Content Submission

Summary of Submission and Playback Policies

(Click here to view the full policy document)

Humboldt County residents can submit programs (live or pre-recorded) to be played on Access Humboldt TV channels and hosted for online streaming through the Community Media Archive at Archive.org.

It is the presenter's responsibility to make sure that submissions comply with the guidelines outlined below. Please read the following carefully in order to understand our requirements:

Political Programming

The usual television election laws such as The Fairness Doctrine, Personal Attack rule, and Equal Time provisions do not apply to public access channels. Candidates for local office may produce programs or appear on other programs, in the same manner as any other member of the community. No paid advertising will be accepted on behalf of any candidate for public office or political parties, including promoting and or opposing ballot issues by supporting groups or lobbying organizations. Political candidates and advocates for ballot issues are welcome to utilize the services on the same terms as other access users. AH maintains the right to limit the length and frequency of political programming in the same manner that it imposes these limits on other programs. In fulfilling its role as a vehicle for community and communication, AH shall make an effort to sponsor or encourage balanced, unbiased political programming events. AH also reserves the right to preempt other programming in order to provide timely local election-related programming. AH may also reserve a sufficient block of airtime during each political season to enable a wide selection of political programs to be cablecast.

Commercial content

Commercial content is prohibited on AH’s community access TV channels. AH defines commercial content as information that is designed for the purpose of personal financial gain.

Underwriting

Businesses or individuals may donate a specific product, service, or funding to assist an access program in return for non-commercial acknowledgment on that program

Safe Harbor

Programs that contain sexually explicit content, nudity, offensive language, or excessively violent material are considered adult programming and must satisfy certain requirements in order to be aired. If your program contains such materials it can only be played during "safe harbor" hours, from 11PM to 5AM. Failure to answer the relevant questions on this form honestly and/or failure to have the required warning on your program may jeopardize your program and your status at our facility.

Program Duration

All regular series programming must adhere to a regular show length, no longer than 00:28:30 for half-hour slots, 00:58:30 for one hour slots. Please note the cue (time from start of disc to first video) and total running time (time from first video to last video) on the form.

Priority

Please be aware that our policies give playback priority to new programming; programs that played previously on the station are replayed only at management discretion. See Program Categories

Technical Assistance

If you cannot submit content online or send us a DVD, you may submit a VHS tape. If your program is local, AH will dub up to two VHS tapes per week for free. If your program is not locally made (import), AH will dub the program from VHS to DVD for a $10 fee.

We urge you to retain a copy and not provide us with your only master.

Submission

To submit a program, you can fill out a Request for Playback form online or print out and return the form by mail or in person. You must complete and sign this form for us to schedule playback for your program. Applications submitted without signatures or other important information will not be aired.

Mail your DVD and this completed form to:

Access Humboldt

P.O. Box 157

Eureka CA 95502

Or, hand-deliver your DVD and this form to the Community Media Center on the Eureka High School campus (map).

For programming information, phone 707-476-1651 or email: programming@accesshumboldt.net

Producing a Recurring Series

A series is defined as programming with a common theme, format, length and title that is produced weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Presenters may apply for a series status at any time. Each program in a series must contain at least 75% new material. No more than 25% of the programs can be re-runs.

When series status is granted, a time slot will be reserved for that particular series program for the duration of that programming season. At the end of each programming season series time slots may be reassigned. There are two six-month long seasons per year. The first begins February 1 of each year, and the second begins August 1.

Presenters of new series programs may apply for their desired time slot at any time during the season, upon approval of their series, and after they have successfully submitted three programs to Access Humboldt for playback. If the time slot is already taken, the presenter of the new series can apply for a different time slot or wait for the end of the current programming season to apply for their first choice of time slot.

Time slots for series will re re-assigned on a first come, first served basis. In the event two presenters submit requests at the same time for the same time slot, priority will be given to newly-approved local series. In the event both are new, local series, priority will be given to the person who is a new presenter with AH.

AH reserves the right to determine time slots at its discretion. Presenters requesting series time slots are not guaranteed the time slot of their choice. Committed series time slots may be preempted at AH’s discretion in order to play programs that are timely, newsworthy or urgent.

In order to maintain a regular series time slot, a presenter must submit episodes as scheduled. Failure to submit two consecutive programs within a scheduled season may result in loss of the scheduled time slot and cancellation of the series.

Requests for series status will be honored if the presenter has completed and submitted three individual programs, demonstrating ability to produce or provide programming that meets playback standards. For more information, contact Programming Manager Jerusha Wilhelmi (707-476-1651).