“We’re in pretty good shape, folks.”
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, October 30, 2018
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
Neepawa Access Community Television (NACTV) held its annual general meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The event featured a catered dinner and live auction, which gave the night a much more celebratory feel. It turned out that once the year-end financials were announced, there was actually a reason to celebrate.
Board member Dave Bennet confirmed at the AGM that the station had generated a net income over the fiscal year ending Aug. 31 of $19,005.09. That’s a dramatic improvement over the previous year when NACTV made a profit of just $840.01 and 2016 when the station posted a loss of $12,760.44.
Total income for the year was announced at $90,177.62 and expenses were listed at $71.172.53. Bennet credited the acquisition of revenue through royalties as a significant reason for the improved results. Increased advertising commitments and support for Bigger Bingo were also acknowledged.
“We’ve been able to make some improvements to our bottom line. The royalties are the biggest number of note. That amount listed in the financial report ($29,860. 21) actually includes back payments stretching back to 2016,” stated Bennet. “Overall, looking at the numbers, we’re in pretty good shape folks.”
Still some challenges to face
It wasn’t all positive news, however, as Bennet noted that this would be the last year NACTV received funding from MTS Television. Over the course of the year, the station had received $11,000 from the cable service provider. Recent changes to the CRTC regulations now free MTS from covering local content in this manner. “That’s the last time we’ll see that,” said Bennet.
General manger’s update
In his manager’s report, NACTV general manager Ken Waddell explained the royalties were received through an organization known as the Canadian Broadcast Rights Agency (CBRA). The CBRA administers Canadian retransmission royalties for programs and signal compilations owned by private Canadian commercial radio and television broadcasters and for the privately-owned affiliates of the CBC/SRC. He also noted that of the 200 different varieties of national and specialty channels available through MTS, NACTV has better viewers numbers than 50 of those channels. That information was provided directly by MTS officials.
As for an update on equipment, Waddell stated that improvements are ongoing, as the CRTC now mandates that all stations be able to broadcast in digital by 2021. The equipment at the Yellowhead Centre control booth was also upgraded.
NACTV board
The final matter of the evening was the election of the NACTV board. Members Dave Bennet, Myra Bennet, Don Walmsley, Michelle Walmsley, Jamie Willis, Rrain Proir and Flow Anderson? A notable name not on that list was Jean Borchardt, who after 30 plus years of service to the station, had decided to step down. Borchardt was honoured by those in attendance for her commitment to the station and the community. She expressed her gratitude to everyone for their support and added that she will continue to assist the station moving ahead, just in a more limited capacity.
