Despite recent protests at Ho’ike Kaua’i Community Television board meetings, the public access station’s officials emphatically say the airwaves remain open to the public. The station’s last two board meetings were halted and police were called because freelance journalists were
Despite recent protests at Ho’ike Kaua’i Community Television board meetings, the public access station’s officials emphatically say the airwaves remain open to the public.
The station’s last two board meetings were halted and police were called because freelance journalists were videotaping the proceedings, despite an in-house Ho’ike rule against it. Ho’ike officials said they videotape their own meetings.
But according to Ho’ike president Rowena Cobb, none of that has had any effect on how Ho’ike conducts its broadcasting.
“All programs submitted to Ho’ike for viewing are scheduled on channels 10, 12 and 13. There have been no changes in the procedures,” Cobb stated Thursday.
Cobb also pointed out that Ho’ike has always and still does allow divergent viewpoints.
“We have an open microphone available every Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. for anyone desiring to stop by, speak their mind and heart for viewing. Staff is available to assist, but you can learn to do your own show with a push of a button. The tapes will be viewed soon after” without editing, Cobb said. “It is erroneous to claim that Ho’ike has closed its doors. Ho’ike remains unchanged.”
Cobb’s statement came five days before Ho’ike’s next scheduled board meeting.
The past two monthly meetings were halted and police were called because various protesters, including Andy Parks, arrived with cameras to document the proceedings.
It is Ho’ike’s position that since they videotape their own meetings, no one else is permitted to do so, although note-taking is allowed.
Andy Parks, who has produced programs for Ho’ike, and other protesters stopped taping only after police had been called to the scene.
Boots Riggan, Ho’ike’s acting managing director, said the no-cameras prohibition will be posted on Ho’ike’s door for the Feb. 6 board meeting.
According to Kaua’i County Prosecuting Attorney Mike Soong, “we are not under the state’s sunshine law but are a private, non-profit” agency, Riggan said. Anyone attempting to videotape a board meeting “will not be allowed to disrupt the meeting. We provide equipment, support, training and channel service. We will put their programs on the air, and have before, but they cannot disrupt our board meetings.”
“The real issue,” Parks countered, “is whether they can maintain they are holding a public meeting and then ban cameras. If they made it a private meeting, I would leave. The thing about disruption is, being there with a camera is not disruptive.
“Nobody’s claiming they come under sunshine law. We’d like to see it come under sunshine law, and I think we could prove they do in court, but we don’t have the money for that.”
Parks said he wasn’t sure if he would try to document the upcoming meeting.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
