Ron Cooper

Ron Cooper is a retired community media leader whose work helped define Access Sacramento as a public access, community storytelling, and local media training organization. He spent 26 years with Access Sacramento, including 22 years as Executive Director, before retiring in 2013. Under his leadership, the organization became known for putting television, radio, and media production tools into the hands of Sacramento County residents.

Ron’s work connected access television to the everyday life of the region. Access Sacramento’s channels carried local programs, cultural events, election debates, festivals, parades, high school and college athletics, and programming for communities often overlooked by commercial media. He was also closely connected to A Place Called Sacramento, the local film project that gave writers, actors, crews, and producers a structured way to create short films rooted in Sacramento stories.

Beyond the station, Ron was part of the wider policy and leadership network that defended public access and community media. He served in ACM West leadership, was publicly identified as an advocate for citizen access and media diversity, and received the ACM Sue Miller Buske Leadership Award in 2003. His career reflects the field’s practical civic promise: giving people the tools, channels, and encouragement to tell the stories of their own community.