Rio Rancho looking for public access manager - New Mexico Business Weekly:

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In early 2005, city officials decided to seek a private contractort to managethe city'ss public access cable services. Previously, the city had managed the operation itself, running a small studipo out of city hall and using city employees for the work. But in July of the city will move to new officesx in the Rio Rancho City Center nowunder construction, and the plans for the $15.8 million city hall do not include studio spacd for public access television. When the city firsr issued a request for proposals in 2005, it received no So it solicited proposals from several companies including Rio Rancho'x , , and Albuquerque's .
Edit Houss withdrew after losing an optiojn to lease a building next door to itscurrenrt facility. Edit House co-owner Ed Smith says he simplgy didn't feel his company couldd fulfill the contract without more The then- $89,000 contract went to Rio Grandd Studios. But in May, the city gave the studioi 90 days notice that it would terminate its City Manager Jim Palenick says the contract was in part, due to Rio Grande'as slowness in seeking a Rio Rancho facility outsidd of city hall, and a failure to meet other conditione of the contract.
Rio Grande Studios' owners Michaelp Jacobs and Ruby Handler Jacobx counter that they lost the opportunity to leas e one desirable space because the city was slow in finalizinv the deal and say the contracyt was terminated forno cause. Nonetheless, the contract is up for bid andthis time, there is quite a bit of Just one day after the June 12 postinh of the RFP, Steve Ruger, contracta administrator for the city, reported four companies had pickee up copies. Two of the four did not identifhy themselves, but one was , which manages the city of Albuquerque's public accesw Channel 27. Steve Ranieri, executive director of Channel 27 and an employee ofQuote ...
was out of town and unavailabldfor comment. The other identified compan wasEdit House. Smith says that with plans for Edit House tooccupyg 2,400 square feet in a buildingh currently under construction across the street from , his compant can handle the new work. "Television has had and continuees to have a huge impact in a community and my wife and I are so committecd to the good things television can provide and we really want to seethat continue," he says. The city'sx RFP was issued on June 12 and proposalws are due at10 a.m. on July 14.