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Lake George TV reports major audience gains; supervisors press for revenue details and contract terms
Summary
Lake George TV told the Occupancy Tax Coordination Committee that consumer reach, visits and clickthroughs rose sharply; supervisors questioned program funding and contract duration, and staff confirmed the county is the primary funder under a three‑year contract that expires this fall and includes a renewal clause.
Lake George TV reported steep year‑over‑year gains in online reach, viewer visits and business clickthroughs during a May 21 quarterly update to the Warren County Occupancy Tax Coordination Committee, and committee members asked detailed questions about the project’s funding and contract.
Presenter Jesse Jackson told the committee the platform’s consumer reach grew substantially this quarter and that visitor sessions rose from roughly 50,000 last year to about 85,000 this year. Jackson said clickthroughs from content to businesses increased about 432% compared with the prior year quarter — roughly 25,000 clicks in the quarter — and that the quarter’s total already represents a large portion of last year’s 40,000 annual clickthroughs. Jackson attributed the audience data to a mix of paid social, display and email campaigns and said the platform tracks origin data by IP address.
During public questioning, supervisors asked how Lake George TV is funded and whether it generates independent revenue. Committee members were told that the project was created to be free for consumers and for Warren County businesses to use. Staff stated the county funds the project under contract; supervisors were told the initial contract was a three‑year agreement for $300,000 and that the first contract period ends this fall with a renewal clause in place. Committee members asked for copies of contract terms and more detailed financials for future review.
Board members also pressed to understand whether Lake George TV accepts paid work from businesses and whether its work produces directly trackable conversions for partner businesses. Jackson said the platform provides services at no charge to local businesses and that while the platform tracks clicks and engagement, conversion tracking (e.g., confirmed sales) depends on businesses’ own systems. Jackson and staff said they provide testimonial feedback from businesses as qualitative evidence of impact.
Supervisors asked for greater transparency on revenue streams and budget detail for organizations seeking occupancy‑tax funding; staff responded that the committee currently requests budget summaries from applicants and that salary expenses are not eligible uses of occupancy‑tax funds when tied to event reimbursements.
Committee members asked staff to share contract documentation and to consider adding more financial detail to future applications and presentations.
