TV Middletown...
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown Community
Forum Name: Middletown News, Info and Happenings
Forum Description: Discuss any Middletown Ohio area news story.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6158
Printed Date: Apr 27 2024 at 2:54pm
Topic: TV Middletown...
Posted By: 409
Subject: TV Middletown...
Date Posted: Aug 07 2015 at 8:44pm
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MJ: TV Middletown will go dark, move to Internet Middie, Fenwick football, basketball will no longer be shown. MIDDLETOWN — TV Middletown will go dark and begin to change to an all social media/Internet system in a few weeks. Blame severe cutbacks in funding for the nonprofit community television station, officials said. Continuing the “Positively Middletown” route, TV Middletown will be keeping up with the times and transitioning to social media and on line programming, according to a prepared statement released Friday night. Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, tvmiddletown.org, and other social media outlets will be utilized. “We will take a new avenue to serving the community,” station manager Ty Thomas said in the statement. Mike Scorti, TV Middletown board president, said, “When your revenues dwindle, you must cut back on expenses. We do not want to have outstanding debts so we will change our direction and will put the building up for sale immediately.” With the new system, there will be no high school sport programming. Middie and Fenwick football and basketball games will not be shown. Parades and regular programs such as public events, 8 Minutes in Middletown, TVM Café, Foundation Matters and others may not be shown. Continuing will be wall-to-wall coverage of school board and City Council meetings. Station funding comes from the city, through Time Warner Cable franchise fees and the school board. The city has cut its funding (about $112,000 in six-month increments), said Ann Mort, a station board member. With those sources and a fundraiser held earlier this year, the station is still about $60,000 short of what it needs to stay on the air, she said. The station, with an annual budget of approximately $300,000, employs two people full time and one part time. The TV Middletown building at Central Avenue and Verity Parkway, owned by TV Middletown, has undergone many repairs the last few years. It also houses the Safety Council, Community Pregnancy Center and Downtown Middletown Inc on the first floor, TV Middletown on the second floor and has two other floors empty at present. The building is home to a large mural depicting the city’s early canal days. The TV Middletown board met Thursday to finalize what members said had become “quite evident in recent months” and agreed unanimously to make the programming changes and sell the building, according to the statement. ------------- Every morning is the dawn of a new error... |
Replies:
Posted By: FmrMide81
Date Posted: Aug 07 2015 at 9:49pm
| Well-one less "everything is GREAT in Middletown!" outlet! |
Posted By: Paul Nagy
Date Posted: Aug 09 2015 at 6:38pm
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This is very sad. MiddletownTV has provided a number of important services to our city for many years. The productions that they have done are extraordinary because they have only three employees. That in itself is a managerial feat of great proportions. Their volunteers have done wonderful works. Won't you miss the sports broadcasts? Of course you will. You couldn't find a better TV producer than Ty Thomas. MIddletown is losing a great asset. Maybe if we all sent a few dollars they might could save it. Why don't we all plan to put them in the budget until January 1st. I'm going to do so. Paul Nagy |
Posted By: middletownscouter
Date Posted: Aug 10 2015 at 9:40am
| This has zero impact to those who already choose not to do business with Time Warner. |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Aug 12 2015 at 3:49pm
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Ty Thomas was quoted as saying, "Television is like a dinosaur." Well if that is your sentiment, why did you try so hard to keep funding for tv? ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: middiemom
Date Posted: Aug 17 2015 at 11:27pm
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TV middletown and MUSA.........both dying dinosaurs ------------- Middletown... Bright past BRIGHTER FUTURE!!! |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 6:11am
Well said oh "drinker of the Kool-Aid", "wearer of the rose-colored glasses" and "believer in the snake oil remedies". Mercy lady, look at this frikkin' city and honestly tell me that you think your little buddies down at Donham Plaza have done a good job. You must enjoy sponsoring the ghetto building program they have created. This place looks like some inner city destitution nowadays. There is no eye-opening progress but rather a general malaise of futile direction going nowhere. It is a land that time forgot surrounded by growth and prosperity occurring in other communities.....even Hamilton is doing better and has a game plan. The stupidity keeps churning in this city but Adkins and company keep it under the cuff so as not to be discussed here. ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
middiemom wrote:Posted By: middiemom
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 10:20am
