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Public Access Wins Award, Then Goes Off The Air

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A Tribune Staff Report

Published: August 20, 2008

CITRUS PARK - Talk about your bittersweet moments. Earlier this summer, a Citrus Park man and his son were delightfully surprised when they learned their public access television show beat out five competitors to take first place in the entertainment programming category during a Tampa Bay Community Network awards ceremony.

That was the sweet. Mario Nunez and his son, Nic, were thrilled when state Rep. Kevin Ambler gave the keynote speech at the event, held at the University of Tampa's Plant Hall, and awarded them the trophy.

The bitter: by the time the awards were presented their show, "30 Minutes Is Not Enough," was off the air. So too were many other public access shows, due to a 4-3 vote by Hillsborough County Commissioners to cut funding for the network. Programs lost included religious and spiritual shows and a long-running auto racing show that covered competition at East Bay Raceway.

The network was funded by the county and by the city of Tampa. Though the county ended funding for this year and next year, the city continues to fund TBCN. But only producers who live within Tampa city limits are allowed to put on shows, Nunez said. "Overnight, TCBN lost about 70 percent of its local programming," he said.

The elder Nunez is still upset abut the funding cut and hopes this coming election season will bring new county commissioners willing to restore funding.

In the meantime, though, he takes solace in the sense of pride he felt in doing the show, a takeoff on the ''Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update. At least it started off that way and then took its own path, featuring Richard (Mario Nunez), an irascible, incorrigible, yet lovable redneck, and Rupert (Nic Nunez) his younger, very proper, very British nephew.

Before they took to the air, Nunez took the TV production classes at Tampa Bay Community Network. The classes required testing and certification in the use of all TV studio equipment. He was granted an initial 12 week series and twice more was granted additional 12-week blocks of programming. Only one show of the third 12-week series aired before he had to quit. The TBCN signal reached about 250,000 homes total in the Hillsborough County area, and just about the time Nunez felt the show was hitting its stride, the funding plug was pulled.

For Nunez, it was a great forum to explore his creative, funny side. But he said there is a serious issue at stake with the loss of funding - the public's ability to access the airwaves.

''This was the experience of a lifetime for me and my son, Nic. We miss doing the show like you can't imagine ...," Nunez said, adding that "This First Amendment right is worth fighting for."

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