Proposal to televise Legislature popular MPBC, state working to iron out details

BANGOR – Mainers soon may be able to get a front-row seat at the Legislature simply by turning on their televisions.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Corp. board of trustees on Tuesday gave the green light to continued study of the idea of providing C-SPAN-type coverage of state government. The startup date would be in January when the next Legislature convenes, said Vice President of Television Services Kate Arno.

Arno, who discussed the plan several weeks ago with Senate President Rick Bennett, R-Norway, and House Speaker Michael Saxl, D-Portland, said after the board meeting that while nothing had been cemented yet, the legislators “loved it.”

“We have state funding that supports public television, so it makes sense for us to be giving our viewers a front seat to what’s happening in Augusta,” she said. “This could be one great big statewide community-access channel.”

The Legislative Council and the Governor’s Office need to be included in discussions, Arno said.

Trustee Helen Dudman was openly enthusiastic about the plan. “I think we’ll change state government,” she said. “It’s what democracy and television are all about.”

Arno, who has been working on the plan since 1997, said details need to be worked out about coverage, funding, equipment and governance.

Initial plans are to cover committee hearings, House and Senate chamber discussions and press conferences, she said. “Behind-the-scenes” interviews on how a bill becomes law or the job of a lobbyist also could be included in the coverage. The videos could be aired on the MPBC Web site or on the state’s Web site.

Equipment likely would include remote-control cameras to minimize the number of staff, Arno said. The existing audio system in the State House would be used, she said.

Equipment is projected to cost $500,000, while the annual operating budget would be $200,000, Arno said. Although it’s too early to tell how the money would be raised, membership dollars wouldn’t necessarily fund the project, she said. Instead, MPBC would look to foundation grants and other financial sources.

Initial plans have the Legislature setting the rules for recording or “going live” from the chambers or meeting rooms, and for MPBC to select and produce coverage and schedule air time, Arno said.

Ultimately, MPBC could partner with a cable system, a nonprofit group interested in covering civic events or with another type of media, she said.

The digital transmission that’s due to begin in May makes the project more workable, because it means that four stations instead of one will carry public television. The programs on the current single station need to appeal to more general audiences, Arno said.

Maine has a number of states to look to for models, she said. Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington, Alaska, Nebraska and Florida all deliver this type of program.