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Indybay Feature

Keep the Santa Rosa Media Center Open

by Robyn Kasper
The city of Santa Rosa is trying to shut down the community media center
Keep the Santa Rosa Media Center Open

To Whom It May Concern:

You may have heard that the City of Santa Rosa is attempting to close our media center. I am a producer at CMedia in Santa Rosa, California. I produced the shows “Camp Windsor”, “Location Santa Rosa”, “Historical Homes”, among other programs. I won the first ever Jack Taylor Media Award from the Sonoma County Historical Society for “Camp Windsor”. I am reaching out to our creative neighbors for support and to spread the word.

I say shame on the City for attempting to close the media center. The City’s next payment to the media center is due in January and it sounds like they just do not want to pay it. The members of the media center who produce shows should not be penalized because of one particularly unscrupulous individual. If someone misappropriated funds from the City, would the City close itself down? It someone robbed a bank; would you close the bank down? I think this individual should be arrested, put in jail, and made to pay back the money, like the common criminal that he is. Then the media center would have enough money to keep open.

Many people produce shows at the media center. Churches produce shows for their congregations. The summer video camp teaches children how to use the equipment to produce shows, and it’s very popular. Families use the media center to produce shows involving the entire family, which is a good way to bond and connect with each other. Non-profits use the media center to get their message out to the community. And finally, and probably most importantly, artists use the media center to produce a wide variety of shows. There are many award winning producers currently using the media center to work on their shows, shows that are not finished and need to be completed. There is no other facility in this area that can cater to this diverse community.

I think it is just awful that the City would want to close the media center. If the City can pay millions of dollars to reunify the Old Courthouse Square, I would think that they could find it in their hearts to keep the media center open and not turn the handful of talented employees who work there now out during the holidays. The City should not be able to just come in and close down a useful facility like the media center one day after deciding to do so. The City should give the media center at least until January when they receive their next payment from the City to work this out. Now that the culprit who caused this problem is gone, I think the media center can begin to thrive with people who really care about it. It has been open for 20 years, why close it now? Why let the equipment just sit there unused? It is terrible to hurt everyone just because of one person.

If you believe in the media center and want to see it kept open, write to the City Council at citycouncil [at] srcity.org. Write a letter to the editor of the Press Democrat at letters [at] pressdemocrat.com.

Anyone who wants to fight to keep the media center open, please go down to the City Council meeting on Tuesday December 6th and voice your concern. The media center is the voice of the people, let your voice be heard.

Thank you and please support the media center in this hour of need.

Robyn Kasper
Award Winning Producer for the Media Center

Robyn Kasper
cazadero(at)pacbell.net
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