OUR HISTORY

June 30, 1981: Acadiana Open Channel is established as the local access point for Public, Educational and Government (PEG) use in Lafayette Parish. (Ordinance No. 0-2100 signed between Telecable Associates and City of Lafayette)

August 31, 1982: Acadiana Open Channel airs First Live cablecast of the Lafayette City Council meeting

April 27, 1987: Bob Laroussini appointed as Executive Director of Acadiana Open Channel

June 15, 1992: City of Lafayette proclaims Community Access TV Week as June 15-21

1997: AOC holds its first fundraiser, TeleQuest telethon

1998: Ed Bowie appointed as Executive Director of Acadiana Open Channel

November 30, 2000: Acadiana Open Channel expands to the world wide web: www.aocinc.org

June 12, 2009: Acadiana Open Channel switches from analog to digital video format

October 2011: Acadiana Open Channel moves to new building in the Rosa Parks Transportation Center and officially changes its name to AOC Community Media 

November 16, 2012: AOC expands reach with the launch of Cypress Street internet radio station.

January 20, 2017: AOC launches Media Literacy programming in local K-12 schools

August 3, 2018: AOC expands its reach with 24/7 Live streaming of its Cable TV channels to the web

June 25, 2022: AOC celebrates 40 years of open and public free speech media in Acadiana

 
 
 

OUR PURPOSE:

As a 501(c)(3) organization, AOC supports its community in a number of different ways:

  • We give residents access to digital media equipment and television studios so they can express their opinions and creativity freely.

  • We educate our community through workshops, online resources and an experienced staff.

  • We teach local students how to understand what they see in media and how to use media equipment to be creators of content themselves.

  • We air local government and school board meetings to keep our community informed and engaged.

  • We support local nonprofits by giving them airtime and resources to build awareness of their causes.

  • We actively work to document and archive activities and important events in our community.



In all of our efforts, AOC seeks to preserve its community’s ability to express their opinions and creativity freely.

AOC supports your Freedom of Speech rights granted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

AOC exists to provide the following to Lafayette Parish:

  • An equitable platform for all citizens’ right to free speech promised by the First Amendment

  • Non-commercial distribution for locally produced content

  • Production education resources and professional development opportunities

  • Media literacy education

  • A cultural archive

  • Community service to local government, schools and nonprofits

  • A platform for community dialogue

  • A hub for the local media production community

  • Access to production facilities and equipment

AOC is committed to the ethical operation of our organization. We will treat our donors, staff and members of the community with high respect and transparency about our finances and policies. AOC is committed to providing high-quality service that is distinctive and responsive to the needs and interests of our communities.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

We provide a public service and have a public service mission.

We protect everyone’s First Amendment rights from governmental influence.

We strive for diversity and inclusion both in our own arena and throughout the community.

We provide information that might otherwise not be available anywhere.

We strive to provide excellence in all of our services.

We are only as good as the people we serve.