POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 

Akakū is governed by its Board of Directors, all residents of Maui County. The Board reflects community and access user groups to the extent possible and two members are certified Community Producers. There are at least 9 and no more than 15 directors, as determined by the Board. At least a majority of the Board are cable subscribers.

The Board includes one person appointed by the University of Hawai’i, one person appointed by the Department of Education and two members nominated by the Mayor of Maui County and the County Council. Akakū’s President/CEO is a non-voting, ex officio member of the Board. Board meetings, held every other month, are open to the public.

A list of current Board members is posted on the Akakū website. Staff Akakū is managed by its President/CEO with the support of the Akakū staff. More information about Akakū management and staff is on the Akakū. Akakū programs air on cable channels in Maui County. Any change in channel numbers will be posted on the Akakū website.

Current channels are:

Channel 53 – Akakū Green- Government and Public Affairs

Channel 54 – Akakū Red - All Access All the Time

Channel 55 – Akakū Blue - Live and Local
Akakū channels stream live at www.Akaku.org and some programs are available on demand on our website.

Copies of programs can be purchased from Akakū at 333 Dairy Road, Kahului, 808-871-5554, if the producer has consented to duplication.

The Akakū website (www.Akaku.org) and the MauiTube platform (www.mauitube.org) features the latest Akakū news.

Mobile journalism videos produced by Maui County youth in Akakū Project YBEAM are showcased at ybeam.mauitube.org. Akakū manages KAKU-LP 88.5FM, a low-power, broadcast, non-profit, community radio station that is streaming on the Akakū website. http://kakufm.org

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

These Policies and Procedures have been adopted by the Akakū Board of Directors to provide reasonable, clear, fair rules for community use of resources managed by Akakū. Every person who uses the public, educational and governmental channels managed by Akakū, or Akakū facilities or equipment, must follow these Policies and Procedures. Repeated or serious violations may result in suspension or revocation of access to the channels, facilities or equipment. In addition to these Policies and Procedures, the staff may adopt additional operating guidelines, rules, procedures and specifications (referred to in these Policies and Procedures as “Guidelines”). All Guidelines must be consistent with these Policies and Procedures, approved by the President/CEO, posted on the Akakū website and available at the front desk.

PROGRAM CONTENT

Residents of Maui County and organizations located in Maui County may submit (“present”) videos for cablecasting on public, educational and governmental channels managed by Akakū. Akakū may place notices of any kind between programs, including notices disclaiming editorial responsibility or control of program content. Video content may be posted on Akakū media platforms other than the cable channels at the discretion of Akakū.

Commercial Content

Public, educational and governmental channels are noncommercial. Programs cablecast on Akakū channels may not contain commercial advertisements or be designed to promote any commercial product, service or business, even if no payment is received for the program. Incidental mentions or images of a business in the course of a program are permissible if they are not excessive or designed for commercial promotion. Programs may also include non-promotional information about businesses or the show’s producers or sponsors. Names, logos, phone numbers, addresses, and websites may appear at the end of a program for no longer than 15 seconds each and one minute in total. No direct “call to action” is allowed at any time. A “call to action” directly encourages viewers to purchase a product or service or to attend a commercial event. (“Come on down,” “Sale this week,” “Check out our website to buy,” etc.)

Non-profit Fundraising

Verifiable Maui County non-profit organizations and public agencies may use Akakū channels to announce or publicize non-profit events, including charitable fundraisers, but may not directly appeal for funds on air.

Political Content

Although Akakū does not support particular candidates or take a position on political issues, political advocacy by Maui County residents is encouraged on Akakū channels. Providing access to media for free speech and civic participation in the democratic process is central to Akakū’s mission. During election years, Akakū will invite all candidates from Maui County on the official ballot to participate in Akakū’s election coverage. Akakū organizes “Meet the Candidate” spots and covers programs to which all candidates or referendum advocates have been invited, with all candidates or advocates having an equal opportunity to speak and comparable amounts of time. Promotions for particular candidates are not aired on Akakū during election season.

