The below announcement was submitted by Shaun Neville, Executive Director of Wilmington Community Television (WCTV):
WILMINGTON, MA — WCTV will run a holiday programming marathon starting on Christmas Eve and going through Christmas Day on Comcast Channel 9 and Verizon Channel 37. Flip over at any point of the day to see concerts and Christmas events from across the community.
That includes: Tree Lighting Ceremony, Festival of Tree Highlights, Breakfast with Santa, Santa Parade Highlights and concerts from across the school department.
Enjoy local content while you’re celebrating this Christmas!
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Thanks to all of those who have donated as part of our Community Connections Donation Drive. We are wrapping up this effort next week. You can learn more at wctv.org/donate.
I have heard a couple of questions over what the money goes towards and why WCTV is asking for funds now, but not in years past.
WCTV is primarily funded through cable subscriptions in town. Verizon and Comcast subscribers will often see a PEG fee at the bottom of the bill (PEG stands for Public, Educational and Governmental programming). That’s the amount that comes back to Wilmington to fund local content. It’s not a lot in the grand scheme of your bill, but those dollars add up to help cover meetings, high school sports, community events and more.
Now, cable subscriptions are dropping. The state keeps track of those figures and here in Wilmington, there are 5-10% fewer cable households than there were 3 years ago (I don’t need to tell you, there are not 5-10% fewer houses). Odds are, you know at least someone who has cut cable over the past couple of years. New streaming providers have entered the market, satisfying many people’s entertainment needs.
The issue is that WCTV is only funded through traditional cable subscriptions, not streaming and not the internet portion of your bill. So, as cable subscriptions drop, so does WCTV revenue.
Years ago, WCTV could only be watched on traditional cable. It was catering only to the audience that financially supported the programming. But today, WCTV streams content online, posts video on social media and even has an app so you can watch on the go. Simply put, WCTV is available everywhere, but our funding source has stayed the same.
The station is supporting efforts at the State House that could change some of that. A bill would level the playing field for cable and streamers, making sure they’re held to the same standards. But that’s not happening anytime soon.
So as we find ways to continue not just our programming, but also running after-school youth programs, funding college scholarships and providing space for town organizations, we’re seeking community assistance, especially among those cord-cutters out there who have also cut off a piece of our funding.
Happy Holidays!
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