Town Will Get Its Own Cable Channel Soon

The Clayton Town Council decided Monday to establish a PEG (Public, Educational and Governmental) Cable Access Channel on Time Warner Cable to broadcast information important to town residents.

The equipment and some standardized programming should be in place quickly enough to begin broadcasts by the end of next month, Town Manager Steve Biggs said.

"I'm not saying we'll have the most entertaining programs on Time Warner Cable, but there are those who want to see this," Biggs told the Council. "We are gearing up right now for an automated system. What we're trying to do is broadcast information."

The town may be ready by next year to begin developing some of its own content, he said, and maybe even televise meetings such as Town Council meetings.

If the town gets on the air by April 1, Clayton will qualify for a cable access grant of about $20,000, he said, almost enough to cover the $23,000 needed to get up and running. The grant would continue in future years, giving the town funds to produce its own shows.

The town looked into establishing its own channel several years ago, but the high cost kept the idea from going very far. Now that modern technology has brought costs down, the channel is much more affordable.

"We can do things now that would have cost us ten times as much a few years ago," Biggs explained. "I think the time is right to invest in it."

Biggs said the town has gotten several requests over the years for a PEG channel, which leads officials to believe it will get viewers.

Officials don't know yet what the channel number will be.