Producer Of Program For Gays Is Leaving

Even with big-name guests such as actress Lily Tomlin and film director Jonathan Demme, the show wasn't a ratings hit. But a program running on local cable outlets, "One in 10 People," built a loyal audience by dealing with issues specially tailored for the area's gay community Now the series is winding down after two years of monthly shows focusing on gay people and their lifestyles and concerns. The final show -- a retrospective -- airs this month on local public access stations.
The show, produced by volunteers in the studios of Channel 10, Fairfax County's public access station, won numerous awards and became the nation's most widely distributed gay cable series, with a network of 33 cities. Locally, it runs on public access channels in Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, the District and Montgomery County.
The series is ending so that its creator can pursue a film career. "I didn't want to burn out," said Pearson Brown, 31, of Springfield, who from the start served as the producer, director, scriptwriter and jack-of-all-trades. "I wanted to get out while everything was still exciting. I didn't want it to fizzle out. I wanted to go out with a bang. "My goal was to put out a high-quality show which would represent the gay community accurately and show them as accomplished and productive members of society.. It was like 'Entertainment Tonight' with a gay slant," she said. "One in 10 People" consistently won awards in local and national cable competitions and was a finalist last year in the American Film Institute's nationwide competition promoting excellence in local television. Although gay issues at times have provoked strong debate in Fairfax County, the series generated little controversy, according to officials with Fairfax Cable Access Corp. They said they recalled no complaints about the show, one of about 100 programs regularly featured on the station. Kelly Mullins, a spokeswoman for the Traditional Values Coalition, an anti-homosexual group, said she too knew of no protests.
"If it's objectionable to adults, they can change the channel. And it's up to parents to monitor what their children watch," Mullins said. "One in 10 People" usually had an easy, breezy format, often focusing on celebrities such as Tomlin, Demme, folk singer Janis Ian and actress Sandra Bernhard, all of whom were interviewed during visits to the Washington area. Most of all, the program was designed to heighten awareness of the diversity of the area's gay community. It showcased local people, programs and businesses, and dealt with AIDS and other issues.
One show chronicled the activities of D.C. Pets, a volunteer program that provides pets to AIDS patients. Other shows dealt with relationships, parenting, politics, books, plays and music.
The final show features old clips and pays tribute to those who staged the Stonewall Rebellion -- the riots 25 years ago outside the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village that many say started the gay liberation movement. "Every end is a new beginning," says co-host Joe Liberatore in the final show. "Although our show is coming to a close, the movement that began 25 years ago at the Stonewall Inn is just gaining momentum." Liberatore, 28, said he hopes that the 250 volunteers who helped Brown put on the show will remain together to produce other programs. "I'd like to do a gay news program, like GNN -- the Gay News Network," Liberatore said. "I'd also like to do a gay shop-at-home show." Other gay-oriented shows remain on local cable TV, including "Gay Spectrum," and "Inside/Outside the Beltway," both produced in Fairfax County.
Brown, who is assistant public relations director for the American Physical Therapy Association, said she couldn't even operate her own videocassette recorder when she began volunteering on public access shows in 1989. She soon became proficient in all facets of production.
The expertise came after lots of practice. Brown spent up to 80 hours a month getting each 30-minute production ready for broadcast. Durubg the last two years, she also spent about $15,000 of her own money to keep the show going, buying tapes and props and marketing the program nationwide. Fans and activists said Brown's commitment could be seen each month.
"The show had exceptional quality," said Stephanie Burns, president of the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association. "It was always very interesting and well done, and it built a following.

FCAC Board Election - 1994

The Washington Times pointed out that the race for the US Senate was not the most hotly contested political race in Northern Virginia. It was not even the dust up between Ollie North and John Warner. It was the annual election of board members to the local public access stations board of directors.
On October 12, 1994, the Washington Times reported in an article that lead - Sour Grapes Serano – The Times wrote - Contrary to remarks made in a recent “That’s Politics”; conservatives want you to know that they do hold seats on the board of directors at Fairfax Cable Access Corporation. A few weeks back, this column decried the dearth of conservatives on the board, which oversees Channel 10, the county’s public access station. That lamentation occurred after a bitter four-way race for two board seats turned into a phenomenal get-out-the-vote movement.

Wilder Walks Out On Tape

One sure bet in the unpredictable race for the U.S. Senate in Virginia: Former governor L. Douglas Wilder will never again offer to appear on the weekly talk show that runs on a Fairfax public access station The Democrat-turned-independent candidate walked out of the television studio after the host of the "Know it All" show on Channel 10 refused to revise his introduction, which described Wilder as "the most dedicated feudist in American politics." Problem is, the 15-minute dispute Wilder had with talk show host Greg P. Ammons took place on tape, and Ammons decided to air that conversation and a short debate among the show's crew that occurred after Wilder left. It makes for fascinating viewing. Wilder's press secretary, Dan Conley, was surprised to learn from a reporter last week that the Aug. 25 conversation with Wilder already had aired twice on Media General Cable of Fairfax's Channel 10 and would be running a third time last Saturday. "No comment," he said curtly.

Public Access to Festival of Dionysus

Public Access like our notion of democracy antedates the American Constitution with its First Amendment by some 2500 years. Acting as we know it came into being at the three annual festivals of Dionysus in Athens, the birthplace of democracy. The production costs were paid for a group of wealthy citizens who vied for the privilege of government appointment to do this as a liturgy or public service. Attendance was a civic if not religious obligation and admission to the theatre was free. When it eventually became necessary to charge for tickets, the state provided funds for all citizens who could not afford the price. The society that invented political freedom also held the view that society should pay a fee so that all people could hear and be heard! Consider how important the Greeks must have held this view.
Public access is not about theatre, it is about democracy.

2500 Years Later, on April 15, 1912 Captain Edward Smith ordered his radio operator to send the following: "We are the Titanic. We are sinking. Come at once." No one came! No one was listening! Public Access has its roots in the legislative requirement that all ships at sea have continues mandatory radio watch. By this act, Congress acknowledged the fact that the wireless service has an obligation to serve the public good. Thus it is ethically indisputable and acknowledged in law that Public Access exists as a right, not as a favor granted. Some may claim that the citizens who demand unfettered access to the communications media are somehow demanding the right to trespass. It is just the other way round. Those who deny a citizen the means to speak, trespass on the First Amendment. Without the means to speak, the right to speak becomes mere. A technicality. The apt analogy is the danger posed to our ship of freedom and the obligation of the telecommunications industry to provide a watch for her safety. With right comes responsibility. Public Access has at least two obligations. One, to provide a platform from which the community may speak and be heard. This obligation is obvious on the face of it, for it is the voice of all citizens that we must assure. A second obligation of Public Access stems from our pragmatic understanding of the dangers of a hair trigger democracy. Like a good draft-horse, free and open discussion often can prevent the social wagon from careening uncontrolled downhill.
Public access is not about television, it is about democracy!