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Sir, Nothing can change with a snap of the fingers nor a wave of a magic wand. These things take time.We have wonderful destinations in which to shop and restaurants to eat. Try attending a first Friday. It is wonderful. The vagrants and ne'er-do-wells need to be cleared of the city first and foremost. Then we can change the perception and image of this city and return it to it's glory days again. It will take time but we will get there even with grouchy curmudgeons. Bright past, brighter future!  ------------- Middletown... Bright past BRIGHTER FUTURE!!! |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 10:58am
Spoken like a true follower of propaganda spewed forth by the purveyors of destruction of a once great city. middiemom: "Nothing can change with a snap of the fingers nor a wave of a magic wand. These things take time." Let's see, your little buddies have had three decades to make a change for the better and we are still stuck in failure mode. How much time do you people need to get it right? middiemom: "The vagrants and ne'er-do-wells need to be cleared of the city first and foremost" Nope, wrong focus. The city needs to be cleared of the ones running it and the very ones you are defending. They are the problem children and if you support them, you would be labeled as a problem also. middiemom: "Then we can change the perception and image of this city and return it to it's glory days again". Your statement would not be needed if there was a shred of competence with regard to running this city the last 3 decades. Who do you think created the poor perception and city image?.......the same type of clowns that you have now in office. It is their making and there is no defense nor excuse for what they have done to this town. Would you know what the glory days would be in this city? Did you experience the 50's and 60's when it was in full swing? I certainly did and that is why I'm so angry about the condition of the town and the freefall it has taken the last 3 decades. middiemom: "It will take time but we will get there even with grouchy curmudgeons" Ouch mom. That hurts.  This "grouchy curmudgeon" has more compassion for this dam city than all the king's men in Donham Castle and would never have taken it to the landfill like your little ghetto crowd has done. The city definitely had a bright past but it will never have a bright future with the current thinking, mis-focused planning and totally clueless crop of people currently running the show. Not even in touch with the people. Time for a city government purge to rid the city of epidemic stupidity in leadership. Everything they try and touch is a disaster. Look at the poor record of success in their endeavors. It is very apparent. Mom, you are consuming the Kool-Aid by the gallons. You are as gullible as they come and can't see reality because of your blind allegiance to the lies and propaganda out of this city government. A shame to watch a person close their eyes to reality. ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 2:11pm
Ouch, that hurts.  ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 6:15pm
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No worries boss man The seasonal malaise will pass, and MUSA will continue to fill the void left by the unfortunate mercy killing of TVM If only they had opened their mind and studio to open discussion, and programming that had more mass appeal.... No real business plan for the future though Hate to lose Ty Thomas and Bret Dennis Two very admirable locals But when u r at da mercy of da man..... |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Aug 18 2015 at 6:31pm
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Ok mom--- I am a lifer here and a bored member of the former Downtown Partnership(a prior failed attempt to herd the cats in the former downtown area) Even in Vet's glory days, that area was home to the lower income families of the city. Didn't matter---REAL businesses were plentiful and flourished. We all shopped, dined and mixed together well. The lower economic presence didn't kill the area, even after the enclosed mall was built. You might be off by conveniently scapegoating them now. Easy target though to avoid the real issues of the area. 30+ years and equal millions of $$$ have disappeared with little to show for it. And at the expense of the rest of the community,who honestly don't see the continued priority of the effort. Yes--I like some places down there, and it is SLOWLY improving. Maybe time to crack down on the property owners who have failed to move forward on their promises to improve their recently purchased and gifted properties? Code enforcement? U can continue to blame the less fortunate and MUSA participants , though u honestly know better....... Hey--at least u care! |
Posted By: middletownscouter
Date Posted: Aug 20 2015 at 9:48am
