Bringing Cochise County together... and taking it to the world!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Prism Communications to establish television communications infrastructure in Cochise County
Bisbee, Arizona-January 20, 2010 - Covering 6,250 square miles, Cochise County is as big as Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. It contains 7 incorporated communities and more than a dozen “other places”.* While the size and diversity of the county offer tremendous assets and opportunities, they also pose challenges to any agency, business or organization that wants to communicate to all of the county residents.
Prism Communications, a 18-year-old company based in Bisbee, is embarking on a cooperative venture with regional cable providers to close the communications gap. This endeavor begins January 26, 2010 with a half-hour show that will air on Cox Channel 95 in Sierra Vista, Hereford and Ft. Huachuca, Cox Channel 22 in Benson, St. David and Tucson, Cable One Channel 2 in Bisbee and Naco. Negotiations are under way to air on Valley Telecom’s Channel 1 in Northern Cochise County and, perhaps, elsewhere. Prism has begun very limited internet broadcasting on it’s website at www.cochisecounty.tv/livestream.html
“We just don’t have the resources here to have taxpayer-supported programming like Tucson Access, Public Broadcasting or a traditional commercial station, but we still wanted to have an avenue to provide information, education and entertainment pertinent and specific to our area,” says Margaret Dillard, owner of Prism.
The video magazine show, titled “Cochise County TV,” will feature the region’s culture, people and history and a heads-up on opportunities to participate in community activities throughout Cochise County. It will target residents, visitors and remote audiences alike. Much of the content will be filmed on-location throughout the county not just by the owners/videographers but correspondents, as well, who are local and aware of the activities and needs in their areas.
“With the downturn in our national economy, we’ve noticed a national and local need to inform the public about how they can be active in their own well-being,” Dillard says. “ Cochise County TV will contain and specifically promote two special five-minute segments to educate viewers about easy, low-cost ways of staying healthy and conserving energy.”
While providing a unique and pioneering concept to create a much-needed communications pipeline, Cochise County TV will give businesses and organizations an affordable advertising opportunity to reach their audience in Cochise County and Tucson with high-quality, attention-grabbing commercials by the production crew at Prism Communications. “It is the general belief among small businesses here that the cost for television advertising and getting their messages to the whole county is too expensive for their limited budgets,” says Nancy Jacobsen, Executive Director of the Chamber of the Bisbee Chamber of Commerce.
When asked about Cochise County TV in a recent interview on KBRP LP Radio-Bisbee, Dillard says, “ We really look at this effort as being able to establish communications throughout the county that will be cohesive and you will be able to get a message to a potential audience of more than 350,000 viewers, weekly-consistently. We will not only represent Bisbee, but our county as a whole.” (See more of this interview at: http://www.youtube.com/user/cochisecountytv.)
One more aspect of Cochise County TV that proves unique is an open call for involvement from videographers, photographers, video editors, voice-over talent and musicians from throughout the county. In order to best represent Cochise County on-screen, a large group of contributors is necessary. Though the company doesn’t plan to add employees, it will contract with talent to meet program needs and demands.
Plans are under way to add broadcasts in other Tucson areas, Phoenix and New Mexico and to air additional shows as demand is created.
To see Cochise County TV, tune in Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8:00 am to Cox Channel 95 in the Sierra Vista area, Cox Channel 2 in Tucson and Benson area and Cable One Channel 2 in Bisbee and Naco.
Anyone who would like to lend your talent to Cochise County TV, want more information, would like to suggest content, or wants sponsorship/advertising rates should call (520) 432-4901 or log on to http://www.cochisecounty.tv .
* http://cochise.az.gov/AssetInventory/