Mature Content

If a program is of a mature or adult nature, or likely to offend some audiences, the presenter or producer must disclose that the program includes mature content when submitting the video for cablecasting or scheduling a studio or live production. Programs including mature content may be cablecast in a late-night time slot (11:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.) The Director of Programming will review videos with mature content and schedule them accordingly. If a presenter, producer or viewer objects, the Director of Programming will review the matter with the President/CEO, who will make the final decision about scheduling. The intent of this policy is not to discourage free expression but to achieve a balance between the First Amendment right to free speech and the desire of cable viewers to be protected (and to protect their children) from unwanted viewing of mature content, by applying reasonable time, place and manner constraints. Programs with mature content may be required to include appropriate viewer advisory messages.

Guidelines for Identifying “Mature Content”

The following guidelines are provided to help determine what is appropriately considered as mature content. These are not absolute definitions, but rather guidelines to assist in making scheduling decisions. A program which contains potentially offensive levels of any of the following may be considered to be “mature content” and scheduled in a late night time slot; profanity; nudity; “hate speech;” sexual material; violence; any other potentially disturbing content relating to human or animal mutilation, excretory functions, medical procedures, etc.

“Hate speech” includes words or images likely to be considered abusive or derogatory towards any racial, ethnic or religious group, persons of any gender or sexual orientation, or persons with any disability.

Prohibited Content

Community members may be surprised that content they believe to be offensive is not prohibited at all times. Akakū protects and promotes free speech, which requires that content not be censored or prohibited unless it goes beyond what is protected by the First Amendment. Obscenity, child pornography, incitement to imminent lawless action, true threats and any other type of content not legally protected by the First Amendment is prohibited from being distributed on Akakū channels or websites. Akakū also prohibits anyone from using Akakū channels or websites for content intended to defraud or obtain money by false promises; libel or slander; invasion of privacy; information concerning any lottery, gift enterprise or similar schemes; any content that infringes or violates copyrights, trademark rights, royalty rights, right of publicity or other property rights or rights to payment. Akakū Maui Community Media Policies & Procedures

PROGRAMMING PROTOCOLS

Submitting a Program

Only Maui County residents and organizations or agencies located in Maui County can submit video content for cablecast on Akakū channels. Presenters and producers must submit a signed Cablecast Agreement form with each program. If the presenter or producer is under 18 years of age, her or his parent or legal guardian must sign the Cablecast Agreement.

Akakū may also air programs produced by other public, educational and governmental access organizations in Hawaiʻi, and programs requested by community members or pertaining to important, current civic issues.

Program Format and Technical Standards

Any digital format is acceptable, such as DVD, Flash Drive and digital download (Dropbox, Google Drive, FTP, etc.) We will do our best to accommodate other formats. Videos submitted for cablecasting must meet certain minimum technical standards for picture and audio, as described in Programming Guidelines available on the Akakū website and at the front desk.

Scheduling; Preemption

We generally give priority to time-sensitive programs, locally produced content and videos from new producers. Airdates will be scheduled as soon as possible. Akakū's channel program schedule is on the website at www.dev.Akakū.org. Akakū programming, staff reserves the right to pre-empt the regular schedule as necessary to accommodate time-sensitive program material, technical difficulties, or emergency announcements.

Series Application Process

Akakū offers Community Producers the opportunity to apply for scheduled time slots for series programs. Applications and Cablecast Agreements for series are available from the Programming Department. The awarding of series time slots will be at the discretion of Akakū. Priority will be given to live series; series produced using Akakū facilities, locally produced series and series produced wholly or in part in the State of Hawaiʻi.

Pre-produced series from the community must be submitted by a Maui County resident or an organization or agency located in Maui County. Producers of live studio series who have not previously produced shows in the Akakū studio may be required to complete a minimum of two successful “live-to-tape” programs before being considered for a scheduled live series. If an episode of an approved series is not delivered prior to the scheduled airdate, the Director of Programming reserves the right to pre-empt the episode or air a rerun of a previous episode. Producers who fail to submit programs on schedule will risk the loss of their time slots. The Director of Programming reserves the right to cancel the series if the producer fails to provide a new show within the agreed upon time frame.

