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He Beat the Pay-TV Grab!
Following is the story of George Atton, operator of the Theatre Del Mar, Santa Cruz, Cal., on how he won public support against the sale of a community antenna system to Pay-TV interests.
"I believe our victory was largely a matter of public relations; getting to the right people with the right story. We had only 10 days to beat a decision which was pretty well established, against us, due to the months of groundwork PTS had done with the councilmen, and due to the fact, they, at first, saw it as a routine request for extension of an existing franchise.
"We feel that the public relations job we have done during the last seven years, bore fruition in this controversy. The public and town have always known me as a civic leader. I served as Chairman of the Community Chest Drive, President of the Chest, President of Kiwanis, President of church groups etc., so I knew who to speak to.
"Our main problem was that a franchise extension was being asked to mask a sale to TelePrompTer, who wanted the 20 year franchise. This meant pay tv but whenever we argued this, we were told the issue was a franchise extension and no other. The public was completely apathetic and uninformed, and of course we bore the stigma of the theater keeping competition out.
"We got Salinas Channel 8 to join the fight, and they were very valuable, for technical reasons, but of course a stigma was attached to them.
"I felt I was getting nowhere in my fight, as very little was ever in the paper, so I determined "An Open Letter To The City Council" will awaken public interest and put the council in position of public scrutiny.
"I tried to be very tactful, filing the letter with the city clerk, and informing the mayor personally of my doings. He is a personal friend of mine, as were each member of the council, so I did not want them to get defensive against me or prejudiced or belligerent. All this was done before submitting the letter to the newspaper. It was there I first realized that the newspaper was leaning in favor of the franchise extension.
"I believe newspapers are in favor of pay tv, because they can recover millions in national advertising lost to free tv.
"I gave the editor a Letter To The Editor, and he said he would not be able to get it in for several days. This of course would have been too late for the council meeting. However, he ran it in Sunday's paper, which was my wish.
"My letter to the editor was to supplement the paid ad, and offset the card PTS
had mailed its subscribers, asking the council to extend their franchise. Of course when I read their letter, I saw immediately they had committed a blunder, and was surprised their attorney had walked into it openly.
"Their card read . . . 'We think PTS has brought good television to Santa Cruz and urge the city council to extend their franchise.' I saw immediately I could use this letter against them, as it was a vote for telescription, and not pay tv. Their card also was calculated to stir public resentment against the theater for presumably denying them television. My letter to the editor was to explode this impression.
"Meanwhile I was spending about 10 hours a day every day talking to groups and influential citizens. I had saved the council men for the last few days, thinking they'd begin to feel public interest and pressure, and listen to me more readily.
"I had asked Jim Wilson, my operator, to deliver the labor vote to me. He sent the secretary of the Central Labor Council whom I talked to, asked to send other crafts in, and told what I'd like them to say.
"I had lined up about 10 citizens to talk in our behalf. I'd given a long talk to the senior citizens who were sympathetic in the majority but cautious. They could not get into a controversy as a group due to their state charter, but promised individual citizens would show up. Meanwhile I had started petitions going in the theater against pay tv.
"About four days before the council meeting I began to perceive several chinks in the almost solid front of the city council, so I moved in. Out of the seven I could count on only one, and he looked shaky. At this time all the things I lined up began to break, so I started at the top with the mayor. I had several long chats with him after he closed his place of business. They were very informal, shoes off, coat off job. He was listening far more attentively than I had anticipated and even advised that the council was beginning to w aver. I saw him tw ice a day and told him of my every move, petition, letters, unions, senior citizens, private citizens and I knew I was making an impression each time.
"My final move was to get the churches behind me. I called quite a few who were sympathetic but were busy. Finally ended up at the largest church in tow n, most influential, and with the most eloquent and influential pastor. I spent an entire morning with him, and he was completely sold by the time I left. He offered to see several council men and write a letter to the council, which he did, and emphasized my points . . . the deception of the extension, the dangers of the extension, pay tv, and
finally the fact that PTS cards of which we knew there were 1000 were in effect a vote for telescription. A mimeographed copy went to the city manager, each council man and the original to the mayor one day before the decision.
"I was also working on the newspaper and especially the city hall reporter. Spent one entire Saturday afternoon with him. I had run down the CBS booklet TV AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE after calling S. F., L. A. and N. Y. asking for 20 copies. They came in just in the nick of time, and I spread them around to the council and organizations.
"By Tuesday there was lots more I wanted to do, but no time to do it. We appeared before the council. I had about 22 persons speaking for us, Channel 8, labor, the church, private citizens, etc.
"PTS had their attorney, technicians from TELEPROMPTER and some of their proponents. It was more like a court hearing than a council meeting. Their attorney made his pitch, then paraded witnesses before the council for expert testimony. I began to feel real shaky, as the council made it plain they would only listen to arguments related to the extension and not a word about pay tv. I had set each organization up with one phase of our overall argument. I told KSBY to take pay tv. Labor was to talk of the common man, I was to argue against extension. We all did our best.
"Five council men were present. The hearing was supposed to be toward the end of the agenda, but I told the mayor I wanted it moved up since there were so many interested parties. He put it at 8:30 just about where I wanted it. As the voting started I kept thinking two weeks ago it would have passed about 6 to one against us . . . now how did we do? The city clerk read the motion for extension of the franchise. The place was packed with folding chairs in the aisles.
"Councilman Forgy Vote NO"
"Councilman Carriger "AYE"
"Councilman McBain "NO"
"Councilman Foster "AYE"
"Two to Two with the mayor holding the deciding vote.
"He looked the audience right in the eye and said ... 'I hold the 1000 cards in favor of Telescription as it is now operated. I vote NO.'
"It was as good as a movie. Bedlam broke loose . . . everyone stood up, rushed around . . . some people were shaking my hand, it was so noisy a recess was called. We had won ! I was most pleased that the mayor had used my exact words I had kept pounding to him, and which I had gotten the pastor to pound in his letter to the councilmen."
Film BULLETIN August 7, 1961 Page 9