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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Austin Public, the city's public access television |
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station, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in |
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June 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, Now the longest continually operating public access |
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television station in the country, Austin Public launched on |
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Capital Cable channel 10 in June 1973 as Austin Community |
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Television; community media activists, members of the Texas |
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Commission on the Arts, and radio-TV-film majors joined forces to |
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learn about access television, then available in only two cities, |
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and obtain channel space and a corporate charter; in the early days, |
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with no cable lines or satellite dishes in the heart of the city, |
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broadcasting required a trip up Mount Larson to wire a playback |
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device into the cable system; the first live music cablecast |
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involved a musician performing at the site with the city in the |
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background; and |
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WHEREAS, The channel reflected the community with its wide |
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variety of programming, including city council meetings, sermons, |
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live music, offbeat call-ins, reports on civil strife, and shows |
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with such unlikely titles as The Pun Zone and Face Your Pets; famed |
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film directors Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez availed |
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themselves of the resource, and a number of producers, activists, |
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and board members from the station have gone on to serve as |
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executive directors of access television in other cities; and |
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WHEREAS, Since 2015, the Austin Film Society has administered |
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Austin Public, carrying on its tradition as an independent, |
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noncommercial free-speech forum that is open to all Austinites; it |
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has expanded its platforms, broadcasting over cable channels 10, |
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11, and 16, and streaming simultaneously on the Internet; |
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empowering individuals and nonprofit organizations, it offers low |
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and no-cost training, equipment, facilities, and content |
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distribution to facilitate communication, community building, and |
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diversification of the media landscape; and |
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WHEREAS, For a half century, Austin Public has amplified the |
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voices of area residents, helping them to entertain, inform, and |
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maintain the city's proud reputation for weirdness, and the |
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community is indeed fortunate in the continuing existence of this |
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notable incubator for creativity and civic engagement; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Austin Public access television on |
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its 50th anniversary and extend to all those associated with the |
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organization sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Hinojosa |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1677 was adopted by the House on May |
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25, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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