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http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/tv-middletown-seeking-20000-from-city/nnM9F/" rel="nofollow - TV Middletown seeking $20,000 from city By Ed Richter Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — TV Middletown has yet to secure the $20,000 it had hoped from the city to help make ends meet for the rest of the year. The public access channel on Time Warner Cable is going off the air and moving to an online-only format, primarily due to financial challenges and mounting bills. The city had previously offered the station $20,000 in exchange for providing programming that the city wanted done. TVM officials had asked the city give them access to those dollars to help them get through their current money woes. “They need the $20,000 to get by, but they can’t do the programming being asked,” City Manager Doug Adkins said. “(The) $20,000 is not a huge amount, but it is taxpayer money. I’m not sure how it keeps them in business for the rest of the year.” Adkins said TV Middletown needs to have a plan that makes sense before the city hands over any cash. TVM officials gave Adkins a preliminary profit-and-loss overview for 2016 on Tuesday, a document that is being revised, according to the station’s executive director Ty Thomas. TVM, which hit airwaves in 1998, produces local programs as well as gavel-to-gavel coverage of City Council, the Middletown school board, city planning commission and other local events. The station has had financial issues and projected a possible deficit of $60,000 to $80,000 for 2016. Last week, TVM’s two full-time employees and one part-time employee were laid off. The station runs on a base budget of $150,000 in which $112,000 is provided by the city which is a part of the cable franchise fee that is paid by Time Warner, and $38,000 is provided by the Middletown City Schools. The nonprofit also relies on fund-raisers and had a telethon last spring. However, over the past three years, TVM has reached out to the city for advances on their contribution to make ends meet, according to city financial records and emails. On Dec. 2, Thomas requested an advance from the 2015 allocation to keep the station from shutting down. The city provides two disbursements of $56,000 during the year. The city obliged and advanced them $30,000 from their first half allocation. City Council members told Adkins they wanted him to continue discussions with TVM, which provides good community programming, and also explore options such as streaming council meetings directly to the city’s website. Adkins said the city is looking into possibly updating its equipment in council chambers where council and school board meetings are recorded and later cablecast. Thomas confirmed Wednesday that TVM would be giving Time Warner its 30-day notice in the coming days that it will be vacating channel 24 and cease all cable programming. TVM has already announced it will be live streaming via the internet and its website. “We want to stretch that out to give us some breathing room,” Thomas said. Once that is done, Thomas said the nonprofit will submit another appeal to the Butler County Board of Tax Revision to obtain relief on the increased property taxes on its building, which is also on the market. Thomas said new programming may resume in a few weeks online. ---------- So here's what I'm wondering. Time Warner pays the City a chunk of money every year, essentially to hold the monopoly of being the sole cable television programming provider within Middletown. Thirty plus years ago that was a big deal because if you wanted something other than broadcast tv and couldn't afford a gigantic satellite dish (those ones the size of a small car), you had to go with cable. Maybe not quite so big of a deal now that there are a variety of other options as technology has progressed (satellite, fiop, tv over internet, etc.). And so the city pays a huge chunk of this money every year to TV Middletown. Makes some sense, since it runs a television station that you can only access their regular broadcast via the same cable monopoly that pays the city. But now TVM announces they're going to stop being a broadcast television station. So why should the city continue to fund TVM $112,000 a year with Time Warner money? Or better yet, how long is that Time Warner money going to continue to flow in? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 28 2015 at 6:12pm
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Updated: 5:21 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 | Posted: 3:11 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 TV Middletown programs now online
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer TV
Middletown programming can now be found online. Channel
24 on the city’s Time Warner Cable grid will now only show live meetings of
Middletown City Council and the Middletown Board of Education, according to
Mike Scorti, TV Middletown (TVM) board president. All
other programming will be available only online through TV Middletown’s
website, Facebook and Twitter pages, Scorti said. The
changes are part of the http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/tv-middletown-begins-transition-to-digital-only-fo/nnG5q/" rel="nofollow - TVM
officials and the city have been going back and forth concerning funding. The
local nonprofit, which has had a history of fiscal issues, http://www.journal-news.com/news/news/tv-middletown-seeking-20000-from-city/nnM9F/" rel="nofollow - to carry it
through Dec. 31. Councilman
Dan Picard said council has not discussed the matter of future funding;
however, he said he is not in favor of continuing funding, saying that TVM “has
not provided a viable plan or business model that will work.” Picard
said there are one to two other council members who have expressed that
opinion. He declined to speak for other council members or identify those who
may be opposed. “This
does not mean that they can’t propose a plan that I could buy into,” he said.
