Congratulations to Jan Janes, CMAP programming manager, on her receipt of the Brian Wilson award, a regional honor given to staff or volunteers who go the extra mile to support members in creating television content. Thanks to Jan for her hard work at CMAP.

Congratulations to CMAP's 2009 WAVE winners and finalists. (Entrants competed with other public access productions within a 10-state region.)

- Finalist: "Flowers Made Simple" - Linda Estill (two categories), Director, Jan Janes

- Finalist: Coverage of the 2008 California Coast Classic Arthritis Fundraiser - Len Stimac

- Finalist: "Horses, History & Hoof Prints on the Land" (Stories of Horses in Coe Park - Anza's Ride) - Bonnie Stromberg

- Finalist: "Questions About Substance Abuse" (summer youth production) - Mario Discua, Raquel Rios, Mark Echeverria, AJ Martinez, David Mitchell, Ray Ramirez, Jennifer Lopez, Orlando Cruz, Emery Hudson, Lisa Mastramico, Spencer Wilkinson and Kathy Bisbee

- WAVE Winner: "Changing Faces: Community Food Bank of San Benito County" - Kathy Bisbee and Emery Hudson (two categories) Program supported by the Community Foundation of San Benito County.

- WAVE Winner: CMAP Summer Camps 2009 - Laura Rodriguez and Kirsten Dorenkamp

CMAP thanks outgoing board members for their service: board chair Val Jeffery and board members Jacquelyn Richburg, Jacqui Carrasco and James Frazier. Welcome to new board members: Greg Martinez, Susan Patereau and Maria Guadalupe Figueroa.

Community Television Under Siege

In 21 states around America, the telecommunications lobby has successfully passed legislation to minimize their federally-required obligation to local communities in exchange for digging up our public space to place their underground cables. They are benefitting from the use of other local infrastructures paid for by your tax dollars.

Supported by federal law, these cable company funds, since the 1970s, have gone back to the community to fund many city's infrastructure and provide community television services. A franchise agreement between the cable company and the city determined the specific local obligation and length of the commitment. Cities then designated an operator, such as CMAP, to run their community television cable channels.

As a result of this funding, cities were required to provide access to the media via the cable channels for all local residents, memberships in the non-profit organization (CMAP) for access to video production tools, classes and training, and a requirement to solicit and create local programming on the channels.

CMAP has been operating five cable channels for the cities of Gilroy, San Juan Bautista and Hollister for the past eight years, providing hundreds of local residents with access to the media, professional camera/editing equipment and training for video production, airing the content on cable Channels 17, 18, 19 and 20, and streaming it live at www.cmap.tv.

CMAP volunteers and staff cover hundreds of local events, including professional video productions of each home football game at Gilroy High and San Benito High, parades, community forums, and non-profit public service announcements. These programs created by members and staff produce award-winning videos and critical community content.

CMAP's youth digital media and after-school programs, summer video camps and mini-documentaries about non-profits provide free and low-cost services not offered elsewhere.

Community television everywhere is now under seige, but new federal legislation could protect CMAP's public access channels, community programming and educational services.

If you value the programming that CMAP provides, please consider supporting a new bill in Congress, HR 3745. For information, visit www.alliancecm.org/calltoaction.