TV: KHET scrambles while 'Olelo flourishes 

By John Griffin

The long-discussed merger between the poor and privatizing Hawai‘i Public Television and the affluent and expanding O‘ahu public access TV operation, ‘Olelo, is on what all sides term a far-back burner.

And that’s fine for now.

But good questions remain about both operations, about how lines between them have been crossed, and about how they might yet come under some noncommercial broadcasting umbrella of cooperation in our world of electronic convergence.

First of all, remember these are two different approaches to public broadcasting.

Public Television, station KHET, is part of a national network of nonprofit stations dedicated to quality programs presented by professional producers. It’s far from amateur night. It’s viewer-oriented.

‘Olelo, like its counterparts elsewhere, was basically founded to provide a soap box or stage for private individuals or groups to have their say or present information and entertainment. It is presenter-oriented and often amateur night.

That 180-degree difference of basic purpose remains so, although it sometimes gets fuzzy because three of 'Olelo’s five channels (52-56 on Oceanic) are dedicated mostly to government or classes for the University of Hawai‘i and the Department of Education.

Two years ago the KHET-'Olelo merger looked possible in terms of use of equipment and facilities, as well as for some joint programming. But potential problems or conflicts led both sides to step back from any marriage now. Each is pursuing more immediate challenges.

Take KHET:

On July 1 it becomes a private, nonprofit operation after more than 30 years as a state facility. That means no more direct state funds, which have already been cut from $2.8 million annually a decade ago to $650,000 currently.

With staff cut to almost a third of its fat old days and some operations contracted out, KHET will live on public donations, some federal grants, and its 1 percent share of cable TV revenues, now some $1.2 million a year.

The coming year’s budget of $4.7 million is in hand. A new lease is being worked out for its building on the UH Manoa campus, as well as continuing arrangements to train students.

But KHET’s major challenge is not just transmitting fine children’s shows, good or silly British drama, operas and other national-network programs. It’s to re-establish local programming in public affairs, culture and entertainment - areas where it once was relatively strong.

This is not going to be easy, especially with the added task of meeting the federal mandate to switch to digital broadcasting within three years. That will cost an extra $6 million, but provide a potential bonus of three additional channels to carry more good national programs.

All this amounts to a special challenge for the next chief executive, soon to be selected. He or she will replace multitalented Don Robbs, who is bowing out after tough years of budget, staff and program cuts.

"It’s like a start-up business," says one key board member. "We need a fund-raiser with vision and broadcast experience."

Most people I talked with were optimistic KHET will make it as a private nonprofit operation. Plans are under way for new local public affairs and business news programs, plus arrangements with local private producers of documentaries.

But failure is said to be a possibility for some Mainland public TV operations in an age of more expenses and competition from commercial cable channels that fill niches such as food, travel, biography and history, where public TV once reigned.

Could that happen here? In Hawai‘i as elsewhere, much depends on a combination of fund-raising, picking better national programs and creating good local productions.

In contrast, ‘Olelo, which owns its own big building in Mapunapuna, exists with an embarrassment of riches, as well as a need for more public understanding and support for the idea of open access and free expression.

By state regulation, ‘Olelo now gets some $4.3 million a year as its 3 percent share of O‘ahu cable fees, a hefty and growing chunk of involuntary support by viewers.

With far fewer cable users, Neighbor Island public access stations exist on small fractions of that. They do varying jobs, with Maui’s operation termed notably progressive.

From what I see and hear, ‘Olelo programming has improved in the past couple of years under chief executive Lurline McGregor. New equipment is praised by most. A satellite operation in Wai‘anae gets especially good marks for giving that area more access and expression. Others are in Kahuku and Leeward Community College.

But McGregor also has a spectrum of critics. They range from wannabe micromanagers to conspiracy buffs to people concerned about her treatment of personnel and favoritism. Some worry that the purpose of public access will get lost amid other priorities.

Even with adequate space, I couldn’t sort out all the arguments. Still, the philosophical debate seems important.

Critics charge that under McGregor, who was and is basically a TV producer, ‘Olelo’s priority has shifted more to creating its own productions, including McGregor forays to the Big Island and Rapa Nui, with relatively less attention going to training and stimulating production by O‘ahu amateurs.

"She’s supposed to be the provider of the soapbox for the people," says one independent producer. "Instead she’s gotten on the soapbox herself. It’s like this is KHET instead of public access."

McGregor points to statistics showing local original programming on ‘Olelo is up 10 percent. She says she would never change the basic priority of providing facilities for both local expression and help with productions.

But, she adds, with ‘Olelo doing so well financially, there’s no reason why it can’t also do other things as well under its newish slogan of "community building."

Thus there are plans for panel discussions on issues and for celebrities to host programs that feature the role of various nonprofit organizations.

"We have not shifted our purpose. We have expanded it," she says.

Otherwise, she and others note, ‘Olelo could be in a "use it or lose it" situation in which politicians eye its money for other purposes.

What’s happening with KHET and ‘Olelo comes against the background of several communications revolutions now under way.

Those include the concentration of ownership of media into several national and world giants and expansion of various technologies. Part of that is the much greater capacity of expanding broadband delivery, something said likely to equal the impact of radio, TV, cable and the Internet.

The blending of computers and TV is close. And how does fast-expanding wireless fit with everything, including in a Hawai‘i that has been relatively isolated from home satellite dishes until now?

"Much is going to change in the next few years," one local expert says. "KHET and ‘Olelo may not get married, but they are already living together, whether they know it or not."

Part of his point is that, in a world of concentrations of the AOL-Time-Warner type, commercial interests will dominate. Noncommercial activities are needed for balance and the public interest.

Here that includes KHET, the public access operations, public radio, UH distance learning, DOE programming, and maybe some day a local equivalent of C-Span.

"Now we fight among ourselves on petty matters that get overblown," the local authority says. "But we are 99 percent on the same side in the larger global battle."

If so, Hawai‘i maybe doesn’t need mergers so much as a way for its various public interest broadcasting operations to cooperate before they are inundated by waves of change.

John Griffin is a former Advertiser editorial page editor. E-mail him at johntgriffin@hotmail.com.