Matt Schuster, PMN Creator

75 Articles
Board member speaks from the dias looking at a piece of paper
Community

Phase Two of a west-side youth sports complex moves forward after environmental review

The Natural Features Protection Review Board approved Phase Two of the Westgate…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
Person at podium presents to the Planning Commission seated at a dias
Community

Who approved what, and when? A new database is making Kalamazoo’s planning history searchable

The Kalamazoo Planning Commission has made decisions about land use, zoning, and…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
A resident speaks durig public comment at a podium
Community

Residents are pushing back on a plan to remove roadside trees along U Avenue near Vicksburg

Several residents appeared before the Kalamazoo County Road Commission on May 5…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
A man sits in front of white background talking to person off camera
Featured

A youth creator asked a music teacher and a young musician: is this the right career for me?

Career Quest is a youth-produced series where young people explore careers they're…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
An illustration of two figures seated across from each other at a round table, each with a speech bubble containing audio waveforms, with sound waves radiating outward — suggesting active dialogue and the exchange of ideas.
Notes from the Network

The Courage to Keep the Table Open

I want to say something I believe deeply, and I want to…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
An illustration showing a diverse group of people surrounded by media and communication icons — including a microphone, camera, speech bubbles, and data charts — alongside a network diagram connecting voices and information, representing community media and public access to communication.
Notes from the Network

You Don’t Need a Press Credential

Somewhere along the way, we started treating civic life as a spectator…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
An illustrated graphic contrasting community media and corporate media. On the left, a green panel shows a community-rooted media ecosystem — people with microphones, a local broadcast station, public infrastructure icons, and community investment. On the right, a blue panel depicts corporate media consolidation — a skyscraper controlling chained screens, money changing hands, and crumbling public spaces. Created with NotebookLM.
Notes from the Network

Media You Own vs. Media That Owns You

Someone asked me recently why Public Media Network even needs to exist.…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
Alt text: A side-by-side illustration contrasting two media models. On the left, a blue funnel filters many media voices — represented by icons for video, audio, and people — down to a few controlled outputs, representing corporate media consolidation. On the right, a green speech bubble filled with the same variety of media icons surrounds the PMN logo, representing an open, community-centered media network where many voices are heard.
Notes from the Network

More Channels, Fewer Voices

Pick up your phone and you can access more media than any…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
Alt text: A two-panel illustration contrasting the challenge and solution of civic information access. The top panel shows social media content flooding through an algorithm filter while civic buildings and voter turnout fade into the background. The bottom panel depicts a central media archive — with icons for video, audio, and recording — connected by roots and circuits to pillars of civic infrastructure, books, and film, representing the preservation and distribution of the public record.
Notes from the Network

What Happens When No One’s Watching

There's a moment in a lot of local government decisions where the…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
A diagram illustrating how information flows through a community — from media sources including a microphone, megaphone, book, and group discussion — through a civic building, broadcast tower, mobile device, and ballot box — culminating in an active circle of engaged community members sharing and amplifying information.
Notes from the Network

What If We Built It Right?

Most conversations about the future of local news start in the same…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
A blurred collage of neighborhood and civic scenes, including a zoning notice sign, a school board meeting sign, houses, and a construction site, with the cover of the Michigan Media Ecosystem Report centered in the foreground at an angle. The report cover shows people recording a podcast in a studio and includes the logo of The Pivot Fund.
Notes from the Network

What Michigan’s Media Landscape Tells Us About the Future We Need to Build

Something is broken in how communities get the information they need to…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator
A dark blue network diagram showing human figures connected by glowing lines, radiating outward from a central figure highlighted in green, representing the interconnected community members who document and share local stories.
Notes from the Network

The People Who Keep the Record

Every community has people doing quiet, important work. They show up to…

By
Matt Schuster, PMN Creator