A recently formed media partnership has been awarded the contract to operate Tucson’s new Community Media Center, officially replacing the now-defunct Access Tucson and City Channel.
The media partners include local web developer Brink Media, KXCI Community Radio and WaveLab Recording Studio. The partners will oversee public-access television broadcasting and local content designed to grow the economy, and provide training in media arts.
Danny Vinik, president of Brink Media, said his organization viewed the Community Media Center as an opportunity to give back to the community. And it allows his company to provide Tucson residents with contemporary broadcast services, Vinik said.
“We saw it as a way to modernize and build an up-to-date and Internet-driven community media center,” he said.
Brink Media wanted local broadcasting delivered with present-day standards, Vinik said. And, when Brink Media joined the broadcasting group, it had no intention of taking over the Access Tucson location because of outdated equipment, he said.
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Brink Media will provide state-of-the-art video-production classes geared toward an online delivery platform, Vinik said. He further said they are excited about the new endeavor as well as working with their partners.
The city had provided Access Tucson, local Channel 20, and City Channel, local Channel 12, about $12,500 a month in bridge funds to keep both channels running. The two nonprofit public stations were eliminated from the city’s budget beginning July 1.
The community stations missed the July 15 application deadline for future city funding by 15 minutes.
The new contract was effective as of Wednesday evening, said Lane Mandle, a city spokeswoman. Since Channel 12 still operates out of the 124 E. Broadway location, new plans for the site have not yet been made, she said.
In regard to Tucson adopting a new public-access model, the city wanted to include newer and more modern opportunities for education or enhanced broadcast training, Mandle said.
Furthermore, with the new media partnership controlling every aspect of local content, including mayor and council meetings and public-access shows, that will only streamline the process, she said.
“That will create some efficiencies for us, to have all of that under one roof,” Mandle said.
The city was pleased to have KXCI involved because of the radio station’s tremendous reputation, Mandle said.
David J. Del Grande is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact him at starapprentice@tucson.com
