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GTM director requests five-year Comcast audit amid declining franchise revenue; radio start-up estimate cited
Summary
GTM staff reported a steady decline in Comcast franchise revenue, said they are requesting a five-year audit of cable receipts, and outlined a separate proposal to launch a community radio station with an estimated startup cost of about $30,000.
Granite Town Media staff told the committee that Comcast franchise-fee revenue has declined steadily since the town’s last renewal and that staff will request a five-year audit of Comcast payments.
Staff said quarterly franchise receipts have fallen by roughly $1,000 to $1,500 per quarter compared with prior years, and that the usual fourth-quarter election-year boost did not materialize. The director said the committee will request the maximum five-year audit period; Comcast will review line items, reconcile actual revenue totals and — if the audit shows underpayments — remit any shortfall as a payment to the town.
Staff explained an audit can take two to three months to complete after the audit is initiated. Committee members asked about the underlying subscriber counts; staff said they request subscriber numbers annually from Comcast and that data show a decline of roughly 6,000 traditional cable subscribers since the director’s start date, though staff said they would provide the formal subscriber report on request.
Separately, staff outlined an exploratory proposal to start a local radio station. An engineer consulted by staff estimated a full start-up, including equipment, servers, automation and required music-rights fees (BMI/ASCAP) would run about $30,000. Staff said an engineer named Richie will perform a no-cost initial assessment and that physical installation could take two to four months depending on weather and tower access; no contract or funding decision was made at the meeting.
Staff said they will present audit results and radio-engineering proposals to the committee once assessments are complete.
