5-11-1111. State government broadcasting -- structure and governance. (1) There is a state government broadcasting service administered by the division. The division shall:
     (a) develop and issue a request for proposals for the provision of gavel-to-gavel coverage of legislative and administrative proceedings as well as other public affairs programming that is approved by the legislative council;
     (b) evaluate proposals and, on the basis of selection criteria established by the division, execute a contract for services with the most qualified operator; and
     (c) cooperate with executive branch and judicial branch officials to facilitate broadcast coverage of state government activities and events that are pertinent to the purpose set forth in 5-11-1101.
     (2) The legislative council shall assist the division in exercising oversight of the contract with the operator to ensure that broadcasts conform with the following principles of good conduct:
     (a) Programming must be fair, accurate, and balanced without regard to partisanship or ideology.
     (b) Programming must be scheduled in a manner that acknowledges the importance of timeliness in the delivery of information.
     (c) Issue coverage and the scheduling of broadcasts must reflect a thoughtful balance of subject areas, geographic sensitivities, and attention to the various committees and other deliberative bodies engaged in the legislative process.
     (d) Programming must always be intended to increase public understanding of both the substantive issues and the processes by which the legislature and other bodies seek to resolve problems, address challenges, and seize opportunities for the public good.
     (e) Programming must reflect the importance of each branch of government.
     (f) Production values must be of the highest attainable quality to accurately convey the genuine pace and tenor of governmental activity.
     (g) Camera angles, shot selection, graphic subtitling, and other aspects of broadcast style and audiovisual content must be subject to guidance and monitoring by the division to ensure impartiality and respect for the decorum of the legislature and other governmental institutions.
     (3) The division is responsible for ensuring that the audio components of the broadcasting service are maintained in good working order.
     (4) Operations and maintenance of the cameras, cabling, wiring, electronics, recording equipment, and associated computer technology in the capitol and the adjacent broadcast production facility are the responsibility of the operator that the division selects, as provided in subsection (1)(b). However, the division and the department of administration shall cooperate with the operator to ensure broadcast system reliability.
     (5) The operator and the division shall develop and implement a plan to provide the maximum attainable distribution of broadcasts, and the contract between the operator and the division may require the operator to enter into agreements with one or more Montana public television organizations, telecommunications firms, nonprofit organizations, or state telecommunications networks.

     History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 557, L. 2001.