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Emergency Issue September 3, 2010
Access Tucson Elimination: Calling All Access Tucson Producers, Viewers and Supporters to Action

Access Tucson is being threatened with elimination.

This is the recommendation of the City's Core Tax Committee and Ward 6 City Council member Steve Kozachik.  At the moment, the recommendation would stand whether or not the Core Services Tax (Prop 400) is passed by the voters in November.

The Committee is also suggesting Tucson 12 be eliminated but there a deal is in the works for Tucson 12, the government voice, to merge with Arizona Public Media (AZPM). The City would pay AZPM $600,000 to operate the City channel. No such deal exists for Access Tucson and the public voice.

Core Tax Committee
(city webpage)

Core Tax Fact Sheet
(pdf)

August 26 Elimination recommendation
(pdf, last paragraph on page 2)

August 31 AZ Daily Star Article
re: Tucson 12 and AZPM merger

Ward 6 Newsletter
(pdf, page 2)

September 2 AZ Daily Star Editorial
re: merger

CALL AND EMAIL MAYOR AND COUNCIL (see below)

We ask you to tell the Mayor and Council these important points:

1. Preserve community media because it's the only remaining means for citizens' access to television as an outlet for free speech.

2. The Access Tucson budget has been systematically cut since 2002. This is part of the methodical dismantling of Tucson's public voice.

3. Cox subscribers still see PEG Access fees on their bill. Where is this money going if not for PEG services? At best this is misleading, at worst it's a bait and switch tactic.

ATTEND TWO IMPORTANT EVENTS

1. Tuesday, Sept. 7th--Attend the Access Tucson Community Meeting at 6pm.
We will mobilize to stand and fight together.
 
2. Wednesday, Sept. 8th--Come to City Hall (255 W. Alameda) for the Mayor and Council Study Session Meeting at 10am.

We'll be paying attention to what Council decides on the following items:

Agenda item 1 at 10am: Partnership Opportunity Between Arizona Public Media (AZPM) and Tucson12

Agenda item 3 at 11am: Core Tax and Permanent Override Review Committee Recommendations

After this Mayor and Council Study Session, we'll meet at Access Tucson at 3:00pm to rally, make signs and then march down to the City Council chambers at City Hall (255 W. Alameda) to participate in 'call to audience' (sixth item on the agenda). The City Council meeting starts at 5:30pm.

Please bring sign making materials. And definitely bring your voice. We will be standing up for free speech!
 
MAYOR AND COUNCIL CONTACT INFORMATION

You can call the Mayor and Council comment line at 791-4700 which gives callers a menu to reach the individual offices of City elected Officials. Please stay on the line and designate the office you wish to leave a message with by entering the Ward number (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6). Please note that you will need to make seven phone calls to leave a message for each council member and the mayor.

Or you can try emailing them all at once by clicking here (may not work with all email programs). If you use Outlook as your email program, you may have to change the commas into semi-colons. Also, a blank webpage may open. If it does, just close it and your email window will be there.

See the information below if you would like to just talk with your own City Council representative.

Individual Mayor and Council contact information:

(520) 791-4201

(520) 791-4040

(520) 791-4687

(520) 791-4711

(520) 791-3199

(520) 791-4231

(520) 791-4601

If needed, you can go to City Scan to find out which City Council member represents you.


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Celebrating 26 years, Access Tucson strives to provide the highest level of public media access service to the community. We facilitate the expression of ideas, opinions, and perspectives through electronic media. By tuning in to public access, viewers are discovering their own communities, alternative news and information not influenced by corporate or government interests.

All Tucson public access channels are operated and controlled by Access Tucson.  Access Tucson is an independent, nonprofit corporation and is not an agent or affiliate of Cox Communications, Comcast or the City of Tucson. 

Cox Communications, Comcast, the City of Tucson and Access Tucson are prohibited by law from controlling the content of programs on public access channels.  They are not responsible in any way for the content of public access programs, and are not liable for any material cablecast on public access channels.  Public access users and producers are solely responsible for and have complete control of the content of their programs. 

You can produce your own program and use this channel to share your message with the community.  Go to accesstucson.org or call (520) 624-9833 to find out how.