On a warm Saturday morning in July, the Midtown Farmer's Market held its Grand Opening. The Mayor, City Council Members and other elected officials were present as well as hundreds of neighborhood shoppers. The produce and flowers were amazing!  It was the best of Minneapolis, with speeches, performance and music. MTN was there! Our local network affiliates are drawn to the news that sells, news that is often sensationalized and compartmentalized. But MTN does much more! We serve as a mirror, reflecting our city and all of its complexity and diversity. It is impossible for MTN to coordinate coverage of all of the local neighborhood events and festivals that deserve to be on television. Yet I remain amazed by the fact that when I attend an event inevitably one of our producers is there covering it. Over the past week a friend of mine visited from San Francisco. As we walked around Powderhorn Park she commented on what a beautiful city Minneapolis is. We need to remember that and to continue with all of our hard work to make it a livable city for all our citizens. Communicating with each other is a vital tool in maintaining and strengthening Minneapolis. I am proud to be part of a community television station that values all our voices. Thanks for your contribution and support. -Pam Colby

J.C. Bagdadi, was awarded the Jewell Ryan-White Award by the Alliance for Community Media (ACM) at their annual meeting in July. The award is given annually to a community media staff person who shows an outstanding contribution to a process that encourages, facilitates, or creates culturally diverse and/or non-mainstream involvement in the field of community media. For seventeen years J.C. has served as a steadfast and articulate defender of our organization’s free speech mission. The Board and Staff of MTN are very proud of J.C. and wish to congratulate him on this important achievement. For more information on the ACM, see page 4.