New CMAC Membership Pricing
At CMAC, we’re always working to enhance the experience of our members and ensure that our community media resources remain accessible to everyone. As we transition into 2024, we wanted to make you aware of some changes to our membership structure.
In light of the current economic climate, we empathize with the challenges posed by the increased cost of living that many in our community are facing. Unfortunately, we are not immune to these challenges either.
One of CMAC’s main sources of revenue comes from fees paid by cable television companies operating in Fresno and Clovis. With the rising popularity of internet streaming services and customers canceling their cable TV service, this revenue source has declined rapidly over the last few years. This impacts our ability to deliver the high-quality community media services that our members and viewers rely on.
Despite these challenges, CMAC remains dedicated to finding sustainable solutions to ensure continued accessibility and support for our community services. Our team worked tirelessly last year to obtain additional funding through grants and providing video production and educational services to other organizations. We will continue to seek this type of funding to support our mission. But we also need help from individuals – people who support our mission and believe in what we do. It’s for this reason we felt it was important to examine our membership pricing and find a way to make it more accessible and sustainable.
Effective Tuesday, January 9, 2024, we are launching our new “pay what you can” pricing model for memberships. Now there is only one type of membership and you’ll choose your own annual fee, with a minimum contribution of $40. We will no longer differentiate between individual, student, or organizational members.
With this change, we didn’t want to simply raise the cost of membership for everyone. We understand that some of our members are struggling financially. We also understand that some of our members are able to pay more and are willing to do so – and for that we are incredibly grateful.
Why the Change?
This decision stems from our commitment to fairness and sustainability. The new model ensures that discounts are not limited to specific groups. Anyone can pay the minimum amount if they need to. Others will pay more if they can. This creates a more equitable system. Our membership pricing has remained unchanged since we opened in 2012, and we are hopeful this shift will help us keep up with the rising costs of maintaining our valuable community resources.
Why Pay More Than $40?
To sustain our community media center and services, we estimate the true cost of a membership would be around $600 per year ($50 per month). While this greatly exceeds our new minimum contribution of $40 per year, we recognize the importance of keeping our resources accessible to all.
To bridge this gap and ensure that CMAC remains an inclusive space, we are asking members who can afford to pay more to do so.
When you visit our Membership page, you’ll see some suggested pricing and an option to enter a different amount. Your additional support will play a pivotal role in maintaining the quality of our services and helping others who may need assistance. We invite you to join us in building a sustainable and thriving space for creativity and community storytelling.
Together, we can continue to empower individuals to share their stories and express their unique perspectives.
Important Renewal Information
These changes will only apply when your membership renews. If you joined CMAC on or before January 8, 2024, the new pricing will apply on your renewal date.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at info@cmac.tv.
