 This past year we have witnessed the vocal rise in the condemnation of news as being faken by us across the nation. The objective is clear, to destroy the credibility of all forms of media by portraying them as the enemy of the people. Here in Amherst, Massachusetts, and in many other communities across the country, diligent and mindful work continues on a daily basis, providing not only transparency of local government, but also ensuring all citizens and organizations the access and opportunity to exercise their freedom of speech. Throughout the historic decision to change Amherst's town charter, Amherst media recorded and broadcasted forums and debates held by the Amherst League of Women Voters and the Democratic Committee, as well as hosting our own. All interested parties were allowed to record their viewpoints for broadcast. To assist the area municipalities, the Massachusetts Secretary of State came to Amherst to provide workshops and trainings for the upcoming elections. This effort to inform continued with the broadcasting of forums, debates and statements of the candidates for Third Hampshire District State Representative. Amherst media recorded and broadcasted debates held by the Food Bank, the Amherst Educational Foundation and the Amherst League of Women Voters. Candidates for the New Town Council were invited in to record statements, and these statements, as well as Town Council candidate forums, were broadcast around the clock on Channel 17. But local politics weren't the only voices being recorded by Amherst media. Mount Holyoke College provided the venue for former Secretary of State John Kerry to speak about his recent book and for Senator Nancy Pelosi to preside over commencement ceremonies. While Mount Holyoke had San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz report on the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the Hampshire College Art Gallery hosted the Museum of the Old Colony. Amherst media featured a short promotional video and a full studio interview with the exhibits curator, Pablo Delano. The Fourth International Conference of Cast and Race was recorded at UMass, and in turn Sharon Chen interviewed international students to gain insight on what adjustments people made to integrate their lives into American society. Joe Ranca, host and producer of Creating a Human Rights Culture, interviewed Dr. Rhonda Smith about racism, policy and micro intrusions. Additionally, Joe talked to Amherst Middle School students who worked on the Human Rights Mosaic Project. The humanities are often described as the study of how people progress and document the human experience. Greg Guantanabe was kind enough to be interviewed in our studio after his dramatic theater performance in Jean Sakata's One Man's Show, Hold These Truths, about Japanese internment during World War II. Poetry continues to inspire and move people to feel and imagine, which is what Michi Serrano did with her piece, The In-Between Race. Poet Magdalena Gomez combined forces with musician Diana Alvarez and actor-writer Janice Astor de Valle to produce Latinas on stage at Springfield's Bing Theater. WMMJN interviewed Christy Soares and two of her students from the Latinx Theater Project at UMass. Our studio is the scene of a widely diverse representation of music. Live at the Grid, spearheaded by our own Jody Jenkins, is giving local bands the opportunity to record their music and share it with the wider community. The styles and genres are diverse and the music is passionate and inspiring. In conjunction with Live at the Grid, we took our interns on the road to record bands at the local North Fire recording studio. One intern took a different approach to production. Nathaniel Gabor, Amherst-raised and former Video Vanguard member, filmed his stand-up comedy to try and make sense of the world around him, titling his series Did You Hear the One About? I recently received a trophy. It was participation trophy for bowling. We are very proud of our ongoing serieses such as Theological Devotional and Hourglass Trails, as well as Going Deeper. These shows inspire deep thought and introduce our audiences to talented and accomplished individuals. History Bites is bringing their lunchtime participants many lecturers of local lore. A window into ARPS continues to introduce the viewers to the people who work tirelessly in our public schools to educate the children of Amherst. The ever-popular Curious Giraffe show continues to engage our youthful viewers with music and fun, including environmental issues. For the slightly older audience, Science Cafe continues their series exploring topics such as why soils are super. Critical Connections, in conjunction with Karuna, introduced Shaheen Pasha and Gina Bevers, discussing what the Me Too movement represents for women of color. Critical Connections also introduced Combatants for Peace, an Israeli-Palestinian NGO committed to nonviolent action. In an episode of Difficult Dialogues, Dr. Amel Kar Shabao spoke with Zayed Abbas Samrush, the program manager for cross-cultural programs with the Middle East Children's Alliance about bringing clean water to the children of Palestine. Our cameras and reporters were also covering local news like Monty's March for the Food Bank of Western Mass, the Net Neutrality protest at Verizon's Hadley office, and the First Congregational Church of Amherst Software to provide sanctuary for Luteo Perez. And don't forget the remarkable interview of Teriyaki restaurant owner, Yutei Hyak, who spoke about the Korean community within Amherst. Amherst Media was there to capture the Women's Club of Amherst's celebration of their 150th anniversary, as well as finish a promotional for the organization A Better Chance and their 50th anniversary. Congratulations go out to both of these stalwart community establishments. Hands Across the Hills attempted to bridge political differences between residents from Kentucky and Leverett Mass as they tried to understand each other's reasoning on who they supported during the 2016 presidential elections. One new series included the co-producing of the Valley Advocate Podcast, where editors interviewed people and discussed issues in the news across the Valley, demonstrating potential for cross-collaborations across regional news providers. The attacks on the freedom of the press and the First Amendment will continue and escalate. Amherst Media has worked tirelessly for 42 years to safeguard these rights, but we need your help. Right now, we need financial and political support from you, our residents and local organizations, so that we can continue to exist and to build, to promote government transparency, and ultimately to make sure our public has access to community, educational and governmental programming and information. Become a donor and a member today to ensure Amherst Media can continue to provide its vital services to the greater Amherst area.