PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE | AUGUST 17, 2020

American University’s Center for Media and Social Impact has released its survey and study on how PEG community media is responding to the Covid-19 crisis.  The report “PEG Access Media: Local Communications Hubs in a Pandemic” is based on surveys and interviews of operations in 26 states earlier this Spring and does a good job capturing how our sector has stepped up to meet the emergency.

You can find the report here.  ACM will be using the report to highlight the impact of our collective work to serve our communities, and to further support for community media.  Take a look and please use the report in your own work. 

My thanks to Patricia Aufderheide, Antoine Haywood and Mariana Sanchez Santos for doing this important work.
IEE Caucus Event Recap & Upcoming Annual Business Meeting 

I also want to express my appreciation to the speakers and all the volunteers who put together last week’s powerful discussion on pursuing racial justice and equity in community media.  I found the discussion moving and useful - I particularly liked Kristina Newman-Scott’s reflections on cultural struggle and building equity at BRIC, KatMeow Garcia’s tips on how to interrupt oppressive negative and unhealthful remarks in the classroom and Crystal Haynes work at Common Narrative Media. 

I hope you will keep the momentum going by attending the Inclusion Equity and Engagement Caucus’s Annual Business meeting this Friday, August 21 at 3 pm ET– as the caucus sets its agenda for work in the coming year.  You have to register to attend here. 

Mike Wassenaar
President & CEO
The Alliance for Community Media