
   c. Violation of Law or Regulation
   Program material that constitutes libel, slander, violation of trademark or copyright, or which might violate any local, state or federal laws, including regulations of the Federal Communications Commission, will not be produced or distributed.
   d. Endorsements
   At no time will TCTV endorse specific brand name products, businesses, or service providers.
   e. Public Office Candidate Coverage
   TCTV will not be used for political campaigning by individuals or organizations seeking public office or legislation. Neither will TCTV be used for the solicitation of funds for political purposes. Trumbull Community Television (TCTV) is not a licensed “commercial” broadcast station, and is not bound by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) section 318 “Equal Time” rules. However TCTV has adopted these guidelines in the desire for fairness.

FCC section 318 reads:

“If any licensee shall permit any person who is a legally qualified candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station, he shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates for that office in the use of such broadcasting station: Provided, That such licensee shall have no power of censorship over the material broadcast under the provisions of this section. No obligation is imposed under this subsection upon any licensee to allow the use of its station by any such candidate.

Appearance by a legally qualified candidate on any—

1) bona fide newscast,
2) bona fide news interview,
3) bona fide news documentary (if the appearance of the candidate is incidental to the presentation of the subject or subjects covered by the news documentary), or
4) 4) on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events (including but not limited to political conventions and activities incidental thereto), shall not be deemed to be use of a broadcasting station within the meaning of this subsection.”

1. Candidates
   a. TCTV interprets that these self-imposed guidelines apply to an individual candidate seeking public office from the date the individual becomes a legal candidate for office until the office he/she seeks is filled. These guidelines do NOT apply to organizations or to general ballot issues.
2. Equal Air-time
   a. If interested in securing equal air-time on TCTV, it is the responsibility of the interested candidate(s) to request equal time under these guidelines. It is NOT the responsibility of TCTV to reach out to candidates to offer equal time. The TCTV “Equal time” guideline does NOT apply retroactively. If one candidate has air-time before an opposing candidate is legally running, that opposing candidate cannot request equal time for a “prior broadcast.”
   b. When TCTV broadcasts programming in which all candidates are invited to participate, that program is considered “equal time” for all candidates, even if a candidate(s) does NOT participate in the invited program event. In the case where a candidate does not participate in an invited broadcast, note that TCTV considers the equal time guideline satisfied, and will not provide any additional opportunity to the non-participated candidate. In TCTV’s desire for fairness, TCTV will attempt to confirm with program sponsors and moderators that candidates will have equal time to speak within their program.
   c. Because any media exposure may benefit a candidate, these guidelines also apply when political candidates participate in non-political shows that air on TCTV during a campaign period. If a political candidate participates in a non-political show, their political opponent(s) has the right to request “equal air time” to promote his/her candidacy.
   d. When an opposing candidate asks for equal time, TCTV will make the same air-time duration available to the opposing candidate. If the opposing candidate chooses to use less air-time than the first candidate, TCTV will consider this opportunity as “equal air-time provided,” and has no additional obligation to give exact air time to the opposing candidate.
   e. TCTV recognizes that during an election period an incumbent may be broadcast in the process of executing his/her public office, outside of local government meetings. Such program occurrences during the election period do NOT merit equal time by opposing candidates.
3. TCTV is under NO obligation to air programs that might invoke these guidelines, even if all interested candidates request their broadcast.
4. TCTV program content that is governed under this section of the TCTV policies is at the discretion of the TCTV Supervising Producer and governed by the TCTV Cable Advisory Committee.
5. Government Meetings
   Local government meetings are considered “bona fide news events,” and are thus exempt from these guidelines.

VI. COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Quorum
a.

For the purposes of conducting committee business, the definition of “quorum” shall be at least eight (8) voting members.

VII. WARRANTY
The Town of Trumbull, its officers, employees and agents, do not warrant the accuracy of any information distributed by TCTV.

VIIl. POLICY REVISION PROCEDURE
Revisions to this policy may be made by 2/3 majority vote of the members in attendance of the TCTV Committee.

IX. ADDENDUM: Board of Education Policy Advisory Committee

TCTV Educational Access Television Policy
TCTV provides a valuable service to both the education community and the Town of Trumbull as a whole as provided for by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Utility Commission. While TCTV operates under the auspices of the Board of Education, its operating practices and policies, although subject to Board of Education review, are the responsibility of the Town of Trumbull Ad Hoc Cable Television Advisory Committee and are independent of the Board of Education policy Advisory Committee. Nothing contained in the operating practices and policies of TCTV, whether in writing in the TCTV Educational Access Television Policies or not, shall conflict with currently established Board of Education policies or any future policies established by the Board of Education. It is the responsibility of the Town of Trumbull Ad Hoc Cable Television Advisory Committee to advise both the Board of Education and the Board of Education Policy Advisory Committee of any anticipated changes in practices or policies, whether in writing in the TCTV Educational Access Television Policies or not, to insure that those anticipated changes do not conflict with current or contemplated Board of Education Policy. (amended: January, 2006)

• As approved by the Trumbull Cable Advisory Committee: March 2, 2006
  With modifications recommended by the Policy Committee: October 30, 2007
  With additional modifications recommended by the Policy Committee: June 5, 2007
  As approved by the TCCC: August 20, 2008
  With name change to “Trumbull Education Channel”: August 23, 2009
  With name change to “Trumbull Community Television”: January 17, 2013
  With modifications approved by TCTC: January 22, 2015
  With modifications approved by TCTC: April 29, 2016