Operators of a new antenna television station in Cortez are seeking more content, and told City Council on Tuesday night that they’d like to partner to broadcast meetings.
However, since the station currently has no outside funding and offered hazy details on what it would cost the city to broadcast on the station, the council’s television debut is hold for now.
“We’d like to introduce a new television station in town, and we’d love to have the city’s blessing,” said Southwest TV’s CEO Jedikah Coy. The station, which is accessible via antenna channel 31.6, currently has only four hours of programming, but Coy and chief technical officer Charles Boyd have a big vision for the station — a community news hub that offers weekly updates from government entities, live shows, an in-town studio, as well as county and city meeting broadcasts.
Currently, the station’s content plays in a loop. Operators are actively seeking advertisers and partners to bolster funding, but for now, they’re self-funded.
“I think the area needs a TV station. Durango has got something similar, but it’s more of a website. When you turn on TV, you’re listening to news from Denver, Albuquerque and Grand Junction,” said Coy. “We need a good way to communicate in the Four Corners region.”
Coy acknowledged that the timing may not be right for the city to jump into broadcasting since it is already in its fiscal year, but said they might be able to start broadcasting meetings pro bono for now and work out a fee structure later.
“We’d like to run city council, do county commission – obviously look at being compensated in some way shape or form down the road. We can’t do this for free forever, but we’re here for the long haul, and we’d love the support,” said Coy.
When asked about what the station would charge, the station couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the city would pay.
“I really like the idea having city council meeting’s content going somewhere,” said City Manager Shane Hale. “But we are in the middle of our year, and it’d be good to know what the cost to broadcast council meetings would be in the future or what you had in mind, so that’s a bridge we’d want to cross sooner than later. That’d be a decision the council would have to make with this year’s budget.”