Table of Contents

Budget Update

New Hours of Operation

Last Chance for Kids' Summer Classes

Budget Update

(Survive and Evolve)

On Tuesday June 3rd, the Mayor and Council voted on the budget. Originally, Access Tucson was to be eliminated with zero funding and the sale of the building. Through lobbying and citizen push back, Access Tucson is now slated to receive $150,000 for the 2014-15 fiscal year and the sale of the building has been put on hold. Access Tucson received $303,500 from the City last year. The Council also reiterated that the 2014-15 fiscal year would be the last year Access Tucson receives any funding from the City.

The Council requested that Access Tucson come back in August-September with a progress report on restructuring Access Tucson. In the meantime, the Council agreed to look for funding from other areas in the budget that might, again might, produce some savings that could be transferred to Access Tucson.

New Hours of Operation

Beginning August 1, 2014, Access Tucson producers and members will experience new hours of operation. Due to the City of Tucson budget cuts, it's necessary for Access Tucson to reduce service hours.

The reduction of hours along with the current budget will allow Access Tucson to operate for approximately 6 months beginning July 1, 2014. Meanwhile, Access Tucson board members, staff and volunteers are working to create a self-sustainable, new vision for community media that could allow us to stay open the rest of this year and into the future.

We need to focus on creating continuous revenue streams. Though fundraising events, telethons and grants help the bottom line, they are also labor intensive and not considered steady income. Membership and user fees are coming soon.

Here's how the new hours of operation will work:

Tuesdays: Open for checkin/checkouts (4-6pm) only.

Monthly Alternating Fridays and Saturdays

August: Open

Fridays

(2pm-10pm), closed August 25 through August 30 for inventory

September: Open Saturdays (2pm-10pm)

October: Open Fridays (2pm-10pm)

November: Open Saturdays

(2pm-10pm)

December: Open
Fridays

(2pm-10pm), closed December 24 through January 1 for Winter Break

Current reservations on Saturdays in August and Fridays in September are cancelled. Facility reservations for current series producers will be extended through December according to the alternating pattern.

Please call for the availability of stand-by reservations or to schedule a facilitation appointment if you would like to tape your program. Remember, all producers currently using Access Tucson production resources are equally affected by these changes.

Classes

Studio and Digital Field classes (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) remain the same.

Cablecast

There will be no lottery. The current schedule is extended through January 1, 2015. Producers will not be penalized if they are late (up to a month) turning in a new program.

Please be advised that there are NO GUARANTEES due to our current struggle but we are attemping to be fair to everyone. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Last Chance: Kids' Summer Classes

Calling all Kids, ages 9 and up!

Explore the world of television production by creating your own TV show, movie or animation. Work in a team. Utilize writing and communication skills. Create with sound and images. Produce your own messages for television and the internet.

Starts this Monday 7/14

Animation/Studio Production

Combo Class (one week session)

Kids create animated backgrounds for the green screen in the studio to perform in their own cartoons! Kids also learn lighting, audio, camera operation and directing.

Class date: July 14-18 (Weekdays 9am-12pm)

Class fee: $180

Please note: For this class only,
call 520-

275-0864 or email Lisa Horner to sign up.

Animation (one week session)

With an easy-to-use animation program, imagination and a soundtrack, students can make their own cartoons. This class lets students explore art and computers.

Class date: July 21-25 (Weekdays 9am-12pm)

Class fee: $180

Video Production (two week session)

The Video Production class provides instruction for shooting video on location to make your own film. Camera technique, lighting, audio, scripting and computer-based editing are all covered in this class.

Class date: July 21-August 1 (Weekdays 9am-12pm)

Class fee: $250

All participants receive a copy of the programs created.

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to make a difference by keeping community TV alive in Tucson.

Celebrating 30 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.

Tucson's public access channel is 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.