As If We Didn’t Have Enough to Do, Another Critical Challenge Demands Our Full Attention
It has been a brutal few weeks… starting with the loss of our dear friend, Bob Hoover (and I will have much more to write about that… but I still need time to come to terms with my own issues about Bob’s passing), a number of tightly scheduled special events, the demanding but short time we had to prep for the Live Web production of Bob’s Memorial and then, the just concluded IITSEC event.
I’m beat… and so are the rest of the ANN team (who performed MAGNIFICENTLY these past few weeks…) but despite the fact that we’ve had little time to recover, we’re about to embark on our biggest projects EVER, efforts that may triple the scope of ANN… and yet, with all that to face, we see a need (more like a demand) to do something powerful and dramatic with an issue that has the potential to either, in part, restore aviation’s battered spirit or cast it further into the doldrums we’ve been facing for years. But… it’s going to take a maximum effort… the kind we’ve undertaken every time we’ve decided to deal with a powerful challenge. So... here we go again.
First, A Thought:
A medieval archer, when questioned as to why he had become such a successful hunter once replied that, even more important than the accuracy of his shooting, was the sage advice that he received as a boy -- to go out on each hunt abundantly equipped “with a full quiver…”
That seems like equally sage advice when it comes to battling the considerable forces that would close Santa Monica to the world’s aviators. It’s time to take on the foes of Santa Monica Airport -- and to do so with a “Full Quiver.”
The Issue:
The aviation world has had to deal with its share of difficult demoralizing battles that it has either lost, or barely won... Each of these has squeezed much of the life and passion out of a pursuit that was once known for an abundance of both. And as the aviation world takes hit after hit, one wonders if/when the majority of the ‘Aero-Verse’ will say enough is enough...
Thus; the tumultuous fight for the future of Santa Monica airport may be overtly critical to the contemporary generation of aviators. A loss now, like that suffered over a decade ago in Chicago with the illegal/clandestine destruction of Meigs Field, could signal open season on GA Airports nationwide and create a catastrophic cascade of equally destructive efforts. A calm and reasoned examination of how SMO got to where it is, the current scenario surrounding it now, and GA's options for the future seem to be a solid basis for a documentary film in which the aviation community can educate and inform itself in order to prepare the ‘Aero-Verse’ for the battles to come.
The Program(s):
Aero-News, its Aero-TV/Airborne program team, and its documentary arm TANSTAAFL, propose to set up operations this March (circumstances permitting) in Santa Monica, using a number of tools, venues, and programs to bring attention, drama, urgency, accuracy, context, and a sharp focus to the KSMO dilemma.
We envision a multi-prong approach:
The first involves ANN/Aero-TV’s industry-leading Airborne Unlimited Daily News program producing its daily output from various KSMO-related locations/businesses/facilities through the week. The program will feature its usual news programming against the backdrop of KSMO, as well as featuring short interviews and features with guests and topics involving the current reality in the fight for KSMO’s future. A number of entities -- journalistic, political, topical, and historical will be invited to become a part of the Airborne Daily effort. Day after day, KSMO will serve as the backdrop to the week’s news, and allow for additional focus on the airport itself, as well as the programs that will be derived from those labors.
Second; while the Airborne team produces its expanded daily coverage throughout the week, ANN’s TANSTAAFL documentary team will undertake a series of planned and pickup interviews and features with people, pilots, businesses, political figures, and journalists from around KSMO -- with the intent of developing dozens of targeted programs that will feature unique viewpoints and facts critical to understanding the current situation. Many of these will be developed into short stand-alone Aero-TV Features that will allow for close examination of unique viewpoints and issues surrounding this event. A number of interviews will be specifically dedicated to working with parties with strong historical knowledge of the many decades of service that KSMO has given to the community, and will be utilized to provide historical perspective on the origins of the airport, as well as some of the special and enduring issues Santa Monica’s Airport has faced for nearly a century.
Finally; in the weeks that follow, all the interviews, historical footage, graphics, B-roll, and narratives will be brought together to produce a three-tier long-form documentary that can provide a succinct overview of the KSMO dilemma. The documentary will examine:
1) The history of KSMO and its position as a nexus of Southern California GA activity.
2) The current reality surrounding the battle for the future of the airport.
3) And the likely possibilities by which KSMO may be able to properly resolve its future.
The resultant documentary will be made widely available to the sport, general and commercial aviation community via ANN distribution networks, our syndication partners, and through additional agreements with both aviation and non-aviation organizations and distribution outlets. While primary distribution will occur via online portals and the like, DVD products will also be manufactured and distributed, as appropriate.
Practical Details:
This is a full immersion effort. In order to make sure we miss nothing and get the full flavor of how this fight has affected the community, the ANN crews will work, live, fly, eat, and sleep in the KSMO locale all week long. We envision the need to place three members of the Airborne Daily News team, as well as three other TANSTAAFL personnel in Santa Monica for that week. Very little in the way of additional equipment is needed as ANN is well-equipped for these tasks, while most expenses will occur as a result of the transport, housing, work time, and upkeep necessary to support the teams while on the road, as well as the requisite editing and production time needed to complete the Aero-TV Features and the final documentary program. ANN will bring its ‘A’ Team to this event, using proven staffers (some with as much as 40 years’ experience in the field) and stringers with extensive experience in aviation reporting, as well as documentary film-making, to undertake the roles necessary
to make sure that we fill in all the blanks. Of critical importance, as well, is the prep team currently investigating and researching the historical aspects of this effort as well as pinpointing guest and interview subjects and topics to be targeted on site.
Please also know that we're not interested in being parochial or single-minded about this.... we're willing and interested in working with all manner of outside parties, persons and organizations to make sure this gets done right.
Funding:
ANN will pursue specific corporate and private donors as well as undertaking crowd-funding programs (we're putting together a GoFundMe site now) to fill the necessary expected budget. The amount covers the basic expenses of this project and denotes no potential for profit... only the necessary funds required to see this project through to completion with available ANN staff, equipment and resources. ANN is not looking to this as a profit-making venture, but instead sees it as a critical and pivotal investment, in terms of time and resources, so that the sport, general and commercial aviation interests surrounding Santa Monica will be properly informed, educated, and updated as to the history, reality, and potential of the fight for the future of a prominent, even critical, part of GA infrastructure.
There's more to come on this, as we're just getting rolling on all the details... but if you have suggestions, ideas or a willingness to get involved, please let us know via one of the means listed below.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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