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The News & Advance Lynchburg Va. February 9, 2008  Staff photos by KimRaff Power to Lynchburg’s public access station to be shut off soon by Alicia Petska The News & Advance Wally Roach has often wondered how his 13-plus years as a public access host might come to an end. Finding himself in hand-to-hand combat with the ninja assassin mimes of Lynchburg City Council was not one of his first guesses. “What’s going on here? Leave me alone! Oww!” screamed an apparently helpless Roach after being dragged off-camera during a live taping of his show Wednesday. “Mayor, put me down! Aaah!” The television - which showed none of the fracas as the supposed ninjas took care to avert the camera - suddenly went black. “Now we see the violence inherent in the system!” Roach yelled over the sounds of a struggle. “You’re repressing me! Stop it!” This scene, partially borrowed from a moment in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” when King Arthur beats an uppity peasant, might best encapsulate the feelings of Lynchburg’s 40-some public-access hosts, all of whom are scheduled for cancellation next week. “This is the end and City Council did it,” explained a calmer and remarkably unscuffed Roach the next day. “If they have to come in and physically stop us, they’d do it.” He paused a moment. “I don’t suppose they’d really do it themselves,” he said. “They’d call the police. But I didn’t have any police uniforms, so it would have ruined the whole bit.” For months now, the city has been preparing to cut the power to Lynchburg’s public access channel, a process expected to be complete next week. The community’s cable franchise is up for renewal and Comcast, which took over service here in 2006, plans to drop all support for public access programming. City Council also declined to step in and continue the station. “It’s almost like our voices are being hushed,” reflected Keith Lee, director of the Dance Theatre of Lynchburg and producer of the show “Dance Journey.” “It’s like expression is being hushed in the community,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s very fair.” Currently, Comcast pays to operate a community studio and air programs ranging from government meetings to publicly produced talk shows and religious sermons. New state laws aimed at deregulating the industry no longer require that service. In the cable company’s stead, the city plans to step in, take over the studio and start producing its own all-government channel. Although Comcast no longer has to bankroll public programming, it does have to keep broadcasting it when it’s produced. Under the terms of the new franchise agreement, which will be brought to a hearing before City Council on Tuesday, both the city government and the school system will have their own channel. Lynchburg schools have had their own TV program for years. The government station, which will air on Channel 15, is scheduled to start up next Friday. A total of $266,000 has been set aside for its first year of operation. A proposal to add to that budget funding for a third, community-based channel was unanimously rejected by City Council. Officials also decided against exercising their right to require that Comcast add a public access surcharge to its bill that would then be used to fund a public station. In making those decisions, council members cited the burden to taxpayers and cable customers, respectively. “I don’t think (supporting public access) is a necessary function of government, and I don’t think it’s a wise use of taxpayers’ money,” Ward I Councilman Mike Gillette said. “I’d rather put that money into our schools and police and parks.” City Council will hear from the public on the cable changes at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall. Staff members hope to see the new franchise agreement approved immediately following that hearing. The public-access producers, however, plan to make one final plea for their work and hope a few viewers will turn out to show their support. Among their points of contention is a franchise feepaid every year by Comcast that rakes in more than $500,000 for the city. 
Staff photos by KimRaff Traditionally, that money has gone into the government’s general fund, but public-access supporters are now questioning why some of it can’t be funneled into their station. According to city estimates, it would take around $86,000 annually to keep public access going. “City officials, if they really wanted to, could find a way to keep public access on at a minimal cost,” said Andre Whitehead, who got his start in TV through Lynchburg public access more than 20 years ago. His show, “Conversations with Andre Whitehead,” now airs in eight different markets covering three states and D.C. “These producers, they have a message they want to get out,” he said. “And although they may not be the most polished shows, I think there are still shows there that affect a lot of people and inspire a lot of people.” As the end of Lynchburg’s public access has drawn nearer, several producers have talked about the positive public reaction they’ve had since being on the air and what it’s meant to them to have that connection to the community. Roach, whose guitar tattoo and long feathered hair suggest an affinity for old-school rock, regularly fields calls from people looking to chat with the host of “thewallyshow” about everything from politics to sports to music. Last Wednesday was his first live show in awhile, he noted - the guy who runs the studio at night has been out of commission with a broken foot, forcing Roach to come in during the day to pre-tape the program. “Am I on now?” he asked as the studio grew quiet and his image popped up on the monitor. “I’m on now? People can see me?” A holler from the sound booth confirmed his suspicions. Without missing a beat, “Hey, welcome to thewallyshow! This may be the last wallyshow you’ll ever see. City Council wants to pull the plug.” Over the next 30 minutes, Roach proceeded to blaze through topics from the treatment of military recruiters in Berkeley, Calif., to Super Bowl commercials he hated. In between, he took calls from viewers who commiserated with him on the end of the program. And, of course, he wrapped up it all with a battle royale with the city’s “ninjas,” a spoof orchestrated with the help of his 15-year-old nephew. “Brother, you’re good and you do have a following,” said one supportive caller. “I’ve talked to people across the community and people listen.” 
Staff photos by KimRaff Another caller, a regular who’s developed a following of his own among wallyshow fans, started with an appreciative, “Hey, what’s up maaan? I’m glad to see you.” Roach apologized for not being able to take callers recently, explaining he’d been unable to broadcast live. “Well, I’ve been calling,” said the viewer. “I’ve been calling, but they said you weren’t there.” Alicia Petska ~ February 16, 2008 reprinted with permission from The News & Daily Advance |