Monthly Manager Newsletter

September 2008

Well another beach season has come and gone - now we move into fall and the best time of the year; at least in my opinion. Not that we’ll be able to slow down at all…just nicer scenery, cooler weather, and fall sports. Time marches on as they say.

I’ll need to keep this month’s comments brief, we’re very busy these days. Pretty obvious when I note that I just realized today is September 9th – and I’m over a week late posting the newsletter.

Many of you may have seen us at a recent City Council meeting, or read about us in the paper. If you did not get the gist of the conversation here are the highlights…PAC 14 is 10 years old this fall, PAC 14 desperately needs capital funds to establish our own facility (a Community Media Center), and we hope to celebrate our ‘10th year’ of success and service to the community – with a major step forward, and to accomplish this we need help! That’s an over-simplification of the big picture - the actual things going on these days - but sort of the top of the priority list.

With gratitude’s duly offered to all who have helped us over the past decade (all our citizen producers, partners, friends, supporters, members) I think the most honest way I can describe our situation today is – desperate. That may sound a bit ominous, but in the operational sense it is true. Anyone who has visited our operation certainly understands. It’s a simple matter of business, non-profit business in our case, if you succeed – you grow. More people, more need, more requests, more opportunities, all the needs that bring pressure to staff and resources. And if you mix on top of this growing need, near zero structural and technical growth, you are operationally spinning your wheels and sinking slowly into the sand. I really believe that - seeing is believing - our doors are certainly open to the public so we invite you to see for yourself...and to also take advantage of everything we do have.

What we seek to do is simply level the playing field for our community TV station. As we look at examples of Community Media centers in Maryland and across the nation, we see both how Public, Educational and Governmental Access stations are funded and equipped to meet their communities needs. The most glaring example, and easiest for locals to see firsthand or understand, is in the square footage in which we operate. PAC 14 exists within approximately 1,000 square feet, while a similar operation in Carroll County MD operates in nearly 9,000 square feet. Needless to say that is just an oversimplification of the problem, and the true need is much more significant than this.

While the challenges we face are significant, we take great pride in our success to date. We take even greater pride in the friendships we’ve made. We are appreciated by those who use our service, we are appreciated by the viewers at home, we are constantly thanked by those who have benefited by our service, and our local elected officials’ continually offer praise for our service to community. Our membership numbers continue to grow at a strong rate - every new person who adds their name helps to make our case – and support our need to grow now. PAC 14 has certainly done its job and is positioned to make a major step forward…with the help of this community we’ll do just that very soon.

Closing note; please check the D.D.H.T. (Delmarva Heritage and Traditions) website, which can also be found on the pac14 website. D.D.H.T. is an ‘amazing’ project and will become a major service of historical importance to our local community. The project is growing slowly but already we are placing finished projects on the website for all locals to enjoy – and the entire world to appreciate. In the next few weeks the finished videos will also be available at the Wicomico Public Library and at the Nabb Research Center on the Salisbury University campus.

Like PAC 14 – D.D.H.T. is a tremendous service and yet another shinning example of what can come from a strong, successful and vibrant Public Access service.

Please support D.D.H.T. - and please support PAC 14.

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Editor's Choice


 
PAC 14 PROMO VIDEO

   
Digitizing Delmarva Heritage and Traditions

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PAC 14 - Proven Success! After 10 years of service the time has come for
PAC 14 to establish a
Community Media Center; the video equivalent
of a public library.
- Tour a Maryland CMC -
Your membership will help us reach that goal.
Your voice will be heard! Add your name today!



2006
"Hometown Video Festival"

PAC 14 Overall Excellence!

2007
"Hometown Video Festival"

Educational Profile - Non-professional
Working Together for Children
Dr. Faye Wilson and Tracy Sahler
Salisbury  MD



Media in the 21st Century:
  Hanging Up on Reform
A new and informative video that
discusses
potential changes to
telecommunications legislation,
the dangers of these changes to
the public interest, and threats to
public, educational & government
(PEG) access centers.
   Courtesy CAN-TV, Chicago
 
WATCH THIS VIDEO

 
Copyright © 2007
PAC14.org
Public Access Channel
Serving Salisbury and Wicomico County
You Create It!  Everybody Watches It!