President's Message | January 20, 2020

January Updates from ACm

On this Martin Luther King Jr Day, my words cannot capture the spirit of the revolutionary leader we are supposed to be commemorating. So instead, let me ask you to take some time to reflect and be inspired by his own words.

 If you are inspired by the work of other people in our field, ACM wants to recognize that work. Please consider nominating colleagues around the country for our national leadership awards – who will be acknowledged at our national conference this summer.  We want to honor their dedication, innovation and spirit, as we believe that everyone has the ability to be great and better the lives of others. 

Put forward a nomination before February 7.

 A quick update for you on our legal challenge to the FCC’s 621 Order: The 6th Circuit Court has now scheduled a hearing on March 11 in Cincinnati on the request for a stay of the Order. It’s encouraging that the Court is taking the legal challenge seriously.  

We expect some other developments on the challenge to the so-called “In-Kind” Order in coming days – and will keep you posted!
 
My thanks to Gretjen Clausing from PhillyCAM and Martin Ludden from SPNN for helping to kick off our 2020 Webinar series this past week.  If you missed it, you can find it and other webinars on the ACM website.

One of the other updates you’ll find on the website is a collection of sample election and candidate policies from various media centers and channels that you can use and compare to craft your own policies.  We have begun posting industry materials you can use and share on the Member Central area of www.allcommunitymedia.org 

And be sure to join us next month on Wednesday, February 19 as Erica Jones hosts a webinar on journalism collaborations in community media.  Find out more and register today here.

Mike Wassenaar
President & CEO
The Alliance for Community Media