Within the last few hours the staff at Seattle Community Media has been informed the City of Seattle will end all funding for public access after the current contract expires in six days, on June 30^th, 2020.   

We've worked successfully to fend off previous instances when funding of public access was in jeopardy.  This time around, with these unprecedented times and a City experiencing a $300 million dollar budget shortfall, the odds were insurmountable.  

The SCM broadcast on television and SCM website will go dark at midnight, June 30, 2020.   

The City informed us "Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the City’s Budget Office has projected $200 to $300 million less than expected revenue this year, creating one of the largest budget gaps in the City’s history. This financial challenge is in addition to budget gaps created by a steady decline in Seattle cable TV subscriber levels and declining cable franchise fee revenues. These are unprecedented times for every individual, business, organization, and government. The circumstances dictate that we evaluate all programs and contracts up for renewal. The contract term with Seattle Community Media ends on June 30, 2020 and the difficult decision has been made that the contract will not be renewed by the City of Seattle."

We wish we had better news for you.  We wish we were able to give you more than six days notice of the closure.  We thank you for all you have done to inform our community with the vital programming you have created over the years.  We wish you much success in the future!

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please contact the decision makers:

• Seattle Information Technology Department - https://www.seattle.gov/tech
• Members of the Seattle City Council, https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council
• City of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin, https://www.seattle.gov/mayor

The Seattle Community Media Staff