[IMC] Join the Fight to Save Public Access TV in one of our sister communities

Fri Jun 15 13:03:17 UTC 2012

Please considering supporting our sister organization Quote unQuote who may
lose a 30 year public access TV station in Albuquerque.

- Danielle

       June 15, 2012

<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=axvR%2BlmNNcGX%2FwM3inPEkBRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

 [image: Quote. . .Unquote]

Dear Danielle,<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7Usrdja1BynvSJ8fvITUKRRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ITpthxgJuEi51mkbO2a7rwA3xbslQUFD>

We are writing to all of our friends and allies as community media
advocates, community access television practitioners and media justice
supporters.  We send this letter to specifically ask you to join us in
supporting Quote...Unquote<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kCO9PDLywVu54fGUZYbCXxRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>--a
30-year-old Community Access Center that has been serving the Albuquerque
community by providing a platform for community members and residents to
have access to 21st century digital media making tools. Quote…Unquote has
been an avid and committed member of MAG-Net for nearly five years,
connecting local producers and non-profit organizations to national
coalitions and sharing their locally produced media with members of the
network—and now, more than ever, they need our support.

In October 2011, we were stunned to learn that instead of renewing
Quote...Unquote’s contract, the City Council of Albuquerque awarded a
“competitive” public access contract to uPublic, a brand new organization
with no track record of producing programming for cable access television,
no public interest media background and no community-based relationships.

As you know, the acceleration of media consolidation has led to the erosion
of local media outlets and the silencing of alternative and independent
voices.   In the U.S., Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Access
Centers are unique in that these local community media infrastructures
allow local community members and organizations the ability to create their
own programming and broadcast it to hundreds of thousands of viewers via
the public access television channels. PEG stations like Quote...Unquote
are vital to providing local and neighborhood programming to the
community.  They are not only recognized as a national leader in the
community and youth media fields, but they are also respected as a long
standing devoted community-based organization.

Since last October, Quote Unquote has been organizing to expose the legal
irregularities in how the City of Albuquerque handled the whole contract
process and launched an impassioned campaign to educate the community about
the major issues<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Lm0P9puzxUqXaK22Xt%2Fx0BRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>
.<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Nn10F1MHUds6y%2B5F%2FNEvAxRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>
It was revealed that the *Comcast Cable proposal* submitted behind closed
doors would allow them to illegally buy 6 of the 9 allocated Public Access
channels from the City of Albuquerque for $250,000. The estimated market
value per channel is approximately $1.3M!

On June 19th, there will be a hearing where Quote-Unquote lawyers will have
a final opportunity to argue for an injunction that would halt the city's
attempt to grant the contract to this corporate entity that would
essentially destroy community media.  This is not an isolated incident, for
the past six years, media corporations have forced hundreds of Community
Access Centers and PEG stations in nearly twenty states to shut down,
effectively stripping those communities of the outlets they use to tell
their own stories free from mainstream media's filter.

Please lend your support to save this Community Media Infrastructure,
independent voices and a 30-year Public Access station.

Donate to the Quote UnQuote Legal
Fund<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=XCLyJ4akQUTLhZlrZBgD5RRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>today.

 In Solidarity,

   Tracy Rosenberg,  Media
Alliance<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4mxF2SH%2BiC29boSfhRCFTBRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Chad A. Johnston, The Peoples Channel & Durham Community
Media<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qPfQlTz820WoWuxNqsgVJBRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Gretjen Clausing, Philadelphia Community Access Media
(PhillyCAM)<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=eVq70LRRPHAo1l%2Fi1us0ZwA3xbslQUFD>

Brian Drolet, Deep Dish
TV<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VLGNU5SLxALJEqk3kCagngA3xbslQUFD>

Andrea Quijada, Media Literacy
Project<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=h8tFWwdSbQHb6g2TyQxQzBRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Carlos Pareja, People’s Production
House<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=7Sj4ECCAFtgIDGObzq6a2xRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Nan Rubin, Community Media
Services<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3od0e92DnxXj0Pz1n%2FG9FhRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Carol Ammons, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media
Center<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=apoaiqb4xQYhot5SxJ7WoxRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Sean McLaughlin, Access
Humboldt<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wHCeynEDncD%2FDJwkJU9w3RRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Jeff Rousset, Prometheus Radio
Project<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3PDwrwasKpKlaEnHJy4nIhRbLo%2FOS%2F6j>

Betty Yu

Media Action Grassroots Network
(MAG-Net)<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=i5bMNY2V3YqGSM1vrWqP2AA3xbslQUFD>

 <#137f0040b9814135_top>

     [image: empowered by Salsa] <http://www.salsalabs.com/?email>
**
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/imc/attachments/20120615/3712b99a/attachment.html>