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True Lens Community Media tells Newport council it rebranded, won awards and plans two low‑power FM stations
Summary
True Lens Community Media presented its 2024 annual report to the Newport City Council, announced a rebrand from the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission, reported increased PEG revenue, planned a move to Woodbury Central Park, and said it expects two low‑power FM stations to launch in 2026.
True Lens Community Media presented its 2024 annual report to the Newport City Council on June 18, saying the organization rebranded from the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission and is relocating operations to Woodbury Central Park.
"I'm Anne Schweiscu. I'm the executive director of True Lens Community Media," said Anne Schweiscu as she introduced the video report; Lonnie Garland, the organization’s technical manager and assistant executive director, joined her for questions.
The video report said the organization aired 153 city meetings in 2024, completed 217 video productions, received nearly 300,000 YouTube views and won eight national awards, including a regional Emmy for a feature, "A Friendly Wave," which the presenters said was the year's most‑viewed video with more than 116,000 views. Presenters also described operational changes after a 2024 Comcast franchise renewal and a PEG fee increase to 2%, which the report said produced a $266,534 increase in PEG revenue while franchise revenue fell by $18,735.
Nathan (city staff) and other council members asked about timing for the planned relocation and about the proposed low‑power FM radio stations. Presenters said the relocation work with Krauss Anderson and W Architects and Engineers is planned for late 2025 or early 2026, and that the new facility will include a larger studio, additional office space and a podcast/radio room. They said two low‑power FM stations, WWBY and WGRO, are expected to begin broadcasting in 2026; terrestrial range was described as roughly 3–5 miles from the antenna with streaming and podcasts extending the audience.
Presenters said the organization is monitoring long‑term funding risks as franchise revenue declines and encouraged continued local support; they noted efforts to pursue state legislation (the Equal Access to Broadband Act and a one‑time request to the Cultural Heritage Fund) to improve community media funding. Council members thanked the presenters and praised their production work.
The council did not take action on funding but accepted the presentation and invited community engagement around programming and station planning.