AKAKŪ PRODUCTIONS

The Akakū Production Department provides video production support for a limited number of community events. To request video coverage of a community project or event, community members must submit an Akakū Project Proposal to the Director of Production. At least two weeks’ prior notice is recommended to allow adequate time to prepare for the production. The Director of Production will review the proposal to determine whether the project is within the Guidelines for production, whether staff producers are available and whether funding can be obtained to support the project. The Director of Production will talk with the community members about cost and feasibility. Project Proposal forms are available at the front desk or online.

COMMUNITY PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION PROTOCOLS

Access and Responsibilities Access to Facilities and Equipment.

Akakū provides training, video production equipment, digital editing systems, and studio facilities for Maui County residents to produce their own videos and shows. Videos produced with Akakū production equipment or post-production software must be shown first on Akakū channels. Most Akakū equipment and facilities may be used at no charge by Maui County residents who are certified in their use and pay an annual $50 fee. Extended studio time and special production equipment are available at discounted rates. The parent or legal guardian of youth under 18 years of age must sign all applicable forms and be responsible for equipment and facility use by their child.

Damages & Losses; Release of Liability

Anyone who uses Akakū equipment or facilities is liable for any damage that occurs while the equipment is in their possession. This liability extends to any damage caused by third parties, including without limitation crew members working on a Community Producer’s production. Community Producers must immediately report any equipment malfunction or damage to the Akakū front desk. Failure to notify may result in permanent suspension from any use of Akakū equipment and facilities. Anyone who uses Akakū equipment or facilities must release Akakū, its Board of Directors, officers, agents and employees from all liability arising out of or related to any loss, damage or injury sustained by the individual or their property while using Akakū equipment or facilities or participating in any Akakū-related activity.

Cancellations

Community Producers should notify the Akakū front desk as soon as possible to cancel any equipment or facilities reservation.

Field Equipment Reservation; Production Proposal; Video for Cablecasting

Community Producers certified to use field equipment may reserve equipment on a first come, first served basis. To be sure that the equipment will be available, we recommend reserving at least 24 hours in advance. Reservations for field equipment may be made at the front desk, by phone or online. Community Producers must submit a Production Proposal when they reserve equipment. Proposals may be submitted to the front desk or online. All Community Producers using Akakū production equipment must submit a video for cablecasting within 30 days (or longer by agreement with the Director of Production or Director of Education).

Equipment Check-Out/Check-In; Caution

Equipment must be checked out and checked in at the Akakū front desk. Community Producers are responsible for equipment damage or loss. Community Producers must clean all equipment before returning it. Producers must inform Akakū staff when checking out equipment if they intend to use it at the beach or in dusty or extreme conditions. Electronic equipment such as batteries and cameras should not be exposed to excessive heat. Equipment should not be stored in a vehicle or left in the hot sun for an extended period of time. Akakū equipment may not be taken out of Maui County without permission from the Director of Production.

Fines

A fine of $25.00 a day may be assessed if the equipment is returned late. Studio and Control Room Studio Reservation and Production Proposal. Community Producers certified to use the Akakū studio and control room may make reservations at the front desk, by phone or online.

A Studio & Control Room

Request and Production Proposal must be submitted at least one week prior to the proposed production. Production Proposals may be submitted in person at Akakū or electronically at www.Akaku.org. All crew members must be certified to use the Akakū studio or in the process of becoming certified by completing their volunteer hours. All crew members must be listed on the Studio & Control Room Request.

Studio Guidelines

Community Producers should arrive at least one hour before the start time of their production to check the camera equipment and control room and set up the studio. Akakū staff is available for assistance or if something isn't working properly.

