HOUSTON -- Houston's City Council decided to delay the vote that would have decided the fate of a public access cable channel at the center of controversy over a program called obscene by some council members, Local 2 reported Wednesday.

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Houstonians React To Cable Channel's Program

Houston MediaSource came under fire earlier this month by District E Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who said she saw offensive programming airing on the public access channel at a time when children might have been watching.

Station representatives said the program, which aired at 11 p.m., featured a nude woman.

Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said the show is not considered illegal by the state's obscenity standards.

"It wouldn't be illegal to own privately. But, whether or not it is appropriate for a public viewing is not really my call," Rosenthal told Local 2.

Wiseman raised the issue at a recent city council meeting, in which members began discussing the renewal of the city's contract with the channel.

"It may not rise to the level of being a crime as determined by the prosecutor or the district attorney, but it still shouldn't be on public access," Houston City Councilman Michael Berry told Local 2.

Houston MediaSource receives about $800,000 a year from the city. The money comes from mandatory fees collected from cable subscribers.

In a statement released on July 9, Houston MediaSource said they "regret the recent controversy over programming on the channel and the pain that it's caused so many Houstonians. We apologize to our elected officials, to our cable providers and to the Houston public who support public access."

Programs aired on the channel are produced by and belong to the public. The station said this is the first time public controversy has arisen over the channel's programming in eight years and 9,000 programs.

A station representative said no one employed by the station did anything wrong, and that the job of employees of the station is to provide a resource that allows for the widest possible diversity of voices and to follow all federal, state and local laws regarding the first amendment.

The Harris County Republican Party's chairman has encouraged citizens to call Mayor Bill White and their council representative to ask them to vote against renewing the city's contract with the public access station.

City council said they would revisit the issue of funding for the public access channel again in August.