“It hasn’t happened yet.” Scorti
told the Journal-News today that at least three of the five city council
members are opposed to providing the additional funding. “They’re
telling me “tough luck,” he said. “The city should be assisting us in the
transition … It’s a sad scenario. Maybe we don’t need a TV station. But I do
mind that they’re making it harder for us to go out of business.” Councilwoman
Anita Scott Jones, who represents council on the TVM Board and is supportive of
TVM, said that no decision has been made and when it comes time for a vote, she
will provide her input when something is presented to council. “They
have had a lot of things happen to them that has been out of their control,”
she said. “TV Middletown has done great things for the community, but they have
to look at other ways to present their programming. We (council) have to look
at things from a budgetary perspective and watch the taxpayer’s dollars when we
make decisions.” Vice
Mayor Joe Mulligan said council has not discussed the issue or have made a
decision yet at its recent meetings. “We
see the value in broadcasting the Planning Commission, Council and school board
meetings and other civic events,” he said. “We have to look for a way to do it
in a cost effective manner.” Mayor
Larry Mulligan Jr., Councilwoman Dora Bronston and Ty Thomas, TVM executive
director, did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Scorti
said the staff is working as volunteers and that they are in the process of
selling the station’s equipment and the building at They
also notified the Journal-News that they will no longer be sending a weekly
programming schedule. |
Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 10:38am
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Councilman Dan Picard said council has not discussed the matter of future funding; however, he said he is not in favor of continuing funding, saying that TVM “has not provided a viable plan or business model that will work.”
Good for Councilman Picard for pointing out that TVM needs a plan that will be sustainable. That means providing a service that people want other than council and school board meetings. The programming in the past has been boring in a dark studio. Go out and get real stories on location. Create a forum for real Middletownians to talk about things other than diversity. (I'm so tired of all the diversity talk, jez give it a rest). The problem is there is no real leadership, no direction, just a rudderless ship taking on water and only the city, using public money, is doing the bailing. ------------- http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle Middletown USA News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio. |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 11:03am
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TVM has nearly $250,000 in assets. Sell the building, take out a 90 day note, move on. Would like to know how they are doing a tax appeal when they never filed by the end of March of 2015 yet are on record indicating they are working with city to get a reduction. Does that mean waiting until next year? City council, make it easy on yourselves. Imagine TVM is Sunset Poll, a historic treasure partially funded for a few years, by AKS. Then, it will make it very easy to not give $20,000 to them. Problem solved. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 11:35am
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Dean I don't understand why they would be talking with the city. They should be talking with the Butler County Auditor. If in fact they are a non-profit then why are they paying property taxes on this building? |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 11:44am
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I would imagine that given a choice between a dry, boring city council meeting, school board meeting, planning committee meeting, or most interviews TV Middletown had on the agenda, versus any basketball or football game, the majority of viewers would choose the latter. Instead, what we read is that they are keeping the less viewed format and discarding the programming viewed by most. It would not serve their purpose to only provide sports where their message couldn't benefit them. They keep the meetings and interviews because it is an A/V tool to broadcast their propaganda of only "good news" while ignoring objective programming which would have offered another viewpoint. After all, the city was financing the station giving them sole discretion of programming offered and we all know there will be no conflicts or alternate opinions. They don't want to hear, nor can they handle, differences of opinion. ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 11:45am
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"The problem is there is no real leadership, no direction, just a rudderless ship taking on water and only the city, using public money, is doing the bailing. " Ooops, John, that discribes the entire "Downtown Dream Area" |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 12:10pm
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Doesn't this reflect poorly on MMF and their ability to raise money to help new businesses and seed funding, when they can't provide TVM $20,000? Really, are they going to raise millions for new businesses and TVM comes with a hat out for a modest 20,000 transitional loan/ gift, it takes the air out of all the mass funding MMF was going to provide new businesses. Not only did TVM bail water out of the boat, they did city and school district bidding on levies and projects. Interactive works. Brick and mortar never made much sense in a world of disruptive forces. Grab a webcam, post data online. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 12:20pm
