The year 1976 was filled with notable events in television history. The Sound of Music movie was televised for the first time. Showtime was launched July 1, 1976 on cable systems in Escondido, Long Beach, and Palos Verdes, California. The following week it began broadcasting on Viacom Cablevision's system in Dublin and later became successful nationwide. On Independence day, U.S. television networks aired extensive live coverage of events commemorating the country's celebration of its bicentennial. That same year, Tri-Valley Community Television (TVCT) started broadcasting and became known as TV30. The creation of this nonprofit would turn out to be a milestone in supporting the community.

The Roots of Community Television

"In the 1960s a broadcast reform movement of media activists, religious leaders, and First Amendment advocates called on the Federal Communications Commission to reassert the Commission's mandate to regulate broadcasting in the public interest," writes scholar and archivist Caroline Rubens in her paper Artists, Activists, Neighbors and Strippers: Preserving the Legacy of Public Access Television. "In 1967 Congress passed the Public Television Act which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This renewed interest in the public service possibilities of television coincided with the rise of ‘cablecast' distribution technology, in which many observers saw an opportunity to break the network monopoly."

In 1971, the FCC released a report that framed the growth of cable and the new wealth of television channels as a development in the public interest because of its potential noncommercial uses, according to Rubens. The FCC envisioned "channels for education, for delivering social services of local governments, and for public access. It recommended designating at least two publicly accessible channels for the airing of community grievances and local cultural expression."

In the mid 1970s, when cable television arrived in the Tri-Valley, there was no outlet for community grievances or local cultural expression. The cable system did not support the type of arts, science, education, and entertainment popular with residents of the region, according to TV30 Foundation President Marshall Kamena, who is also Livermore Mayor Emeritus. "Local issues were non-existent on cable," he says.

That would change because in 1972, the FCC had issued the Cable Television Report and Order. The Report "asserted the FCC's control over the regulation of cable television (which would later be challenged in court), but gave communities authority in the development of franchise agreements," writes Rubens. "Among its rulings, the Report stated that cable companies in the top 50 markets must carry all local stations, and systems with more than 3,500 subscribers must provide at least three access stations—one for Public Access, one for Educational, and one for Government channels."

At some point after the FCC's rulings, local activists from Livermore's Cultural Arts Council and elsewhere asked the cities of Livermore and Pleasanton to determine the best practices for local community channels in California. In response, the City of Livermore approved a group of residents, who included Dr. Kamena, to do that research. Once it was completed, Dr. Kamena proposed a business plan for a public education channel to the Livermore City Council. The motion to establish Tri-Valley Community Television as a 501(c)3 non-profit passed unanimously. The City of Pleasanton also approved such a motion shortly afterward, and a joint venture was created. Dublin joined the consortium after it became an incorporated city a few years later.

In 1979, the Supreme Court struck down the 1972 FCC ruling on the grounds that the FCC had no authority to mandate access, according to a paper by Dr. Douglas Kellner, who holds the George F. Kneller Chair in the Philosophy of Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Nonetheless, cable was expanding so rapidly and becoming such a high-growth competitive industry that by the 1980s city governments considering cable systems were besieged by companies making lucrative offers and were able to demand access channels and financial support for public access systems as part of their contract negotiations," he writes. "Consequently, public access grew significantly during the 1980s and 1990s and the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 and the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992 provided language that allowed local governments to require public access cable channels as part of their negotiated agreements."

TV30 Moving to Hacienda

Despite the various legal challenges nationally, TV30 has been broadcasting without any legal interruptions since 1976 on channels 28, 29 & 30 on the Comcast Cable System. Viewers from Napa to San Jose and the surrounding Bay Area can also watch TV30 on AT&T U-Verse at channel 99 by selecting Dublin, Livermore, or Pleasanton. TV30's live broadcasts can also be watched on computers, smartphones, and tablets at tv30.org, where video on demand is also available. No app is required for viewing.

"The mission of Tri-Valley Community Television is to promote the positive aspects of life in Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore," says Executive Director Melissa Tench-Stevens. "We provide local news and help to promote local businesses and nonprofits in these cities. Our program About the Tri-Valley is devoted to significant new scientific, cultural, and educational contributions affecting people here and throughout the nation."

Later this year, Tri-Valley Community Television and its foundation will move to new space at Hacienda. "Soon, our new studios will be built at the Arroyo Center on West Las Positas Boulevard," notes Tench-Stevens. "We will continue to show all the Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore City Council, School Board, Zone 7 Water District, and Local Agency Formation Commission meetings. Popular also are the County Supervisors Reports from Board President Nate Miley and District 1 Supervisor David Haubert."

TV30 has a state-of-the-art mobile video van for on-location, live broadcasts. "We can schedule a broadcast for events such as Tri-Valley Varsity Boys and Girls sporting events, local league championship games, and business meetings. These larger productions are underwritten by local businesses, donors, and foundations, with recognition during the production."

Tri-Valley Community Television also offers professional, affordable video production services to a variety of clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, according to Tench-Stevens. Local businesses and nonprofits often turn to TV30 for training videos on a range of topics, including technical or proprietary in-house topics for Hacienda tenants and Human Resource films. "This assures the latest business practices for new employees and are time savers for the HR staff," says Tench-Stevens, who adds, "These projects may be done on location or at our Hacienda TV30 Studio."

More than 300,000 people watch TV30, according to the nonprofit. The community  impact of TV30's broadcasts and other services, which are overseen and supported by the Tri-Valley Community Television Foundation, cannot be measured directly. But measurements are not required to appreciate the public service provided to the Tri-Valley.

Thanks to TV30, residents can see city council, school board, and other local agency meetings without attending in person. That gives disabled individuals and those with time constraints the ability to tap into local governmental decisions that they would otherwise be unable to access. Public Service Announcements about other local nonprofits are broadcast without charge on TV30. Viewers interested in gardening can learn tips by watching Jacqueline Williams-Coutright on Valley Gardner.

In small and large ways, public access television reinforces the importance of local and regional democracy. The professional, consistent broadcasting and production done at TV30 for nearly 50 years has quietly served the community in ways that are easy to overlook. But the history of public access television and the story behind the creation of Tri-Valley Community Television are both worth celebrating.

For more information about Tri-Valley Community Television, please visit www.tri-valleytv.org.

For more information about TV30 Foundation, please visit supporttv30.org.