News Book
During our twenty-five year history, Access Sacramento has developed strong relationships with many public and private institutions, media organizations, and businesses. During the past two-years we have asked our community partners in South Sacramento to help expand our single, centralized, Coloma Center studio “hub” site by designing and successfully building a new online “aggregated web site”, www.AccessLocal.tv. During the past 12 months, we have initiated training and equipment distribution with multiple South Sacramento institutions including libraries, nonprofit organizations, parks and recreation departments, schools, and major media outlets.
Expanding Further the “Hub-Spoke-Wheel” Partnership — The HSW hyper-local communications infrastructure will grow even further over the next three years. Per direction from the Access Sacramento Board Executive and Finance Committees, we have requested status quo funding from The Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission. If our grant request is approved on June 7, we will launch a new long-term strategic plan, installing new video production equipment in locations throughout the County.
Each “New Hub” will be a “Tricaster Green Studio” – Built by lease-purchase of the equipment, each Tricaster shall be strategically placed in key organizations throughout the County. Each “green studio” will be designed similar to the small “closet” space used at the Coloma Center facility for the past year. It can be housed in a room as small as 350 square feet. Because we are utilizing low power/low heat LED lights and draped green cloth, the “green studio” need not be permanent. With slight modifications, it can actually be somewhat portable. Access Sacramento successfully uses a portable Tricaster on about 20% of our “on-location” Hometown-TV shoots. The “chroma-key green” special effects will permit television programming with background settings as varied as our imaginations permit.
First Year Hub Sites – In the fiscal year 2012-13, “Hub” sites shall be developed at two additional sites: (a) the Nonprofit Resource Center (NRC) Natomas offices located on Garden Highway (In the Sierra Health Foundation complex with 15 NPO’s under one roof) and (b) at the Asian Resources Inc. offices on Stockton Boulevard in South Sacramento co-located with The California Endowment. Each Tricaster is equipped with all functions of a much larger television studio including the “chroma-key” technology capable of unlimited visual backgrounds and even multiple “virtual studio” configurations. The Sacramento Public Library, central branch downtown, will have a “green studio” operational in June of this year utilizing funds from the 2011-12 Access Sacramento PEG Equipment grant funding. Counting the Coloma Center, we propose to have four “Green Studios” operational in fiscal year 2012-13, with funding help from SMCTC.
How Will Additional “Spoke” Sites Be Determined? – The “Spokes” will be portable HD camera and video editing computer laptops/desktops for NPO organizations, similar to equipment distributed to the South Sacramento NNB sites in the past year. However, new NNB organizations will be selected by applications submitted to, and reviewed by, an evaluation committee comprised of Acc/Sac, NRC, TCE, the Public Library and City Neighborhood Services. This competitive RFP process will require each applicant to explain how they would use the equipment and require firm commitments to submit regular programming to the AccessLocal.tv web site and for cablecast on our channels 17 & 18.
How Would the “Wheel” Serve Those Not Affiliated With Any Hub or Spoke Institution? – The “Wheel” of the plan would be the many hundreds of individuals who create digital video content but currently don’t utilize local community media for wider distribution and comment. We want to compete with “You-Tube” for these local videos. Continuing in the spirit of institutional cooperation, Access Sacramento intends to reach out to local residents of all ages with the help of our “not-for-television” news partners – The Sacramento Bee (SacBee.com) and the online, Sacramento Press (SacPress.com). Together we would invite videos as “entries” into online contests such as – “Best St. Patrick’s Day Video” – “Best Anti-Bullying in Schools Video” – “Best Summer Vacation Video” – “Best Clean Up the Environment Video” – “Best Little League Video” – the possibilities are endless. All entries would run on our channels and the “Best Of” winners would be awarded small prizes.
Our Nonprofit Partners are Strong Institutions – In the next three-years we propose to expand our South Sacramento “Neighborhood News Bureaus” to select partner institutions throughout the County. These partners share the fundamental mission of Access Sacramento. Each desires to accurately and respectfully reflect the wonderful diversity of people, cultures and languages within their communities. The Nonprofit Resource Center, The California Endowment, Asian Resources, the Sacramento Public Library, City of Sacramento Neighborhood Services, Neighborhood Associations and others have similar growth plans complimentary to our own. Within each organization, there exists staff and volunteers with wonderful technical skills. By supplying much needed and useful production equipment, the staff of our institutional partners will complement our own efforts and create hundreds of new programs within a few minutes drive of any home in Sacramento County.
