>>> AMHERST MEDIA, A PUBLIC ACCESS STATION THAT SERVES THE
TOWN, HAS BEEN LOOKING TO BUILD A NEW FACILITY.
THEY PROVIDE COVERAGE OF
EDUCATIONAL, GOVERNMENT AND OTHER CRITICAL STORIES THAT
AFFECT THE COMMUNITY.
I SAT DOWN WITH DR.
DEMETRIA SHABAZZ, THE PRESIDENT OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR MISSION,
FUTURE PLANS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HYPER-LOCAL
COMMUNITY MEDIA.
>> LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS COMES OUT OF THE LATE '60s,
EARLY 70s WHEN PEOPLE WERE REALLY WANT EXPLORING
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
AS YOU RECALL, ABOUT THE 1960s, AND THE EARLY 70s,
THERE WAS A LOT OF TENSION AND FOLKS BEGAN TO REALLY THINK
CRITICALLY ABOUT HOW WE PARTICIPATE WITHIN THESE
DOMINANT MODELS OF GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO MEDIA.
AND SO NOT ONLY WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT WAS LOCAL PUBLIC
ACCESS, BUT ALSO PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND PUBLIC ACCESS
MIGHT DEMONSTRATE WHAT WE ARE AS LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS.
WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY GOVERNMENT FUNDING, WHEREAS
EVEN THOUGH IT'S A SMALL PORTION OF THE FUNDING, PUBLIC
BROADCASTING DOES.
WE ARE INDEPENDENT, AND WE ARE WHAT'S CALLED HYPER LOCAL,
EVEN BEFORE THAT WAS A PHRASE.
MEANING WE PRODUCE SHOWS WHERE IT'S LOCAL NEWS, LOCAL EVENTS,
FOCUSED ON OUR SPECIFIC AREA, GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
OUR FUNDING COMES FROM THE CABLE COMPANIES.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT DURING THIS TIME OF THE 1970s,
FOLKS WITHIN GOVERNMENT AND THE FCC, WHICH IS A BIT MORE
DEMOCRATIC AT THE TIME, WANTED TO MAKE SURE THERE WASN'T A
MONOPOLY IN TERMS OF CONTENT.
AND SO LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS WAS ONE WAY TO ASSURE THAT THERE
WASN'T A MONOPOLY WITHIN MAINSTREAM BROADCASTING.
SO WE OFFER AND HAVE OFFERED SINCE THE 1970s TRAINING, WE
HAVE OFFERED A PLACE TO BROADCAST YOUR CONTENT.
WE HAVE THREE CHANNELS, ONE FOR PUBLIC AFEWERS, ONE FOR
EDUCATION, AND ONE FOR GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS COMMONLY
KNOWN AS PEG. AND WHAT WE CONTINUE TO DO IS
OFFER NOT ONLY MEDIA CONTENT LOCALLY PRODUCED, BUT
EDUCATION.
AND SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE SINCE 1976 WHEN WE BEGAN
AMHERST MEDIA AND WHAT OTHER LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS STATIONS
DO.
OF COURSE, MANY OF THEM ARE DECREASING IN NUMBER.
MASSACHUSETTS, WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE AND PRIVILEGED HERE
TO HAVE SO MANY STILL OPERATING, BUT IN MANY PARTS
OF THE NATION, THEY ARE GONE OR THEY ONLY OFFER MAYBE THE
GOVERNMENT PORTION OF PEG.
>> TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CONCERNS ABOUT PROPOSED FCC
RULE CHANGES AND HOW THE CABLE COMPANIES PAY FOR PUBLIC
ACCESS?
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S ON YOUR RADAR SCREEN AND
CONCERNING?
>> IT'S TOTALLY ON OUR RADAR SCREEN, IT'S NOT ONLY CONCERN
TO GO AMHERST MEDIA, BUT TO ALL LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS,
BECAUSE WHAT IT MEANS, EVEN THOUGH THE LAW WAS CONSTANTLY
REVISED IN THE 70s AND 1984 AS WELL, THOUSAND NEW REVISION
THAT TOOK PLACE IN DECEMBER 2018 HAS DRASTICALLY
CUT OUR OPERATING BUDGET, AND WE ARE TALKING OVER A
10 PERCENT, SOMETIMES 20 PERCENT FOR THE OPERATING
BUDGET.
WHAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF THE FUNDING IN GENERAL IS THAT YOU
CAN GET UP TO 5 PERCENT OF THE SUBSCRIBER FEES, BECAUSE IT'S
REALLY NOT THE CABLE COMPANIES FUNDING LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS,
IT'S THE SUBSCRIBERS FROM FOLKS WHO PURCHASE CABLE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS WITH THE DECREASE IN FOLKS OF CUTTING
THE CORD, SO TO SPEAK, LOOKING FOR OTHER OPTIONS FOR MEDIA
CONTENT, IT ALSO MEANS THAT THESE CABLE COMPANIES ARE ABLE
TO BASICALLY SEE THE STATION ITSELF AS A PREMIUM.
THEY ARE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED AND
TAKE THAT FUNDING OFF TO -- OFF THE TOP AS AN IN KIND TYPE
OF DONATION.
SO OUR -- WELL, AT AMHERST MEDIA, OUR FUNDING HAS
DECREASED.
BUT THIS IS ACROSS THE BOARD, IT HAS IMPACTED THE
SUSTAINABILITY OF LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS IN THE NATION.
>> IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN WHAT HAPPENS ON THE FINAL RULING.
TELL US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF AMHERST MEDIA.
I KNOW YOU HAVE PROPERTY THAT HAS BEEN PURCHASED YOU ARE
HOPING TO BUILD ON, THERE'S ALSO SOME OTHER PROPOSALS ON
THE TABLE.
BRING US UP TO SPEED ON THAT?
>> AMHERST MEDIA, LIKE A LOT OF LOCAL PUBLIC ACCESS
STATIONS, ARE HAVING TO FIGURE OUT OTHER WAYS IN WHICH TO
SURVIVE.
WE ARE CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING TO BUILD A BUILDING THAT HAS
ALMOST THE SAME FOOTPRINT, OVER 4,000 SQUARE FEET, ON
MAIN AND GRAY STREET IN AMHERST, WHICH IS AT THE KIND
OF CULTURAL DISTRICT CORRIDOR, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR
US.
IT'S ALSO NEAR THE HIGH SCHOOL.
IT'S NEAR A BUS STOP.
WHERE WE ARE NOW, WE ARE RENTING THE BUILDING, EVERY
SOURCE WHERE WE RENT HAS BEEN KIND TO US IN EXTENDING OUR
LEASE, BUT IT'S TIME THAT WE MOVE ON, WE PURCHASED PROPERTY
IN 2013, AND WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING THIS MOVE FOR A VERY
LONG TIME.
THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS WITH OUR PROPOSAL BECAUSE IT'S NOT
ONLY IN THE CULTURAL DISTRICT, IT'S IN THE HISTORICAL
DISTRICT.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE AND WORK WITH THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND
WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDING
FITS THAT COMMUNITY.
>> ONE OF THE PROPOSALS ALSO WAS CONSIDERING A HIGH SCHOOL,
WHICH I KNOW A LOT OF HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE SOME PRETTY HIGH
TECH MEDIA PROGRAMS AS WELL.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S STILL ON THE TABLE?
>> SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE EXPLORING.
IT WAS ALSO -- IT WAS PRESENTED TO US BY SOME OF THE
TOWN LEEDERS THAT THEY HAD SOME SPACE AND THEY UNDERSTOOD
THE PROBLEM IN WHICH -- TRYING TO FIT INTO THE HISTORIC
DISTRICT WITH OUR NEW BUILDING MIGHT INCUR.
THEY PROPOSED POSSIBLY MOVING INTO THE SCHOOL, BUT IT'S NOT
WITHOUT ITS OWN COSTS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY NOT ONLY THE DISTRICT FOR THE RESPONSE,
WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RENOVATION.
AND IT WOULD BE GREAT ALSO IN TERMS OF HAVING STUDENTS THERE
AND WORKING WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
WE HAVE INTERNS WHO ARE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND COLLEGE
STUDENTS FROM THE FIVE COLLEGES.
SO -- IN THAT WAY, IT WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT'S
SOMETHING THAT WE ARE SIMPLY EXPLORING RIGHT NOW.