Naperville council questions NCTV17 funding request
Though a $250,000 state grant will help meet the immediate financial needs of Naperville Community Television, the city is being asked to beef up funding for the station by $1.5 million over the next three years.
Council members took no action Tuesday but have requested further discussion at their Aug. 20 meeting. City budget discussions begin in September.
“To me, it might be helpful if we have a public presentation from NCTV … laying out the financials, laying out the ask, giving details about what their future might look like,” Councilman Patrick Kelly said.
Last month, council members said the nonprofit station was facing financial challenges as cable television fees declined. Since 2018, the station has seen a 22% decrease in Public Educational and Government, or PEG, funding as residents opt for streaming subscriptions over cable.
At that time, council members were approached privately by NCTV17 officials seeking additional funding of about $300,000 a year, Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor said on Tuesday.
However, a staff report presented on Tuesday indicated the station was asking for additional funding totaling $543,000 in 2025, $514,000 in 2026, and $487,000 in 2027.
“That’s a huge difference without much of an explanation of why, in a month’s time, the request has almost doubled,” Bruzan Taylor said.
A city memo in Tuesday’s agenda notes that in addition to declining cable fees, NCTV17 lost key sponsorships from North Central College and Edward Hospital and is facing increased rent and personnel costs. According to the memo, the station will receive $702,000 from the city, including cable fees, city grants and charges for services the station provides the city, such as videoing at council meetings or other events.
Bruzan Taylor on Wednesday also suggested that NCTV17 should seek funding from other government agencies that benefit from their services. She noted that the school districts use the station to air sporting events, which is one of the station’s popular programming features.
“It shouldn’t fall on the city to cover all of this,” she said.