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TVM could still do hs sports via audio Primarily funded by private contributors Honestly it could be done(and was done) without any TVM involvement Maybe if the TVM Directors had provided more diverse discussion programming, they could have grown more local appeal/ viewership Sad to lose Thomas and Dennis |
Posted By: Cooper
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 1:47pm
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TVM was too agenda driven. That's why there is anger from Scorti. They supported city agenda and no help now. The former Middie coach is doing a great job at Fairfield. 4-0 believe. A real shame TVM didn't include more of the community and input from others than spoon fed from the + happy campers. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 2:16pm
| Hmmm....If City Hall is not going to support TVM are they going to continue to support and give funds to Downtown Middletown, Inc? |
Posted By: Factguy
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 3:10pm
| Council will provide funding for TVM and also DMI. Its election time, and they want to appear to be frugal and fiscally responsible. A business plan will be presented, even if city council has to write it. Moon and Bohannon will become council members in November. |
Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 5:26pm
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IF the council election results as stated, there will be no need for TVM because there will be no need to watch any meetings. Continuation of the current tax--spend on cronies/enablers--fee additions/increases--less services--all decided in "special session" prior to meetings Same people will be given former downtown real estate--same buildings will be given facade grants--no one will pay property or payroll tax in that area No one will have any idea what MMF and DMI does, nor will they care Outside of the perennial takers, upscale residents will spend more time at their 2nd homes, contribute less, and continue to shop in other quality of life areas Went to Loveland last night to walk the trail and dine Place was packed with young/middle aged yuppies Place was booming Time to re-pack and head down to Central/University to wait for that train out of here that we were promised Ever hear the old jimmy Rogers tune "Waitin on a Train"? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 5:51pm
| Yes siree Spiderjohn you hit the nail on the head with that statement...nothing changing anytime soon. |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Sep 29 2015 at 10:56pm
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Great news just came! No school taxes expected for 5 years because the economics are so bad in Middletown the state of Ohio is providing the school district with substantial funding. Lets hope there is more money coming back from the school buildings based upon the higher state calculation. Nothing has changed in Middletown for years, with the exception of the spinners about a come-back, many that aren't even around anymore. Just stumbled across this in an archive. Where are they now? Candidly, perhaps it really wasn't an exaggeration of a demise. City burying magazine’s dying listBy Rick McCrabb Staff Writer Four years ago, in a much-publicized slap in the face, Middletown was named one of the fastest-dying cities in America, according to Forbes magazine. It was a shot at the city, but there was plenty of ammunition: the empty downtown storefronts, the city’s medium income and a 10-percent jump in the poverty level from 2000-07. I’m not here to tell you Middletown will ever be equal to Mason — or for that matter, any of the bordering communities — but the city is taking small steps toward respectability, like the failing student making Cs. Consider that within the last month, Middletown became home to the county’s only community college, downtown businesses received a $50,000 facade grant and Middletown native Kayla Harrison won the gold medal in judo at the 2012 London Olympics. Middletown now has two gold medalists: Harrison and Jerry Lucas, who led the U.S. men’s basketball team to gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics. How many towns with 50,000 residents can brag about double gold? But more important than athletic achievements — that’s something I never thought I’d write — Middletown seems to be building a foundation for the future. We didn’t go from All American City in 1957 to No. 10 on the fastest dying list overnight. Hopefully, the transformation doesn’t take that long. Since 2011, downtown has welcomed the Pendleton Art Center, Tufts of Hair, @the Square and Cincinnati State Middletown. The biggest news, of course, was the opening of Cincinnati State Middletown. Last week, more than 200 students started classes, and by all accounts, the college was well-received. With the addition of the students, there’s already a different feel downtown. You have to look both ways before crossing Main Street. It’s more alive, taken off life support. These students also should see a more attractive downtown. More than $650,000 will be spent on eight downtown