We Have Your NTV

For everyone who's ever complained that they're not getting enough information from the municipality, Nick Fote has an answer – Norristown TV.

"I don't think that enough information is delivered to citizens in a timely manner," said Fote, the municipality's Information Systems Manager, of the impetus for Norristown TV. "This is one of those things that we want – to be able to deliver news immediately."

Airing locally on Comcast channel 965 and Verizon Fios channel 21, the station pumps out a continuous loop of news, information and updates about the Municipality of Norristown's many programs, events and projects.

"If we have snow emergencies, they air up there; if there's construction or lane closures, they air up there," said Fote. "This is a way to get information to the citizens immediately."

While information for residents is the main focus, it isn't all just Norristown specific content.

"We show weather, we show live-motion video and we even show [Associated Press] news at the bottom, so it's also interesting to watch if you're not necessarily looking for something Norristown," said Fote. "You can also keep up with the news around the world."

"We announce new businesses and any festival or event." added Gabriela Prete, Norristown's Business Development Coordinator. "And it has good music!"

"We have a commercial satellite service... that downloads the content to our channel once a day," explained Fote. "We have different play schedules – in the morning we wake up lightly with a little New Age to kind of get your day going. Then at 10 o'clock in the morning we have Adult Contemporary and at noon we have our workout with Dance. Then from 1 to 2 p.m. is Top Hits and then we settle down around dinner time with some Smooth Jazz and some Classical."

The station was created and is constantly updated by Fote and Prete, who've dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to keep residents informed about what's going on in their community.

"People can't say the information is not out there," said Prete. "It's just a matter of looking [for it]. You may not have the internet, but if you have basic cable you get the same information."

The channel is designed to work hand-in-hand with the municipality's website, which has gotten quite a few updates of its own lately – from an interactive community map that shows current development projects and available properties along with arts & culture, dinning and recreation locations to photo galleries of Norristown events and history. You can even find updated info on requests for proposals and bids.

Fote and Prete have put a lot of time and effort into building a top-quality information network at a bargain price.

"It probably took a good six months to find the right company at the right price," said Fote. "And then a month to get it up and running. The hardest part was building the infrastructure. The channel is literally broadcast out of this facility."

And the price tag for such a high-end setup? Just under $9,000, according to Fote. The municipality contracted with Minnesota-based CastNET for the equipment and software for a one-time fee. There's no monthly subscription fee because Fote and Prete manage the project themselves, in-house.

"This does not happen during 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday. This is Nick and Gabriela at night, working," said Fote. "If you look at other townships, [their TV stations] look nothing like this." 

For those concerned that spending money on technology for the municipality is a waste, Prete points to one example where an investment in technology paid off – the municipality's newsletter. The newsletter was printed monthly for distribution to residents, but now it's sent out via email to subscribers.

"[We were] spending something like $5000 a year on it," said Prete. "Now were down to $200 a year."

Prete and Fote are continually looking to expand the offerings of both the channel and the website and get the community more involved in using both tools.

"One of the ideas Gabriela and I came up with was to have a birthday corner," said Fote. "People could send in a picture of their child with a dollar and their picture could go up on the channel on their birthday with a 'Happy Birthday' message. It could be a neat way to pull us all together a bit more."

Fote is currently working with Municipal Manager David Forrest on the details of the program. Fote and Prete also hope to eventually broadcast municipal council meetings on the channel as well.

"We have the capability," said Prete. "So that may be something we'll offer in the future."

If you'd like to broadcast your organization's information or events on Norristown TV, email Nick Fote at nfote@norristown.org or Gabriela Prete at gprete@norristown.org.