Urbana Public Television Commission Meeting
Regular MeetingUrbana, IL · December 11, 2020
Minutes
URBANA PUBLIC TELEVISION
COMMISSION
DATE: Friday, December 11, 2020
TIME: 12:00 p.m.
PLACE: Virtually on Zoom (Urbana City Council Chambers, 400 S Vine St,
Urbana, IL 61801)
MINUTES
Members Present: Peter Folk, Carol Inskeep, Mark Schultz, Dale Sinder
Members Absent: Christopher Fuller, Marie Polk
Staff Present: Jason Liggett, Bourema Ouedraogo, Sanford Hess
1. Call to Order & Roll Call & Declaration of Quorum
Chair Folk called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. A quorum was present. Commissioner
Inskeep was present in the Council Chambers.
2. Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Inskeep moved to pass the January 8, 2020, March 13, 2020, and June 12, 2020
minutes as drafted, seconded by Commissioner Schultz, passed by unanimous roll call.
3. Correspondence
There was no correspondence.
4. Staff Report
UPTV Station Manager Jason Liggett reported UPTV Camera Operators Andrew Scolari and
Austen Pontious resigned from their positions. Bourema Ouedraogo was hired as the new
UPTV Production Assistant. Bourema is working 18 hours/week on Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday.
Liggett reported Evan Reeder and Brianna Gaspar served as interns during their Fall semester
Intership and Seminar class at Parkland College.
UPTV has continued to produce promotional videos for the City including a series for the new
comprehensive plan, Imagine Urbana, and the Community Solar Project. The Illini Union
provided UPTV with student music performances, which run five days a week on UPTV.
UPTV Producer Dr. Raymond Morales will start his 15th season of The Show on UPTV tonight.
Two holiday specials, The Travis Wayne Hurt Christmas Special and The Chardon Polka Band Holiday
Special, will premiere on UPTV in the coming weeks.
The most popular YouTube video over the last quarter was a video of the Cancel the Rents and
Meet Gloria La Riva Rally. This was produced by UPTV Producer Karen Aram. It had 279
views. The most popular tweet was a shared YouTube link of the September 16th edition of the
weekly COVID-19 Update from Elizabeth Hess and Julie Pryde. The most popular Facebook
post was a clip of the City of Urbana’s Community Engagement Coordinator Lemond Peppers
speaking at the Champaign County Community Coalition meeting. It reached over 1,800
people.
5. Audience Participation
There was no audience participation
6. Unfinished Business
There was no unfinished business.
7. New Business
A. Comcast Franchise Renewal Update
Liggett reported City staff have been working with Comcast over the last two years on the
new cable franchise agreement. A final agreement has been reached and will go before the
Urbana City Council on Monday, December 21, 2020. The City added specific language
concerning the use of right-of-way. Comcast updated the document to reflect recent rulings
from the FCC. The City retained the option to launch a fifth PEG channel for public
access.
The City will receive a 0.75% PEG fee for the use of capital purchases for UPTV. This will
generate an estimated $41,000 annually at the current subscriber rate.
Commissioner Inskeep asked what implications the new franchise agreement will have on
public access services. Liggett said the City plans to continue to operate public access
television services for the community. The agreement gives the City the option to launch a
fifth channel should an organization desire to operate public access television services for
the community.
Sanford Hess commended Liggett for coordinating the franchise agreement negotiation.
B. Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report
Liggett presented the 2020 PEG Report which detailed hours of new, locally-produced
videos. He noted a dip in public access productions due to the pandemic and a dramatic
increase in meeting coverage hours for the month of June 2020 due to lengthy, multi-night
City Council meetings.
Chair Folk praised UPTV for their meeting coverage as he knows there is more demand
since the pandemic has limited in-person meetings. He asked if UPTV was able to access
viewership information. Liggett reported UPTV does not receive Nielsen ratings as a
commercial station does, but can look at viewers on YouTube and Livestream. Chair Folk
expressed interest in meetings other than the City Council and Board of Education being
available on YouTube for viewer statistics.