businesses through the Facade Improvement Program being managed by Downtown Middletown Inc. Patrick Kay, director of Downtown Middletown Inc., said the funds will take businesses “to that next level,” and it “leverages more money downtown.” When certain businesses improve their facades, hopefully surrounding businesses will also update their curb appeal. I loved the way Les Landen, law director and acting city manager, addressed the momentum he’s feeling downtown at a recent City Council meeting. He called Middletown a “vibrant and healthy community” and praised the school district for producing “great kids.” But he wasn’t done. He shot back at Forbes.com: “Be damned with Forbes. We are moving ahead. We are going to be around for a long time doing a lot of good things.” Apparently, the reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. ------------- 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Sep 30 2015 at 6:28am
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"I loved the way Les Landen, law director and acting city manager, addressed the momentum he’s feeling downtown at a recent City Council meeting. He called Middletown a “vibrant and healthy community” and praised the school district for producing “great kids.” But he wasn’t done. He shot back at Forbes.com: “Be damned with Forbes. We are moving ahead. We are going to be around for a long time doing a lot of good things.”" To most, it would be a terrifying feeling not to be able to get a grasp on reality, walking through life with blinders on while believing that what you say is actual truth. But then again, it is Les Landen, professional puppet, yes man, team player and chief Kool-Aid sampler for the people who dwell in the halls of denial at One Donham Plaza. I would invite Mr. McCrabb to compare his thoughts when this article was written with the actual situation today. Look at CS and, being truthful with oneself, compare the starting numbers with the current enrollment and then consider the amount of time it has taken to start with 200 and grow to the current 700. Not very impressive, especially when it was suppose to be 5000 (later revised to 3000) in five years. Compare the downtown area as a whole from the time this article was written to the current downtown landscape. Given the timeline, do you still think there have been major strides toward any eye-opening growth? If so, your idea of progress and mine couldn't be further apart.......and then there is the ultimate rah-rah cheerleader Patrick Kay mentioned in the article. Mercy sakes. I like this statement from McCrabb..... "With the addition of the students, there’s already a different feel downtown. You have to look both ways before crossing Main Street" Yeah, 200 students will create a preverbial Times Square log jam and the criteria for success is that "you have to look both ways before crossing Main St." Did he really say that? This is the criteria for success, looking both ways before crossing a street? Are the downtown supporters that desperate in their description of what success means and in explaining the HUGE impact CS has made downtown? ------------- I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over. |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: Sep 30 2015 at 9:10am
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One of the best examples of success in Middletown has been the efforts of the California developer that bought the Mall by Meijers and Krogers. The city did not spend any money there, but to his credit, he has done an excellent job of bringing in complimentary businesses. Recently, they paved all the areas that had severe potholes and it has been nicely redone. Its an example as Mr. spiderjohn has stated, let private enterprise buy and succeed. Cincinnati State is an investment many can still debate either way as to benefit. I know college graduates that have degrees from top schools that went back to Cin State, earned a Computer Engineering, or IT Management associates degree, and are making a high income working with top consulting firms. Many downtown businesses have invested and offer nice discounts, I think Buck's is 15%, for them. Its always wise to look both ways when crossing a street. But, it is doubtful when downtown, there will be enough auto traffic that would cause the slightest delay in walking across the street. The city spent enough money that it has cost on average, $1300. a Cincinnati State student attending the downtown school. Lets all hope in time, that number goes down with increased enrollment and money spent by students on downtown businesses. The cost/ benefit analysis presently suggests uncertainty whether the Cincinnati State investment is thumbs up, or thumbs down. Time will tell. But, there is a comeback kid, and its called The Mall by 75. |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Sep 30 2015 at 9:23am
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Rereading this article makes me ill. After pouring all this money into the "Downtown Dream" the Thatcher buildings, PAC building and grant money....how many jobs have been created in the downtown area? How many jobs have left the downtown area during this same time period? How much money have we lost in property taxes since almost all these buildings are now non-profit and or are still sitting empty? And soon we will have the TVM building sitting empty... |
Posted By: acclaro
Date Posted: Sep 30 2015 at 9:36am
