Changes In Store at Media Bridges

Inhabitants at the 1100 block of Race Street will lose a neighbor beginning March 1, when Media Bridges moves a few blocks away to a new location inside the Crosley Telecommunications Center in Over-the-Rhine at 1223 Central Pkwy. The move, although minor, means some improvements are in store for the non-profit. Media Bridges provides diverse communities in Cincinnati with the opportunity to work with and produce forms of media. Although they've called their 1100 Race St. location home since 2002, the move means a larger production studio and purchase newer equipment and more up-to-date video editing software. The Crosley Telecommunications Center also houses CET and Cincinnati Public Radio. Because the facilities are shared, Media Bridges hopes to collaborate with the outlets and explore joint services, said CET Executive Vice President and Station Manager Jack Dominic in a news release.  The decision to stay in OTR was an obvious choice, according to Tom Bishop, Media Bridges' Executive Director. "This is our neighborhood. We love this place," he says. The change comes thanks to a dent in funding; the City of Cincinnati cut Media Bridges' funding by one-third in 2007, and a downsize has been brewing in their plans since then. Although the new facility will have a larger production facility, office space will be compressed to accommodate staff cuts. The new equipment and software will be purchased using reserved funds, but Bishop says it's worth the investment; "Some of our equipment was from 1989. You're driving dinosaurs if you're not updating your software and equipment every few years [in the media industry]." The new equipment will make way for some promising advances in the future, according to Bishop. Plans to teach courses on Wordpress web design, computer classes for A + certification and a certification program for Adobe Production Premiere are in the works. Media Bridges will begin its transition on March 1 while it continues to provide full services at its Race Street location. Its last day of operation will be on April 20, followed by an 11-day hiatus to complete the move to the new Central Parkway location, which is expected to open to the community on May 3.