In a letter dated the same day to City Manager Doug Adkins, TVM board president Mike Scorti said Time Warner Cable has been notified of TVM’s intentions to cease providing a signal to Channel 24 as of Jan. 10, 2016. TVM was required to provide 30 days notice to Time Warner Cable notice per its agreement.
Scorti said the decision to stop providing all services was due to many factors, citing TVM could not depend on regular financial support; many former viewers are now seeking local information via social media which was an outlet the non-profit organization could not support; and the board wanted to end operations “on a high note, leaving the community with the memory of TVM’s high quality programming.”
In late September, TVM announced it was going to a social media format. It also announced the layoff of its entire 2 1/2-person staff as well as placing its equipment and its building 1131 Central Avenue up for sale.
For the past few months, TVM and city officials have gone back and forth concerning funding. The non-profit organization sought additional funding from the city to make ends meet but did not provide a financial plan that was satisfactory to city officials. TVM operated on a budget of $150,000 a year — $112,000 from the city and $38,000 from the Middletown City Schools. Middletown City Council has budgeted $112,000 for TVM in the 2016 budget.
The city has agreed to loan TVM $20,000 to help maintain the building and cover utilities until a sale is made, Scorti said in the letter. He said once the building is sold, those funds would be returned to the city immediately.
“Thank you for supporting TVM through the years,” Scorti wrote. “We realize it is time to close TVM, like other institutions, has run its course.”
During Tuesday’s Middletown City Council meeting, Adkins said he has contacted Time Warner Cable and informed them that the matter would be discussed further at council’s annual goal setting retreat in January.
He also said that OurTownTV has submitted a proposal to pick up programming where TVM stopped. Since late October, OurTownTV began producing various community interest features that are streamed via the internet.
Adkins recommended loaning the $20,000 to TVM and also would like the city to look at the TVM’s equipment as well as getting an understanding to determine if bringing it in-house was a viable option. He said the city is already upgrading the camera equipment in the council chamber.
“If it doesn’t work out, we can shut down TV Middletown or put out an RFP (request for proposals).”
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