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I have two questions: 1) What benefit does the airport ownership by the city of Middletown have? With the new proactive business development model, is the city trying to lure UPS, FedX, Boeing, Airbus, or some air cargo company to town? Is there some expectation a massive Fortune 100 company is going to be attracted to Middletown because of an airport which offers a competitive advantage. Just don't get what purpose a city owning an airport provides. 2) How much help in down payment assistance and what are the caveats, for the city assisted home owner program? Is it $500, $1,000, $5,000? As for crossing a street on Central, and looking both ways....most would be more concerned about being hit by a bike, than a car. ------------- 'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill |
Posted By: 409
Date Posted: Dec 15 2015 at 11:21pm
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TV Middletown to sign off permanently By Ed Richter Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — TV Middletown will permanently fade into the city’s history just after its 18th anniversary. The TV Middletown board, which has been struggling to continue operations for the past few years, voted Dec. 10 to cease all operations and permanently close the local television station. In a letter dated the same day to City Manager Doug Adkins, TVM board president Mike Scorti said Time Warner Cable has been notified of TVM’s intentions to cease providing a signal to Channel 24 as of Jan. 10, 2016. TVM was required to provide 30 days notice to Time Warner Cable notice per its agreement. Scorti said the decision to stop providing all services was due to many factors, citing TVM could not depend on regular financial support; many former viewers are now seeking local information via social media which was an outlet the non-profit organization could not support; and the board wanted to end operations “on a high note, leaving the community with the memory of TVM’s high quality programming.” In late September, TVM announced it was going to a social media format. It also announced the layoff of its entire 2 1/2-person staff as well as placing its equipment and its building 1131 Central Avenue up for sale. For the past few months, TVM and city officials have gone back and forth concerning funding. The non-profit organization sought additional funding from the city to make ends meet but did not provide a financial plan that was satisfactory to city officials. TVM operated on a budget of $150,000 a year — $112,000 from the city and $38,000 from the Middletown City Schools. Middletown City Council has budgeted $112,000 for TVM in the 2016 budget. The city has agreed to loan TVM $20,000 to help maintain the building and cover utilities until a sale is made, Scorti said in the letter. He said once the building is sold, those funds would be returned to the city immediately. “Thank you for supporting TVM through the years,” Scorti wrote. “We realize it is time to close TVM, like other institutions, has run its course.” During Tuesday’s Middletown City Council meeting, Adkins said he has contacted Time Warner Cable and informed them that the matter would be discussed further at council’s annual goal setting retreat in January. He also said that OurTownTV has submitted a proposal to pick up programming where TVM stopped. Since late October, OurTownTV began producing various community interest features that are streamed via the internet. Adkins recommended loaning the $20,000 to TVM and also would like the city to look at the TVM’s equipment as well as getting an understanding to determine if bringing it in-house was a viable option. He said the city is already upgrading the camera equipment in the council chamber. “If it doesn’t work out, we can shut down TV Middletown or put out an RFP (request for proposals).” ------------- Every morning is the dawn of a new error... |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Dec 16 2015 at 10:02am
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Yep...Just another business obituary for your "Good Old Days" or "Do Remember When" file..and another empty building in THEIR DOWNTOWN. |
Posted By: middletownscouter
Date Posted: Dec 16 2015 at 10:12am
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So the $112k that the city was giving to TVM was coming from funding provided annually by Time Warner by the city supposedly to provide local programming on Time Warner. With TVM shutting down, what is the city going to do to continue to honor their end of the agreement with TW? Or maybe more to the point how long until TW pulls that funding? |
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Dec 16 2015 at 11:55am
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...I'm sure City Hall will come up with a really great explanation and plan for that money...
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Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 5:50pm
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Posted: 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 Middletown considers future of Channel 24
after TV Middletown
By http://www.journal-news.com/staff/ed-richter/" rel="nofollow - Staff Writer The
future of community television in Last
month, the TV Middletown board, which provided content and programming that
operated on Channel 24 on the Time Warner Cable grid, gave notice to the cable
television provider that it will permanently cease providing a signal on Jan.
