The following is established by the Mayor's Office of Cable and Communications (410-396-1100) who are temporarily running the operations of the public access channel 75. The text below was pasted from the Word .doc file as of 5/26/06. The latest version of this document should be available for download here.


Community Media of Baltimore City (CMBC)

Interim Public Access Program Submission Guidelines

Baltimore City's Public Access Channel (Channel 75) has completed an upgrade to its system to allow for more varied programming and to better serve the community.

We are pleased that we can now accept DVD's, mini DV and SVHS also, but in order to ensure your program is aired please rely on the following guidelines for submittal:

1. Each program should be on a SVHS, mini DV or DVD format.

2. VHS tapes produce a compromised quality and should be avoided, if possible.

3. Each program must have a continuous Video and Audio track for the entire length of it. Audio should be recorded in stereo. If Mono is the only option, record the audio on the Left Channel.

4. Each program must start with a minimum of 10 seconds of Black, Color Bars or a 10 second countdown to the first video frame. (Maximum of 30 seconds)

5. Programs should be either 28 to 30 minutes or 58 to 60 minutes in length. Multiple programs can be combined to achieve this length.

6. A program submittal form "must be completed in its entirety" prior to acceptance. Current e-mail addresses and/or telephone numbers must be included.

7. Each Tape or DVD should be clearly identified with a program name(s) and TRT (Total Run Time) on label on the tape (preferably) and/or on a separate sheet attached to it.

8. All DVD's shall be DVD-R (+ or -) or compatible to NTSC Region 1 quality.

9. DVD-Rs must be at 12x speed or better.

10. All DVDs must be submitted at minimum 1 day prior to first airing request date.

11. All submitted programs should be by a Citizen of the City of Baltimore. (Non-local Programming must have a local Citizen sponsor.)

12. All submitted programming must be picked up no later than 30 days after airing or it will be disposed for recycled.

Programs Series (A collection of common theme programs)
Any person submitting a series of programs should contact the Baltimore City Public Access office to arrange a meeting time to discuss any additional requirements that the series may require depending on it length, requested air times, and the number of shows in the series.

In order to properly schedule series shows, new original programs must be submitted consistently every two weeks for 45 days prior to honoring a specific time slot.

Any person submitting series programming must make arrangements to pick up or have tapes and DVDs returned to them at the end of the airing period.

Time Sensitive Programs (Programs needed to air within a specific time)
Any person submitting programs that must air within a specific time period must make prior arrangements with the Baltimore City Public Access office staff. Depending on the frequency of the programs, additional submittal requirements may be needed (i.e. daily airings will be handled differently than weekly airing requests).

Same Day Airing
Any person wishing to submit a program for Same Day Airing must call a public access staff member at least 2 business days in advance to make arrangements. The program must then be received in the Baltimore City Public Access office by 11:00 am on the day of the airing. While Same Day Airing programs are not encouraged, they should be submitted in the S-VHS format and meet all the requirements listed above.

Graphic Stills
Any graphic submitted for the Bulletin Board should be an 800 x 600 size. The file should not be larger than 5,000kb in size and saved as a JPEG or TGA file format or as a PowerPoint .ppt file.