Mike Rhodes
The ability of the progressive movement in Fresno to get its message out has been growing rapidly over the last several years. The grand opening of the Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) last month was a milestone that I believe will have far-reaching and positive consequences, if we take advantage of the opportunity.
The CMAC runs the Public Access channel and offers individuals and organizations the ability to produce and broadcast video to the community. In short, it is the largest free speech platform this area has ever seen. They have great video equipment for use in their state-of-the-art studio or you can check it out for use in the community. They provide training for using the cameras, and they will teach you how to digitally edit your video.
Unlike KFCF 88.1 FM and this newspaper, the CMAC can use a virtually unlimited amount of content. The channel is on 24 hours a day seven days a week. If they fill up one channel with original content, they can open up another channel. Your video content will be available on Comcast Cable, AT&T U-verse and the Internet.
I have been working to bring Public, Education and Government channels to Fresno since 2001 when I became aware that the cable service provider for the Fresno/Clovis area was obligated to provide funding for this service. After 11 years of work on this issue, it was exciting to be at the CMAC open house on April 13, the day they turned on the Public Access channel. Now, it is up to all of us who have something to say, to make use of the resources that we have available.
You can find out more about CMAC by visiting http://cmacfresno.org. You may also contact Jerry Lee, CMAC’s executive director, at 559-266-2622 or jerry@cmacfresno.org, or visit the studio at 1555 Van Ness Avenue (the old Metropolitan Museum building) in downtown Fresno.