Some of our communities are 400 miles apart. The state is further divided into modern, urban technology centers, farming and lumbering communities in the Western third that tend to dominate economics and statewide elections, and smaller, traditional ranching, mining and timber communities in the vast Eastern portion that tend to dominate legislative politics. Changing technology, resource depletion, population pressure and economic shifts amplify uncertainty, fear and instability across all communities. Our diverse cultural heritages and our abilities to influence our own futures, too, suffer erosion from lack of contact and unifying social visions. There is an under-served human need for vital, stabile community life.
Indications are that much more is going on at the community level than is widely recognized.
There seems to be a reawakening in local life in Oregon, with many communities making new effort to take responsibility for their own cultural and economic futures. Oregon Gazette focuses on this process to support and mirror its progress, to invite viewers' participation and to broaden their sense of community. Trial showings of Oregon Gazette have been met with wide approval and interest, confirming that there is a large, underserved audience for this kind of offering. Viewers commend the upbeat spirit of the show and find it a socially uplifting experience. Between these are the five story segments and interstitial murals.