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One of the greatest attractions of Public Access for both producers and viewers is the broad range of unique programming that finds it's way down the cable and into our homes.  Local events and individual perspectives that would never be seen on commercial television are the staples of Public Access.  The variety of voices offering alternative perspectives is one of our great strengths.

But sometimes, especially in smaller communities, there are not as many voices being raised as we would like.  And there are many interesting programs and perspectives that might be just down the road that we are unaware of.  Sometimes producers simply wish to broaden their audience and extend the life of a program they have created.

To address this issue and facilitate broader exposure for producers, greater variety of programs for viewers, and an increased sense of awareness and appreciation for our sister communities, NMCCAT has created XSLSWR or, Access Elsewhere.  This is a project to facilitate the delivery and cablecast of programs between producers and channels throughout the state.  We feel that this will create a win-win-win situation for producers, viewers, and communities.

Given the very local orientation of Public Access (it stops where the wire does!), the specific policies & obligations of each channel, and the priority of local origination programming, the opportunities to have a program shown in another locale will vary and have limitations in accordance with those policies.  The number of programs that might be accepted in, for instance, Albuquerque may be very limited since they have 500 active local producers, a policy of cablecasting a program perhaps once or twice, and a waiting list of weeks or months for a spot on the schedule.  The smaller channels may not have enough locally produced content to fill prime time much less a 24/7 schedule and might be very eager to receive programs from other access centers.

As you are aware, Public Access is a bulwark in the defense of the 1st Amendment and channels do not use editorial discretion regarding locally produced or submitted programs.  But access centers also have contractual and policy commitments to assure that locally produced programs get priority on a "first come, first served" basis - NOT on editorial discretion.  The discretion or decision to submit a program to a channel rests with the local access member who accepts full responsibility for the content of what they submit and adheres to the policies of the local access center.  That means that a local sponsor must assume responsibility for a submitted XSLSWR program.  And THAT means that the local sponsor must decide/approve the submission of the program, NOT the channel, NOT NMCCAT.

Obviously, as individuals we all have different tastes and might choose to sponsor one program and refuse to sponsor, or even be associated with another.  For this reason, we suggest that the local committees organize themselves not as voting bodies but as a pool of potential local sponsors, any one of whom might choose to sponsor and submit a program in a manner consistent with the local access center's policies.

Each Access Center will have their specific policies and guidlines but we suggest that any program submitted through XSLSWR adhere to the following requirements...

• The Program must be of local origination from an NMCCAT member channel.
• The Program must have already been submitted and run on the Producer's local member channel.
• The program must adhere to ALL policy requirements of the channel that it is being submitted to, including submission procedures, permission to cablecast the program, appropriate producer identification and contact info, etc.

As this project develops, the Member Channels will provide information, submission guidelines, and forms.  Check the stations page for contact information.

We are very excited about the prospect of producers, viewers and communities benefitting from XSLSWR and look forward to exciting new programs coming to your communities.