Board President

Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.  --Chinese Proverb

No one ever said that change was easy.  Change is difficult, placing us into unknown territory and unchartered waters.  However, change is a necessity. All healthy living organisms adapt and change.  For our organizations and industry to thrive, we too must change and adapt.

How we respond to change is the real question.  We can ignore environmental changes that affect our industry, or we can recognize the need to adapt. To be healthy, we must adapt to the changes occurring for community media.

Media Landscape

The media landscape has exploded with varying types of digital and electronic media.   Media makers and communicators use various platforms to communicate and deliver content, including the web/internet, mobile devices, broadcast, cable and satellite.

While our history is based in cable channel delivery, community media centers are embracing change; adapting to integrate web communication tools, social media networks, broadband, and more.  Community media helps members of our community to communicate, connect and provide a greater level of access for all.  The specific technologies are secondary to the overall mission.

At the request of our regional affiliate leadership, the ACM Board of Directors recently explored the definition of community media.  What we discovered was nothing earth-shattering or mind-blowing.  We found an underlying theme of being inclusive of all-types of electronic or digital media used in our communities.  Media Centers must be teaching, demonstrating, and helping our communities to use the best electronic communication tools to meet their needs.

Political Landscape

The Political Landscape has shifted over the past several years.  State Franchising Laws have been adopted under the premise of increasing competition for cable services and lowering subscriber rates.  Many of these laws have eroded support for community media operations and promises for lower rates and competition are falling short.

In response, the Alliance for Community Media launched the Keep Us Connected campaign.  Congress has held two favorable congressional hearings on Community Media Issues.  The Alliance filed a Petition for Declaratory Ruling with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) charging that telecom giant AT&T discriminates against local community channels with its U-verse cable TV system. The FCC received over 600 comments, a majority in favor of community media issues.  With our partners, the Alliance filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of 6th Circuit Decision on Video Franchising.  We are working with federal and state legislators to introduce changes in laws to protect PEG channels and funding.  And, we will be asking for your voice and contribution more as this campaign progresses this year.

Funding

Our funding models are changing.  We encourage community media centers to diversify funding.  Whether it is out of necessity or foresight, our operations can not afford to stand on one primary source of revenue.

We are looking to you to help define our industry as we move forward and adapt.  The process may seem slow at times, but we are working for the future of community media.

Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.--Japanese Proverb