Westborough TV warns of funding shortfall; board appoints member to TV finance subcommittee

Westborough TV’s board chair and general manager told the Westborough Select Board on May 14 that franchise-fee revenue from cable companies has declined, leaving the nonprofit broadcaster facing a projected funding gap. The presenters said cable-subscriber revenue to Westborough TV is down 24% since 2015 and that, under current staffing and operations, reserves could reach zero by 2026 with a projected funding gap of about $138,000 by 2027."If this situation were to continue as is, our reserves would be 0 by 2026," Westborough TV’s board chair said, noting the board’s concern and the formation of a finance subcommittee with community members to review options.The presentation described Westborough TV’s programming output—meetings coverage, school programming, community events and studio shows—and noted the station is negotiating a franchise fee increase with Charter and monitoring a state-level "streaming" bill that would shift some local-access funding mechanisms toward streaming platforms. Presenters said the bill recently came out of a joint committee with a favorable recommendation and was added as amendment 203 in the senate budget; they asked the board to name a select board representative to the Westborough TV finance subcommittee. The Select Board appointed Shelby Marshall to that role and the subcommittee will report back to the Select Board no later than fall 2024.