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Ever wonder who keeps local voices on the air when big media moves on and broadband eats cable? We sit down with Access Humboldt’s executive director, Christina Jeffers, to explore how a PEG station—public, education, and government—safeguards free speech, broadcasts full civic meetings without edits, and gives anyone in the community the tools to make radio and TV. Christina’s story is a ride: theater and stunt acting in Los Angeles, a decade in an ER, bold creative development in Sacramento, and now leading a small but mighty team that treats transparency and storytelling as public goods.

We dig into what Access Humboldt actually does—five cable channels, a low-power FM station, and a programming approach that elevates citizen creators alongside government coverage—and why it matters more as algorithms shrink attention spans and national outlets chase hot takes. Christina explains the money puzzle: franchise fees were designed to compensate the public when cable used shared rights-of-way, but as telecoms shifted services to “broadband,” funding eroded. The stakes are concrete: fewer resources for distance learning, fewer hands to staff meetings, and fewer doors for new creators to walk through. And yet, the solution is close to home—local support, smarter partnerships, and programs like Boltfest, a year-round short film incubator that takes ten-page scripts to a real red carpet.

Along the way, we talk identity, belonging, and why self-expression fights isolation. Christina’s Burning Man stories aren’t about shock; they’re about permission and generosity—the same spirit she brings to Access Humboldt. If you care about open government, rural education access, or seeing your neighbors on screen instead of in the comments, this conversation will give you a map and a reason to act.

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About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond

Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world.

We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean.

We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%!

Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt!

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