Coalition
Sign Our Community Media Coalition Letter Here.
Support Public Access Community Media!
To the Greater Newburyport Community,
We are a coalition of local organizations and individuals who support Public Access Community Media in the Newburyport community and beyond. Today, Public Access Community Media is increasingly underfunded. The bulk of funding for these Media Centers is provided by media corporations for their local cable PEG (Public, Education, Government) channel programming. As people cut their cable subscriptions for things like Netflix, Hulu, Roku, etc., these media centers, such as our own Greater Newburyport Community Media Hub (NCM Hub), are seeing their budgets decrease steadily each year. Community Media’s fate is largely in the hands of these media corporations and because of this, Community Media is in grave danger across the country. The need to adapt to the challenges of a changing media landscape is imperative for the survival of Community Media. This is why community and government support for Public Access Community Media is important today more than ever.
Public Access Community Media Centers hold local governments accountable and create educated electorates. For example, Community Media in Newburyport has filmed and distributed City Council meetings since 1981 in order to ensure the Newburyport community’s access to information, civil discourse and government transparency. Community members were able to access the Newburyport Mayoral Debate from August 10th, which collectively received over 1,500 views on NCM Hub’s PortMedia Youtube channel. Public Access Community Media Centers like NCM Hub distribute critical information for their communities, such as the Mayoral COVID-19 Updates throughout 2020- the first of which received over 6,700 views on the PortMedia Youtube channel. Further, Community Media ensures that all community members are given a voice- upholding the values of diversity, equity and inclusion. They create a more sustainable community, and Newburyport is privileged to have such an organization located at the Newburyport Senior/ Community Center.
It was the foresight of NCM Hub’s dedicated Executive Leadership and Board of Directors that allowed NCM Hub to develop from just PortMedia into what it is today. In 2017, the availability of the space coincided with NCM Hub’s vision to innovate and adapt for a changing media landscape. The custom designed studio continues to meet the growing needs of the Newburyport community, having recently implemented the infrastructure for hybrid meetings at the Senior/ Community Center. Today, NCM Hub is poised for future innovations that would allow for remote connectivity throughout the city. NCM Hub recently hired a new full-time Media Production Manager to redesign the programming structure, post-pandemic.
Community Media in Newburyport serves a range of demographics through its community programs and productions. NCM Hub has offered youth programs for over a decade, and continually fosters an enriching space for student interns- many of whom become student workers and later go off to flourish in media careers. It is a place where people come to volunteer for live productions and deepen their media technology skills. Currently, NCM Hub is in full swing of a community development program called Bridging the Divide, created to help increase media literacy skills, assess personal biases and cope with political tension. Joppa Radio’s newest show called Race Matters features Governor Academy’s own Edward Carson, as he speaks from the perspective of a Black man in Newburyport, while educating about Black Liberation. We have a number of enriching shows that community members know and love, ranging from The Morning Show with Mary Jacobsen, Life Along the Merrimack with Dyke Henderickson, The Afternoon Drive with Drew Moholland and The World of Jazz by Sean Goguen- all of which have continued throughout the pandemic. For years, Newburyport Community Media has been responsible for filming community events ranging from Newburyport School Functions, Graduations, Promenades and Football Games, Yankee Homecoming Events, Political Forums, Holiday Ceremonies, among others. This is by no means an exhaustive list of Community Media’s diverse programming that has informed and inspired Newburyport citizens over the last forty years.
The mission of NCM Hub has always been to allow community members to learn, create, share and engage. What would Newburyport become without an organization in place to provide government transparency, uplift the voices of all and keep our community connected? Consider joining this Public Access Media Coalition to continue the dialogue to keep community media alive. You can show your support today by signing on as an organization or an individual in support of our coalition. You can also show your support by liking, following and subscribing to our social media pages linked for you below. We will be continuing to foster these important dialogues and we hope you will part-take. It is with gratitude and appreciation that we thank you for supporting NCM Hub and Community Media during this time of uncertainty.
Sincerely,
Executive Director, Sarah Hayden
NCM Hub & Community Media in the Press:
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Connect with NCM Hub:
Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
NCM Hub Community Media Coalition Members
Organizations:
NCM Hub Staff, Volunteers & Members
Mark Bransfield, President of Board of Directors
Michael Morris, Treasurer of Board of Directors
Mark Sceery, Clerk of Board of Directors
Richard Eaton, Board of Directors Member
Lynn Varney, Board of Directors Member
“NCM Hub is a valuable community asset providing access to the City public meetings, NHS sports events, training for youth and adults to create tv and radio programs, and education and programming on civil discourse, civic engagement and freedom of speech.”