10 citing that TVM could not depend on regular financial support as the leading
reason of several reasons. The
nonprofit organization has been struggling financially for the past few years
and many of its former viewers were seeking local information on social media,
an outlet that TVM could not support. TVM, which launched programming 18 years
ago, was required to provide 30 days notice to Time Warner Cable per its
agreement. For
the past several months, TVM and city officials have gone back and forth
concerning funding. The non-profit organization sought additional funding from
the city to make ends meet but did not provide a financial plan that was
satisfactory to city officials. TVM operated on a budget of $150,000 a year —
$112,000 from the city and $38,000 from the Middletown City Schools. Middletown
City Council has budgeted $112,000 for TVM in the 2016 budget. In
late September, TVM announced it was going to a social media format. It also
announced the layoff of its entire 2½-person staff as well as placing its
equipment and put its building Scorti
said the end of TVM on Channel 24 is “very sad” and noted that it produced 400
programs a year. He said the TVM board is actively trying to sell the equipment
and already has two prospects interested in buying their building at “The
building is in great shape,” he said. Once
the equipment and building are sold and the city loan is repaid, Scorti said
the board is required as a nonprofit organization to distribute all funds to
charities before it can dissolved. “All
good things come to an end,” Scorti said. “We did the best we could.” City
Manager Doug Adkins told Middletown City Council at its Dec. 15 meeting of the
TVM board decision to end operations. At that time, he told council that he had
contacted Time Warner Cable and informed them that the matter would be
discussed further at council’s annual goal setting retreat that is set for Jan.
23. Adkins
was on vacation this week and could not be reached for additional comment for
this story. At
the Dec. 15 council meeting, Adkins recommended loaning $20,000 to TVM assist
in shuttering the community television station. He also wanted to look at the
TVM’s equipment as well as getting an understanding to determine if bringing it
in-house was a viable option. Adkins said the city is already upgrading the
camera equipment in the council chamber. “If
it doesn’t work out, we can shut down TV Middletown or put out an RFP (request
for proposals),” he said. Adkins
also said he received an unsolicited proposal from He also said that OurTownTV
has submitted a proposal to pick up programming where TVM stopped. Since late
October, OurTownTV began producing various community interest features that are
streamed via the internet. In
his proposal, Kevin Stamper of OurTownTV was seeking a five-year contract at
$62,000 a year that also included a probationary period, to provide management,
production, implementation of both on demand and live stream programming via
Channel 24 and through various social media avenues, including, but not limited
to FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. He said that the city, community and school
programming would be delivered on all devices “and no one would be left
behind.” Among
the various items in the proposal that included two to five new shows per week;
three to five streaming events per week; and two to four uploaded, non
time-sensitive, shows per week; monthly reports on social media reaches and
projections; monthly strategy and production meetings with city officials; a
bi-monthly class/workshop for community content providers; and a
student/community intern/apprentice program. “With
all of the new things coming (to “TV
Middletown did a great job and we want to do those things that are now being
missed.” Stamper
said he has met with Adkins and other city staff members as well as Time Warner
Cable to discuss the picking up where TVM left off. He said the new OurTownTV
has been getting viewers and that he has received calls for event coverage. |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Jan 03 2016 at 10:47pm
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According to some, Joe Mulligan single-handedly engineered the shut-off of funding from the City to TVMiddletown. This means that Joe Mulligan is responsible for 3 people (employees of TVMiddletown) losing their jobs and health insurance. It also means that THREE other non-profits, housed in the TVM building, will be forced out of their long-term homes: Downtown Middletown, Inc.; the Middletown Community Pregnancy Center; and The Middletown Health and Safety Council. Now the fee that WE THE PEOPLE pay to Time Warner Cable for a local access TV channel will now be used to fund First Friday, or some other downtown nonsense, thanks to Joe Mulligan and the other council members. ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Posted By: swohio75
Date Posted: Jan 04 2016 at 9:29am
| http://citymanagermiddletown.com/2015/12/17/twc-and-tvmiddletown/" rel="nofollow - http://citymanagermiddletown.com/2015/12/17/twc-and-tvmiddletown/ |