Dear Access Tucson Member,
Normally, I would be suspect of any open letter sent to all members
of an organization. Many times, these letters contain bad news,
warnings of imminent disaster or after-the-fact explanations of actions
taken by an organization.
Not this letter, though.
As your newly elected Chairperson, I wanted to extend my thanks to
everyone who has helped to make Access Tucson what it is today. That
means all of the producers, directors, staff, managers and volunteers
who give so much of themselves to promote the mission of Access Tucson.
We are entering a difficult year, and we find ourselves at an
interesting crossroads. I believe that this is an opportunity for
Access Tucson to reinvent itself, to become a community media center
that has real value to Tucson and its citizens.
I am calling on you to examine your role with Access Tucson and
assess what you can do to take us into a 21st century leader in citizen
communications. I believe that we need to move beyond televised videos
and start looking at all information-delivery platforms-including
audio, social media, partnerships with educational institutions and a
renewed relationship with the Tucson's city leaders.
To make this task even more challenging, Access Tucson's funding is
at an all-time low. Therefore, we also need to explore new revenue
streams to supplement our city allocation, and we can only do this if
we are offering true value to the community.
The Board of Directors has expressed its complete confidence in
Acting Director Lisa Horner and her staff. They will be working over
the next two months to phase in a reopening of Access Tucson, but they
will also be looking at strengthening the organization through
strategic changes. Naturally, we want you to be part of this process,
too. Therefore, if you have ideas that will help Access Tucson move
forward, I encourage you to share them with Lisa or with me (email:
kovitzbob@gmail.com).
Your Board of Directors remains committed to an open and transparent
process. Some decisions will please many people; some decisions may
not. But I can assure you that all decisions will be meant to ensure
the ongoing success of Access Tucson.
Thank you again for your time and your commitment. I look forward to getting to know as many of you as possible.
Bob Kovitz
Chair, Access Tucson Board of Directors
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