Don Degloria, Board of Directors Member, Chair of Radio Committee
Tyler Newfell, Multimedia Manager
Sarah Blackstone, Multimedia Manager
Caleb Noble, Community Production & Training Manager
Jessica Harrington, Community Engagement Coordinator
“I have experienced first hand the impact of NCM Hub and other Public Access Community Media Centers alike. Community Media is essential to sustainable community development as it serves, connects and uplifts people. I stand by Public Access Community Media and you should too!”
Mary Jacobsen, Host of Joppa Radio’s “The Morning Show”
“I’ve had the privilege of working with the wonderful, hard working, and professional staff at NCMHub, and know how committed they are to bringing education, engagement, and opportunity to our community in Greater Newburyport. Local media outlets are precious these days, and I hope NCM can not only be sustained, but can grow and flourish with all of our support.”
Drew Moholland, WBZ NewsRadio and Host of Joppa Radio’s “Afternoon Drive”
“NCM Hub provides some of the greatest community content in the nation. Community stations like NCM Hub have the pulse of the communities they represent – and can respond in invaluable ways representing the community they serve. Even in a pandemic the shows went on. Informing and entertaining, all for the people. NCM hub is a Newburyport and Merrimack Valley staple that should be protected.”
Sean Goguen, Host of Joppa Radio’s “World of Jazz”
“With the media so homogenized and run by huge corporations, the survival of independent and truly local outlets like NCM is CRUCIAL in what is supposed to be a democracy. Without it, we become an oligarchy, not a democracy.”
Maeve Power, Media Content Coordinator
Colin Cody, Production Coordinator
Alexandra Trego, Content Creator
Madeleine Clement, Media Content Assistant
Maximin Clement, Production Assistant
Lilly Dissette, Production Assistant
Alexis Foley, Production Assistant
Sarah Brocher, Sports Videographer
Ryan Rothberg, Student Intern
Alex Parr, Audio Engineer
Finn Twichell, Photographer
Newburyport School Committee Members
Bruce Menin
“NCM Hub is a vibrant and important asset in this community. I strongly support their mission, and appreciate the diversity of local programming they provide.”
Anti-Racism Affinity Group of Greater Newburyport
Katherine A Gendron
“You are doing a great job!”
Marianne Vesey
Individuals:
Andrew Hayden
“NCM Hub is a valuable resource to our community.”
Rosemary Coulombe, COA Transport Manager City of Newburyport
“The Hub has invested quite a bit of money in equipment installations, as well as positive income to the City, as well as programming that many enjoy.”
Melissa Cody
“NCM Hub is an invaluable resource and asset to the Greater Newburyport Community. Their community outreach spans from youth programs, high school student intern opportunities, video/audio coverage of local sporting events and City governmental meetings and so much more.”
Chris Cody
Trevor Cody
Barbara Harrington
“NCM Hub provides the strong thread that binds us all together as a community in a multitude of ways. It is of utmost importance that NCM Hub remains with us. Accountability is extremely important in our political scene as well as highlighting all that is good in our community. NCM Hub shines a light on all that Newburyport has to offer as well as provides a space for intelligent conversations to be had.”
Sophia Durand
Clare Messina
Patricia Peknik
“I highly value and NCM Hub and it will be devastating to our community if we do not fully fund and support this important Community resource.”
Lucy James-Olson
Catherine Murillo
Michael Dissette, Newburyport Resident
Emma Martn
Anais Fallait
Samantha Moulton
Ayu Suryawan, Student of Mount Holyoke College
“Save this org!”
Sean Doucette
“Portmedia is a hugely influential part of the community and is one of the many things that makes Newburyport so unique!”
Kayla Abrams
Lilian Fichera
Beth Houlihan
Alison Peterson
Anna Silverstein
Maura Power
Matthew Bazenas
Zoe Fieldman
Toni Cabral
“Community media is imperative to keep the community in the loop.”
Katrina Newfell
” I will not sand for this cut.”
Timothy Newfell
“One of the few things in Newburyport that u can actually see working correctly.”
Heidi Newfell
“I support keeping NCM Hub which serves every age demographic in the entire community.”
Gabby Gilmore
Emily Barish
“You’re doing a good job.👍 “
Maggie Schluntz
Marian Levy
Christian Kjaer
Thomas Goodwin
Mary Dissette
Diane Chatigny
Charles Card
“NCM Hub provides a much needed resource for the Newburyport Community. Community television represents free and open access to produce, volunteer, learn, view, engage, discuss, and participate in digital media. It affords student learning, multicultural representation, grassroots sporting involvement. It doesn’t have the obligation to please commercial advertising and can present programming that hard to find anywhere else. We can’t afford to lose this important resource.”
James Jones, Newburyport Pickleball
“NCM Hub is a vital part of our community and should be supported for its great work and tireless dedication to open, fair, creative, and informative media.”
Dean Rinaldi
“I love Joppa Radio. The variety is just awesome.”
Roz Manley
Richard (Dick) George, 101st Airborne Division