City of Monterey drops longtime media partner Access Media Productions amid budget woes.

Since 1998, the City of Monterey had contracted with the local nonprofit Access Media Productions (AMP) to record and stream its roughly 120 public meetings each year. As concerns arose last summer over a $10 million structural deficit, city staff began looking for ways to cut expenses and AMP found itself on the chopping block.

The City put out a request for proposals for production and broadcast services.

AMP responded to the RFP, but the city found it could save approximately $150,000 annually by contracting with the Monterey County Office of Education, which is the media production service provider used by the City of Salinas. On Feb. 3, the City Council authorized the city’s contract with MCOE, leaving AMP without a contract it has relied on since the late ’90s.

“The technicians and staff at AMP have been true professionals working alongside our team and ensuring public access for thousands of meetings over the decades,” Assistant City Manager Nat Rojanasathira says. “We are fortunate to have a new partner in MCOE that is customer service-focused, responsive and local.”

MCOE took over AMP’s former duties in April. Rojanasathira says viewers should notice higher-resolution meeting broadcasts.

Emiliano Valdez, director of the MCOE’s Media Center for Arts, Education, and Technology, says the contract means real working experience for students. “Obviously we were excited to expand those services,” Valdez says. “We also partner with CSU Monterey Bay, and so thinking about those pathways for those students and having that opportunity closer to where they’re going to school was also a plus for us.”