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Council approves one-year cable access agreement as local viewership falls
Summary
The New Richmond City Council approved a one-year contract with Northwood Technical College to operate the city’s public access channel and heard from a college representative that cable penetration and subscribers are declining locally.
The New Richmond City Council on an approved motion authorized a one-year agreement with Northwood Technical College to continue administration and management of the city’s local cable access channel for the July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026 contract year, with an estimated cost of $16,000 — the same amount as the prior year.
The contract continues a partnership that the council said preserves local programming while the community adapts to changes in how residents watch video. Council members questioned whether continuing to invest in cable makes sense as streaming platforms gain viewers.
Alex Burkholtz, identified in the meeting packet and present at the meeting as a Northwood Technical College representative, told the council that subscriber counts have declined in recent years and that the city now has about 4,300 households, of which roughly 15% subscribe to cable. “Note that more people are watching than just the subscriber because the household we have,” Burkholtz said. He warned that cable is a consolidating industry and that aging equipment (installed in 2018) will eventually require replacement; at that point the community would need to decide whether to reinvest. He also said some producers are moving to platforms with monetization (for example, YouTube), and that local producers who continue to provide weekly content are an important indicator of the channel’s health.
Council members discussed options for local content distribution, noting that streaming and a la carte platforms have reduced traditional cable subscription rates. The council also noted some viewers—particularly older residents and businesses—still rely on the local cable lineup to encounter public meetings and community programming without actively searching online.
The motion to accept the agreement was approved by recorded voice vote. Council members asked staff to continue monitoring viewership and the condition of cable equipment ahead of future budget decisions. No action to change the contract length, scope, or future funding was taken at the meeting.
The contract term approved covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026; the estimated contract cost is $16,000, unchanged from the prior year.