8. Commissioner’s Comments
Commissioner Inskeep expressed her appreciation of UPTV’s coverage of City Council and
Board and Commission meetings. It is a vital public service. Liggett recognized former UPTV
Camera Operator Austen Pontious, as he was the one running the show for UPTV for most of
the lengthy meetings.
9. Set Meeting Date and Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 12:35 p.m.
Agenda
URBANA PUBLIC TELEVISION
COMMISSION
DATE: Friday, December 11, 2020 - 12:00 p.m.
PLACE: *to be held virtually via Zoom, 400 S Vine St, Urbana, IL 61801
AGENDA
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
2. Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting
a. January 8, 2020
b. March 13, 2020
c. June 12, 2020
3. Correspondence
4. Staff Report
5. Audience Participation
6. Unfinished Business
7. New Business
a. Comcast Franchise Renewal Update
b. Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report
8. Commissioner’s Comments
9. Set Next Meeting Date and Adjournment
The next regularly-scheduled meetings are:
March 12, 2021, 12 Noon, Urbana City Council Chambers
June 11, 2021, 12 Noon, Urbana City Council Chambers
September 10, 2021, 12 Noon, Urbana City Council Chambers
December 10, 2021, 12 Noon, Urbana City Council Chambers
*Due to the Governor and Mayoral Emergency Orders, the Urbana City Council Chambers will
be not be open to the public during this meeting. For those wishing to provide public input,
please email your statement to uptv@urbanaillinois.us by the start time on the date of the
meeting. Anyone can attend virtually via Zoom webinar. Additional instructions are attached.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Dec 11, 2020 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Topic: UPTV Commission
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84351955494
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,84351955494# or +13017158592,,84351955494#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1
346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833
Webinar ID: 843 5195 5494
International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcEhdnpV4r
PUBLIC INPUT GUIDELINES
The City of Urbana welcomes Public Input during open meetings of the City Council, the City Council’s
Committee of the Whole, City Boards and Commissions and other City-sponsored meetings. Our goal
is to foster respect for the meeting process, and respect for all people participating as members of the
public body, city staff, and general public. The City is required to conduct all business during public
meetings. The presiding officer is responsible for conducting those meetings in an orderly and efficient
manner.
Public Input will be taken in the following ways:
Zoom Webinar Participant
Click on the link listed in the agenda to join the Webinar. You must provide your name and email
address in order to join the Webinar. If you wish to speak during Public Input, “raise your hand” and
wait to be called on by the meeting host. You must state your first and last name for the meeting record.
Participants will be muted except when they are called on to speak; video will remain off for all
members of the public when speaking.
Telephone Participant
Call the phone number listed on the Agenda. Enter the Webinar ID followed by the # key. All callers
are muted by default. If you wish to speak, “raise your hand” by pressing *9 once. When you are called
on by the host or presiding officer you will be un-muted. You must state your first name and last name
for the meeting record.
Email Input
Public comments must be received prior to the closing of the meeting record (at the time of
adjournment unless otherwise noted) at the following: citycouncil@urbanaillinois.us. The subject line of
the email must include the words “PUBLIC INPUT” and the meeting date. Your email will be sent to
all City Council members, the Mayor, City Administrator, and City Clerk. Emailed public comments
labeled as such will be incorporated into the public meeting record, with personal identifying
information redacted. Copies of emails will be posted after the meeting minutes have been approved.
Written Input
Any member of the public may submit their comments addressed to the members of the public body in
writing. If a person wishes their written comments to be included in the record of Public Input for the
meeting, the writing should so state. Written comments must be received prior to the closing of the
meeting record (at the time of adjournment unless otherwise noted).
