Dear Members and Friends,
Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Meeting this year. We were encouraged by the feedback that we received and by your interest in helping to make Access Tucson more financially self-sufficient.Your ideas and suggestions were recorded, and we are working to follow up on many of them.
In addition, please welcome the newest members of the Board of Directors: Joan C. Hall, Sandee Brooke and Tom Prezelski.They have already begun to make an impact on our Board, and we thank them for their interest in serving.
Now, on to the news. Tucson 12 has completed its move into the building at 124 E. Broadway. We welcome them as co-tenants, and we hope that our sharing of space will lead to sharing of ideas and other resources. Already, Tucson 12 is schedule to air our Local Matters programs and I'm sure there are other areas of mutual interest where we can swap story ideas.
The City of Tucson is currently in negotiations with Cox Communications for a new cable license agreement. We do not know, as of this date, when those negotiations began or who initiated them. But we do know that the draft agreement that came from the City Attorney's office contained language that caused us very serious concern. The City Council recognized the draft agreement's shortcomings and directed that the City continue to speak with Access Tucson, Tucson 12 and TUSD in order to determine the needs of all the PEG (public, education, government) entities that are served via the cable agreement. As of the writing of this newsletter, no meeting among those organizations has been scheduled.
Because we are not a direct party to these negotiations, it's difficult for us to let you know where the future stands for the future of PEG channels in Tucson. State law has set absolute limits on what a city can require, and any agreement between Cox and the City of Tucson must adhere to that law. That doesn't mean, however, that we cannot negotiate with the City when our Master Operating Agreement comes up for renewal in 2012.
In the mean time, keep an eye on the City Council's July 6 meeting agenda here: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/clerks/mcdocs. If the license is placed on either the Regular or Consent Agenda, you may wish to contact your Council member to express your opinion.
Our 2011-12 funding of Access Tucson by the City is as precarious this year as last year. That's why it is so important for Access Tucson to look beyond its past model and to embrace the notion of a Community Media Center that will serve as a hub or coalition of like-minded organizations. To this end, we have already explored some of the empty TUSD schools for potential media centers, and we have been looking at some examples of successful centers around the country (particularly Grand Rapids, MI).
But, just calling a group of organizations a "center" is not enough without some concrete goals and sustained funding. Some small grants may help us to launch a center, but it will take financial commitment from both individual and organizational members to keep the center afloat. The Board has a fund-raising committee that welcomes your ideas for helping to sustain the organization.
July 27-30 will see the national Alliance for Community Media (ACM) conference at Marriott's Starr Pass resort. Clearly, Tucson has been recognized for its leadership in community access as indicated by ACM's decision to return here for their annual meeting. If you are interested in attending, there may be opportunities for local conference volunteers to sit in on the classes and/or presentations. Please contact Lisa Horner for more information or check out the story below.
The summer may be a slow time for you, but it's a busy time at Access Tucson with daytime kids' classes and nighttime production.As it stands now, it appears that we will be able to continue the Friday and Saturday night production schedule. We may also ask producers to make a small financial commitment in order to offset the staff and operations costs that go into the productions. If you are a producer and you are asked to contribute, please remember that we're in a new era where services have real costs that must be recovered. And don't forget to ask your supporters or viewers to help to underwrite your programs and contribute to Access Tucson. Without you and them, there would be no programming.
Apologies for the length of this e-newsletter, but there's a lot to share. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas, opinions or suggestions.
Sincerely,
Bob Kovitz, President
Access Tucson Board of Directors
