City TV Mission Statement

1. Provide greater accessibility to City Government by producing and distributing information about City services, policies, programs, resources, and events, via cable television and the Internet, to Santa Barbara citizens.
2. Televise and videotape noticed City Council meetings and approved boards and commission meetings as part of the public record.
3. Increase community awareness of important local issues.
4. Provide information about City services and community events on Channel 18 using the City TV Computer Scroll.
5. Maintain a permanent library of City Council DVD’s and a temporary archive of other public meetings; maintain an archive of City TV programs and videos for historical and archival purposes.
6. Provide video production and audiovisual services to City departments and other governmental and non-governmental agencies.
7. Provide emergency information during local emergency situations as directed by the lead City Emergency Public Information Officer.

1. Emergency information involving public safety or health.
2. Notice of City of Santa Barbara public meetings involving the Mayor and Council, City officials, appointed boards, commissions, and committees.
3. Programs that explain policies and programs of the City of Santa Barbara and/or that solicit citizen input on these policies and programs.
4. Issues of citywide significance that are being addressed at the neighborhood or community level.
5. Public meetings of other government agencies and programs about public policy issues which are relevant to local government or to the residents of the City of Santa Barbara.
6. Programs that feature cultural and historic aspects of the City and its residents.
7. Public Service Announcements.

A Government Access Television Channel is defined in the franchise agreement as a channel for use by the City of Santa Barbara in which the programming is noncommercial, informational programming regarding government activities and programs.

1. Live Meetings: Live broadcasting of City of Santa Barbara public meetings and other selected City programs, Community Events, or meetings as determined by the City Administrator or his/her designee. Meetings are carried "gavel-to-gavel", unedited and without editorial comment.
2. Rebroadcast of Meetings: Videotape replays of televised public meetings for broadcast at various times as listed in the City TV Broadcast Schedule. Rebroadcast meetings are televised “gavel to gavel” and unedited with the exception of meeting breaks.
3. City Produced Programs: Programs produced by the City or on the behalf of the City to illustrate the function or operations of City government. Programming must be noncommercial in nature. Programming concepts will be considered if submitted by a City department or a City employee, in adherence with all City programming policies in this document, and approved by the department head of the requesting department.
4. Outside Produced Programs: City TV may televised noncommercial programming produced by outside sources such community based non-government organizations or other local, state, or federal governmental agencies. Programs must be non-commercial and educational in nature; not endorsing election initiatives, measures, or candidates; and of general public interest.
5. City Calendar (Scruol): City Calendar is defined as a text and graphics electronic bulletin board used to display messages to the public. Messages may be submitted by any City Department, nonprofit organization, or other agency, and must meet all channel programming policies, objectives, and regulations. All messages submitted are subject to approval by the Channel Supervisor. Non-profit agencies must either receive funding from the City of Santa Barbara or affiliated to the City of Santa Barbara in order to be considered.

CITY-TV is a division of the City Administrator's Office. Under direction of the Assistant to the City Administrator, the City TV Production Supervisor is responsible for all programming activities and program schedules.

City TV may consider providing video and audiovisual production services for non-City of Santa Barbara entities. To be considered, the requesting group must be another government agency, have a contractual relationship with the City of Santa Barbara, be a local non-profit organization that receives funding from the City, or be a partner or co-sponsor that collaborates with the City on a service, program or event. Requests are considered related to staff time, staff and channel resources, and adherence to programming policies, and are approved by the City TV Production Supervisor.

1. Programming must meet all Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Regulations and applicable federal, state, and local laws.
2. Information or advertising concerning illegal lottery is prohibited.
3. Programming must be noncommercial. Sponsored and underwritten programs may be shown if approved by the City TV Production Supervisor.
4. Any program containing information or messages on behalf of a political candidate is prohibited. CITY-TV will not show elected officials that are running for reelection or show candidates running for office on any channel 18 production (other than televised public meetings) during the election season.
5. Use of elected officials in programming is limited to official City events, such as public meetings, forums, workshops, ribbon cuttings, the annual State of the City Address, and ground breakings. At all times, current term elected officials may participate only in performance of their official duties.
6. Without the prior authorization of the City Council, members of the Santa Barbara City Council are prohibited from hosting, directing, scheduling, or setting up programs that are produced for the City’s government access channel.
7. Programming produced by another governmental agency or non-governmental organization may be allowed if the event or program is co-sponsored by the City of Santa Barbara and approval is granted in advance by the City TV Production Supervisor.
8. Any material which constitutes libel, slander, pornography or obscene and indecent content which might violate applicable federal, state, and local laws is prohibited.
9. Programming which advocates a particular religious belief or beliefs is restricted.
10. Use of City TV Channel 18 production equipment shall be restricted to City TV production activities and only to designated City employees, volunteers, and/or interns under supervision of the City TV Production Supervisor.
11. Programming shall be removed from the government access channel if it contains untimely or incorrect information, does not meet technical standards requiring a clear audio and video signal, or does not comply with these established guidelines.