All settings and equipment must be returned to their original positions and storage spaces after the production. The Community Producer who reserved the studio is responsible for striking the set, cleaning up the studio and control room, and removing all of their personal property. Akakū does not provide storage space for props or set.

Staff Assistance; Crew

An Akakū staff technician will be present to oversee the use of the facility and provide technical assistance as needed. Community Producers are responsible for providing their own crew. The Akakū front desk has resources to help Community Producers find people who may be available to assist as crew.

Speak Outs and PSAs

The Akakū studio is available free of charge for any Maui County resident or organization to record a public service announcement (PSA) or make a short video on any subject, in accordance with these Policies and Procedures. The Akakū Speak Out is available for a 30-minute recording session, by appointment. Reservations may be made at the front desk, by phone or online, at least 48 hours in advance. The finished PSA is 60 seconds and the Speak Out segment may be up to 5 minutes long. Akakū provides one staff member to tape the Speak Out or PSA, with no editing. The teleprompter is available for scripts in electronic form. Set dressing is limited, and the Speak Out format generally works best for simple presentations.

Post-Production and Computer Use Editing

Community Producers certified to use Akakū editing stations may make reservations at the Akakū front desk, by phone or online. Community Producers must submit a Production Proposal before they begin editing and must submit a video for cablecasting within 30 days (or longer by agreement with the Director of Production or the Director of Education). Production Proposals may be submitted in person at Akakū or online at www.Akaku.org.

Editing Hard Drives

Community Producers certified in video editing may reserve space on an external hard drive to use in the Akakū media lab at no charge for 30 days (or longer if agreed to in writing by the Director of Education). Akakū edit bays may only be used to work on content for Akakū channels or platforms. Akakū is not responsible for any data or media on the hard drives; Community Producers should backup any valuable files to another location under their control. Projects may be deleted from Akakū hard drives after the end of the reserved time period. The Director of Education will make a reasonable effort to notify the Community Producer prior to deleting projects. Space on an external hard drive may be reserved at the front desk, by phone or online; Community Producers must also submit a signed Producer Hard Drive Agreement.

Online Computer Use and Internet Access

Computers in the Media Lab are to be used solely for video post-production, which may include Internet research related to the production, but not general Internet use.

FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY PRODUCTIONS

Community Producers are encouraged to seek financial support to help fund production expenses.

Community Producers may not charge or receive in-kind benefits or donations in exchange for access to Akakū facilities, equipment, channels or websites. Support for production expenses may come from donors, sponsors or underwriters, including private individuals, businesses, organizations, agencies or foundations. It is essential that any such arrangements be conducted openly and in accordance with these Policies and Procedures, as described below.

Accurate Identification

When seeking financial support, Community Producers must accurately identify themselves as independent producers and not give the impression that they represent Akakū or are producing videos on behalf of Akakū. They must also accurately identify Akakū as a non-profit organization that provides access to production resources and channel time.

Disclosure to Akakū

Whenever a Community Producer seeks or receives financial support, in-kind benefits or donations for or in connection with a video produced in whole or part with Akakū equipment or at Akakū facilities, they must fully and promptly disclose these arrangements to the President/CEO of Akakū in writing. If there are any changes in the arrangement, the Community Producer must promptly notify the President/CEO in writing.

Reimbursement

Community Producers may use financial support, in-kind benefits and donations for documented out-of-pocket expenses of production such as recording media, sets, transportation, crew meals, and other materials actually used in the production. However, if a Community Producer, crew or talent receives financial support, in-kind benefits or donations in connection with the use of Akakū production or post-production facilities or equipment, Akakū shall have the right to be reimbursed at a reasonable market rate for the use of Akakū facilities and equipment or to participate in the payments.

Community Producers must disclose any such payments, benefits or donations, and the Akakū President/CEO will negotiate an equitable agreement with the producer.

