Nashua Community Television budget concerns, meetings and updates

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Nashua Community Television studio entrance sign. Photo / Dan Splaine photography

NASHUA, NH – The city-owned Nashua Community Television is on the path to resolving the immediate budget issues it faced in fiscal year 2024.  They experienced a substantial drop in revenue from the cable franchise fees due to the number of customers opting to unplug from Comcast, which we reported previously in the Nashua Ink Link.

This franchise fee drop issue is not unique to Nashua. It is affecting stations across the state. Read more in this related Granite State News Collaborative (GSNC) article

Cole Morgan a Nashua businessman, and Community Television Advisory Board (CTAB) member reports solutions are being worked out. Speaking for himself and not for the board, he said, “I think we’ve made good progress. I’m no longer extremely concerned. I was extremely concerned this summer and this fall. I think we now have a good plan for the rest of this fiscal year. We can pay our bills this month. We can pay our bills next month. We were able to, within the accounts payable terms that we have, shift when we make our payments to make sure that the funds will be on hand.”

Morgan thinks the city administration is now grasping the issue, and they are working together with CTAB to chart a plan for future budgets. The most likely path would be an increased percentage of reduced franchise fees going to the stations rather than into the general fund.

Pete Johnson, NCTV’s education channel access director said, “We’re making progress, at least for what’s going to happen for this fiscal year. We and the city have to make some decisions as to what’s going to happen in the long term. The process is moving. If we get an increased percentage of the franchise fees going forward, starting the next fiscal year, that may hold us for a year or two, and then that’s not even going to be enough with the way the franchise fee payments are decreasing from Comcast.”

Both Morgan and Johnson are thinking about the future of the operation, from its relevance to the community, to how they can adapt to a rapidly evolving technology environment to improve and expand engagement with Nashua.

One recent adaption is the Nashua Community Media app now available for Apple and Android devices  This free app will allow viewers 24/7 access to live streaming and on-demand programs. The irony of this option is that it reflects the reality that people do not need a cable connection to view television, the same issue that is decreasing revenue from franchise fees.

Another issue pending is the acceptance of a two-year extension of the BRB Public Access contract. BRB TV, LLC is the legal name of the independent company hired by the City to operate and manage the Nashua Public Television channel 6 (NPTV). The mission of NPTV is to provide a forum for access to, and awareness of, public, educational, and government community information.

A public hearing on this issue will be held Jan. 16 in the City Hall auditorium. On January 22 at 9 a.m. the CTAB Budget Subcommittee will meet in room 208 of City Hall to continue the resolution of budget issues. Parts of that meeting may be non-public.