Click here for a pdf version of this policy.
Policy adopted by the Board of Trustees September 5, 1997
Policy revised October 11, 2005
Policy revised September 10, 2007
Policy Revised June 13, 2011
Policy Revised January 8, 2018
Policy Revised February 10, 2020
Bethlehem Public Library provides the people of the Town of Bethlehem and Bethlehem Central School District with a public access channel, BCN-TV. It is available at no charge for non-commercial use by the public.
PROGRAM SUBMISSION and SCHEDULING
BCN-TV is funded through a partnership between the Town of Bethlehem and Bethlehem Public Library. Priority for submitting and scheduling programs will be given to individuals and groups from within the Town of Bethlehem and/or the Bethlehem School District.
BCN-TV may accept programs from individuals, community groups, government organizations, and not-for-profit organizations located outside of the Town of Bethlehem and/or Bethlehem Central School District based on staffing availability. Programs originating from outside New York’s Capital Region will not be accepted.
Library Staff will schedule submitted programming. Those submitting programs must agree to and sign the BCN-TV User Agreement. The number of multiple shows originating from a single individual or group may be limited based on time slot availability and staffing. Preference for time slots will be given to individuals or groups based within the Town of Bethlehem and/or Bethlehem Central School District.
Preference for government and educational programs will be given first to the library’s own programming, that of the Town of Bethlehem and Bethlehem Central School District then to partner government organizations such as the RCS School District, Guilderland School District, Albany County, State of New York, and Federal Government.
A show producer or sponsor must:
- Be the original producer and copyright holder for a submitted video, or
- Be able to demonstrate that the video is in the public domain, or
- Provide written confirmation that the original producer has given permission for the video to be publicly distributed on Public Access Television.
BCN-TV ELECTRONIC COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
Individuals, community groups, government organizations and not-for-profit organizations may submit non-commercial, non-partisan public service announcements for posting on BCN-TV. Residents and organizations of the Town of Bethlehem and Bethlehem School District are given preference in bulletin board postings.
BCN-TV may accept public service announcements from individuals, community groups, government organizations, and not-for-profit organizations located outside of the Town of Bethlehem and/or Bethlehem Central School District based on staffing availability. Public Service Announcements originating from outside New York’s Capital Region will not be accepted.
METHOD OF SUBMISSION AND FORMAT
Bethlehem Public Library reserves the right to set requirements for the method of submission for shows and public service announcements.
The library can only accept video in formats that require little conversion and are compatible with the scheduling and playback software. Please contact the library for specific information about acceptable formats.
PATRON CONDUCT
All users of BCN-TV must adhere to the library’s Patron Conduct Policy.
LIBRARY CONTENT
The library reserves the right to cablecast content that meets the noncommercial, educational mission of the library whether produced by the library itself or by a partner government or nonprofit agency. This content will receive the highest priority for scheduling and may preempt other content on the channel.