Verbal Input
Protocol for Public Input is one of respect for the process, and respect for others. Ridicule, obscene or
profane language, lack of respect for others, and personal attacks are not acceptable behavior. Public
Input shall not be used to air personal grievances. Speakers should address all comments to the public
body as a whole and not to individual members or City staff.
Public comment shall be limited to no more than four (4) minutes per person. The Public Input portion
of the meeting shall total no more than one (1) hour, unless otherwise shortened or extended by
majority vote of the public body members present. The presiding officer or the city clerk or their
designee, shall monitor each speaker's use of time and shall notify the speaker when the allotted time
has expired. All public comments should be addressed to the public body as a whole. A person may
participate and provide Public Input once during a meeting and may not cede time to another person,
or split their time if Public Input is held at two (2) or more different times during a meeting. The
presiding officer may give priority to those persons who indicate they wish to speak on an agenda item
upon which a vote will be taken.
The presiding officer or public body members shall not enter into a dialogue with citizens. Questions
from the public body members shall be for clarification purposes only. Public Input shall not be used as
a time for problem solving or reacting to comments made but, rather, for hearing citizens for
informational purposes only.
Accommodation
If an accommodation is needed to participate in a City meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s
Office at least 48 hours in advance so that special arrangements can be made using one of the following
methods:
Phone: 217.384.2366
Email: CityClerk@urbanaillinois.us
*In order to maintain reasonable decorum at a meeting, the presiding officer or any member of the
public body may call a speaker “out of order”. The presiding officer of the meeting shall have the
authority to provide a verbal warning to a speaker who uses abusive, harassing, threatening, or
defamatory language, or who engages in disorderly conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes
the orderly conduct of a meeting. If the speaker refuses to cease such remarks or conduct after being
warned by the presiding officer, the presiding officer shall have the authority to mute the speaker’s
microphone and/or video presence at the meeting. The presiding officer will inform the speaker that
they may send the remainder of their remarks via email to the public body for inclusion in the meeting
record.
*Definitions of Types of Language and Conduct That May Warrant Verbal Warning:
“Abusive” means harsh, violent, profane, or derogatory language which would demean the
dignity of an individual or which is intended to humiliate, mock, insult or belittle an individual.
https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/abusive-language
“Harassing” means to annoy or bother someone in a constant or repeated way; to make
repeated attacks on another person.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/harass
“Threatening” means to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or
unwanted especially in order to make someone do what you want.
https://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/threaten
“Defamatory” means a statement or communication that tends to harm a person's reputation
by subjecting the person to public contempt, disgrace, or ridicule, or by adversely
affecting the person's business. A statement that is likely to lower that person in the estimation
of reasonable people and in particular to cause that person to be regarded with feelings of
hatred, contempt, ridicule, fear, or dislike.
Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019)
Citations that Authorize the Presiding Officer to Bar Offensive Language During Public
Comment:
The following citations provide the legal basis for adopting UCC Section 2-5(b)(1)(d) that
allows the presiding officer of a City Council, Committee of the Whole, or a City-sponsored
board or commission regulate “abusive, harassing, threatening, or defamatory language” during
public comment. The following Attorney General binding opinions and case law essentially
classify abusive, “harassing, threatening and defamatory language as “manner”, not “content”,
of speech that can be reasonably regulated under the First Amendment. UCC Section 2-5(c)
(Ordinance No. 2020-09-049. Attorney General binding opinion numbers 2019 PAC 59187,
2018 PAC 55462, 2016 PAC 45349; Milestone v. City of Monroe, Wisconsin, 665 F.3d 774, 783-784
(7th Cir. 2011); Vega v. Chicago Board of Education, 338 F.Supp.3d 806, 811 (N.D. Ill. 2018);
Sandefur v. Vill. of Hanover Park, 862 F.Supp.2d 840, 847 (N.D. Ill. 2012); I.A. Rana Enterprises,
Inc. v. City of Aurora, 630 F.Supp.2d 912, 920-923 (D.C. N.D. 2009).
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