Letters of Support; Collaboration

Community Producers are encouraged to share their ideas with Akakū staff and other Community Producers, to benefit from staff expertise and explore possibilities for collaboration. The President/CEO of Akakū may write letters of support for proposals that are closely aligned with Akakū priorities. In some cases, Akakū may collaborate with Community Producers on joint proposals or serve as fiscal agent and administer funds for proposals that include reimbursement for Akakū administrative and other costs. All funding proposals or other forms of support from Akakū must be approved in advance and in writing by the President/CEO, who may be selective about what funding proposals to support.

Acknowledgment of Funding

Donations, sponsorship, and underwriting received by Community Producers may be acknowledged at the end of the program. Names, logos, phone numbers, addresses and websites, and photos of a location or person may appear at the end of a program for no longer than 15 seconds each and one minute in total. Acknowledgments may not include music identifying a particular donor, sponsor or underwriter, or photos of products or services. Underwriters and sponsors for Akakū in-house productions may be acknowledged in accordance with Guidelines for Underwriters and Sponsors, which are available at the front desk and on the Akakū website.

VIOLATIONS & SANCTIONS

Everyone using Akakū facilities, equipment, channels, websites, and resources is expected to understand and abide by these Policies and Procedures and related Guidelines. Akakū reserves the right to restrict, suspend or deny privileges, including access to Akakū facilities, equipment, channels, websites, classes, workshops, and events, to any individual or organization that violates these Policies and Procedures or related Guidelines.

Sanctions According to Type of Violation

Akakū may respond to each situation or person individually, in the discretion of the President/CEO. For example, someone who submits a video that violates content policies may be denied access to Akakū channels and websites, but may still have access to production resources. Similarly, conduct that negatively impacts other people may result in loss of access to production resources, but not necessarily a prohibition on submitting content. The sanctions imposed depend on the seriousness and nature of the violation, the person’s previous actions, precedents, and other relevant factors. In extreme cases, all access to Akakū facilities, equipment, channels, websites, and other resources may be permanently terminated.

In evaluating a violation, the President/CEO and staff will give the highest importance to the best interests of the Akakū community as a whole, while also giving due consideration to the individual. Where possible, sanctions shall be imposed after providing the affected person with reasonable notice of the basis for the sanctions and a fair process for being heard on the matter.

Immediate Suspension for Dangerous Behavior

Any behavior in the Akakū facility or while using Akakū equipment which threatens the safety or wellbeing of staff or others may result in the individual being required by staff or the President/CEO to leave the facility or production site immediately. Staff will promptly notify the President/ CEO of any such incident. In such a case, or if it otherwise appears that there has been a violation of these Policies and Procedures that is very serious in nature, the President/CEO may issue an immediate 90-day suspension of all access to Akakū facilities, equipment, channels, websites, and other resources.

During this 90-day period, the affected person will be provided reasonable notice and a fair process for being heard on the matter, prior to any further sanctions.

Incidental Violations; Pattern of Misconduct

It is understood that problems may arise from time to time and that incidental violations of Policies and Procedures and Guidelines may occur. Usually, a reminder or warning from staff leads to an improved understanding of the Policies and Procedures and Guidelines and their importance in protecting the interests of all. However, staff will monitor any emergence of a pattern of violations and follow up as necessary to enforce the Policies and Procedures and Guidelines.

Verbal and written warnings by staff will be documented, and others are welcome to add their written comments by submitting them to the Administrative Director. If an informal remedial process is ineffective and violations continue, staff will recommend sanctions and will forward all related records to the President/CEO, who will decide how to proceed.

The Akakū Board of Directors will hear complaints from the community relating to claims of unfair treatment, rules, violations, and improper management decisions. Complaints must be submitted to the Board of Directors in writing only after being thoroughly pursued with the President/CEO. The Board of Directors has the right to refuse to pursue matter which it believes are trivial, irrelevant or beyond the scope of its review. The decisions of the Board of Directors are final.

COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTERS IN HAWAIʻI

Akakū is one of four community media centers in Hawaiʻi Nei. We stay in touch with our sister access channels and sometimes work together on programs and productions.