A Report from Dr. Ralph DeAmicis, May 21, 2024
As the City’s Representative to the Napa Valley Television Board, I need to inform you about 2 issues that should be addressed to maintain the health of Napa’s information infrastructure. First, the TV station’s current location in a small classroom is inadequate for serving the public, the educators and the government equally. With our fundraising consultant we analyzed the station’s work and determined that 70% is for the municipalities and county, 20% for the schools, and less than 10% for the public. This imbalance started almost 20 years ago when the station was ‘temporarily’ relocated, to a space 1/3 of what a Community Media Education and Production Center requires. As a result of this training deficit Napa does not have enough locally trained video producers to serve our commercial and nonprofit sectors, and too few local interest TV shows. As Napa moves towards being a local News Desert these producers matter! To train them now and for the future, NVTV needs more room!
The Second issue is about the weakest link in our Excellent County-Wide Government News Network. NVTV manages our important government meeting broadcasts, and thanks to recent upgrades they installed in multiple council chambers, our citizens enjoy easy to watch meetings in between streaming PSA’s. Those broadcasts go through a one room studio that the school system can barely afford to maintain. They are one black mold infestation, one leaking roof, or one electrical meltdown with smoke, from the entire system going down for a year, or more. NVTV has banked money towards a suitable building, but in Napa’s escalating commercial real estate market it is not enough.
Our study showed that private funders will not support the purchase of a new building, when 90% of the station’s current work is for the government, and they already pay taxes. They are interested in supporting video education and local shows, and we want to expand those areas, but to do that sustainably, NVTV should own its own building.
The station is an essential part of our local government’s information system, so we are seeking your help finding local, state and federal grants. Another solution would be a temporary increase in the percentage of franchise fees allocated to NVTV for a number of years based on the building’s purchase price. With enough space, NVTV is prepared to develop the programs necessary to increase our Community’s Video Literacy. A new building will also solve this unacceptable vulnerability in the region’s information system. Please help us create new opportunities for our students and adults, promote our community conversations, and Safeguard This Vital System. Thank you. Please contact me to discuss solutions. RalphDeAmics@gmail.com 707-235-2364
