Government Connection

Government Connection is a 30-minute, live television program offering elected officials (and other government/department staff and community members) of the Pima County area the opportunity to interact directly with the residents of 200,000 Cox and Comcast cabled homes in Pima County.

Our experienced production staff and volunteers are eager to assist you in coordinating this service and taking care of all the production aspects regarding this program. You will have complete control over the program content. We will also provide tips on planning and promoting your interview as well as how to appear on television.

The Basics

Location and time:

124 East Broadway between Fifth and Sixth Ave. This live program begins exactly at 6:30pm on Wednesday evenings. We ask that you and any additional guests arrive at least by 6 pm.

Where to park:

Access Tucson has a free parking lot for our guests on the west side of our building. There is also metered parking on the street near the building.

When you arrive:

Sign in at the front desk and let the Member Services Representative know you are here for Government Connection. He/she will then call someone to greet & assist you or you can go directly to the green room upstairs.

What to wear, and what not to wear:

Video favors earth tones such as tans, browns, oranges and cool colors like blues and greens. Please stay away from herringbone and tiny stripes that can create problems for the camera.

Screening your calls:

Government Connection is a live, call-in show. All elected officials are asked to appoint their own staff member to act as the “call screener” for all incoming calls. We will provide a screener for non-elected guests. You do not have to use the live, call-in option if you so desire.

Promoting your show:

We highly recommend that you promote your program appearance as much as you can (via press releases, your newsletter, website, emails lists, etc.). In your promotional materials please include the call-in phone numbers, 629-0683 or 624-2729, so that folks will know how to reach you live during the show. Also, please consider include the following information or wording in your press release: “Government Connection will be televised live on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on Access Tucson channel 99 on Cox and 74 on Comcast. It replays the following Sunday at 5:30 p.m. & Tuesday at noon.”

Commercial content not allowed:

However, contact information may be provided (but no mention of money).

What we need from you before the show:

Please fax us (792-2565) the names and titles of guests ( two at the most) and your “script”, in question form, of 8-10 issues you’d like to talk about. Include in the fax any contact information such as websites, emails, phone numbers, etc. We encourage you to include any videos, DVDs, charts, brochures, power point, still photographs or other visual aids you would care to use. Remember, this is your show.

Obtaining video copies:

We gladly provide complimentary DVDs for each guest, immediately after your show. Additional copies are $10 each.

For more information, contact:
Vicki Evans,
Outreach Manager
520.624.9833 x108
vevans@accesstucson.org