Community Distribution: Local Programming Costs

Many communities that undertake rebroadcasting and cablecasting offer a local community TV or radio channel, or a weather or community bulletin board. For some communities, the ability to offer such local services is the main driver to set up the distribution infrastructure.

The minimum cost is for a CD, DVD player or computer to connect to your digital transmitter or cable head end to play back music, videos, or local text event or weather information. With this basic equipment, people around the community could create their own announcements, videos or music clips for upload to the server for automated playback.

Most communities that elect to have a locally originated service go further than this, however. They create a studio or recording facility in a library, community centre, town hall, or other municipal building. Interviews, cultural events, and meetings can then be broadcast or cablecast live using multiple cameras.

Thanks to the excellent quality of small consumer camcorders and video editing software, costs can start at a few hundred dollars to a few hundred thousand, depending on how elaborate you want the facilities to be and whether you want to staff them on a full-time basis.

Unlike the distribution infrastructure, which involves minimum fixed costs to "get in the game", local production facilities can be gradually enhanced over time.

Go back to main Costs page.