Instead of Letting Local Programming Wither Due to Funding Cuts, Governments Should Publicly Fund and Expand this Precious Community Service
Dear G-TV Viewers & Supporters,
We want you to know why G-TV programming will be reduced. With the City of Chardon’s $16,000 cut in G-TV support (approximately 25%), we will now be forced to review what programming cuts have to made.
The desertion of support from Hambden Township, Burton Village and Burton Township over the years, and this recent serious cut, relegates total G-TV funding back to 2008 levels at approximately $157,000. Each cut draws G-TV closer to being shut down. The current city budget is several millions.
The city cut has been two years in the making. Last year, we were fortunate to survive financially through the reserve accumulated during COVID. The funds cut by the city last year were used to wire council chambers. We naively had hoped through cooperating with that project for free, we would receive full funding this year.
At this writing, the city has not decided how to spend the funds cut. At one time, conference room upgrades were mentioned.
On multiple occasions, G-TV asked what metrics or benchmarks were needed to be met in order to get full funding, but unfortunately we never got any response.
When G-TV’s funding is cut, that means less programming for you (make sense, right?). With a staff of two, and less money to pay additional help, it’s not possible to cover multiple events on the same day, it’s difficult to produce complex television events like the festival and it’s challenging to cover some athletic contests like football, etc.
It is impossible to provide special features such as live football “audio only” coverage on Friday nights. Additional people are needed for many of these programs and they have to be paid. It’s simple. Fewer funds = fewer extra workers = fewer programs. City goal?
G-TV’s main support always has come from the fee added to consumers’ cable bill. That fee was established in the 1970s to, among other things, fund local programming. Cable offered the promise of local channels for local programming. The fee initially was intended to help pay for that programming.
Though legal to retain, or not even assess, it was never supposed to be just another income stream for local government. G-TV has never received “general funds/tax dollars” since it went on the air in 1996. G-TV is a nonprofit, charitable, 501(c)(3) corporation. We’ve worked hard to get you the best bang for the buck.
We don’t understand or agree that the city thinks G-TV has become less relevant. It does not appear the city understands or relates to the programming we produce. For some reason Twitter or Facebook — and other rudimentary video — are deemed sufficient and thus diminish in some way the value of our professionally-produced programs.
We disagree. More people see our programming now than ever before, in large part due to the internet. This summer the city actually asked us to take whatever measures necessary to stop people from seeing our programming on the internet. That capability enables G-TV to reach more people in the city, the county, the region and beyond. We connect with ex-patriots, distant family members, etc. and provide a wonderful image of the city, our schools and surrounding communities.
G-TV is a “community programming service.” The “greater good” is served through internet carriage. Across the country, channels like G-TV are on the internet. The city would prefer otherwise.
For some reason, members of council have questioned the extent of G-TV’s school programming. Our schools are the most important institutions we serve and we do not apologize for the valuable school coverage we provide our communities. We would like to do more, not less, but with funding cuts, it will be impossible.
We are very disappointed in the City of Chardon’s decision, after fully funding for over 25 years. We know you want more programming for and about you, not less. Many communities don’t have a resource like G-TV. We believe government should be supporting this concept more rather than cutting it.
We wish to thank Chardon Township, Middlefield Village and Munson Township for their continued full support. Without that full support, G-TV would be off the air. Programming cuts will begin during the first quarter of the year.
