There have been so many radical changes to the way we watch television in the past 15 years, it’s hard to imagine how a small, local cable station could keep up. But far from switching off, Naperville Community Television has not only continued to channel their best selves, but often has been ahead of the game.
As the station celebrates its 35th anniversary this month, I caught up with Executive Director Liz Spencer, who explained how the station is constantly reassessing how and what they deliver.
Let’s talk streaming. Today there are so many streaming services, it’s hard to keep up. On top of old faithfuls like Netflix and Amazon, companies like Hulu and Peacock and Apple have joined what is becoming a crowded field.
While you might think NCTV17 would be left in the dust, streaming is actually something they’ve been doing since 2006.
“In 2015, we evolved our website so you can view programming in any way you want. For example, sports segments. We embraced the movement; in fact, we have led it.”
Today 80% of NCTV viewers watch via their phones.
“These developments make us think about what we do,” said Spencer, who has led the station for 20 years. “Our shows can be split into segments. For example, our flagship show, ‘Spotlight on Naperville,’ has three sections within its half hour segment. From March 1, we’ll be airing a new version of ‘630 Naperville,’ which is a magazine show with small nuggets.”
The advent of social media has mostly been a help, although it can definitely be a hindrance.
“We are often the last ones to post because we have fact checked every story two or three times beforehand,” Spencer said. “That’s what differentiates us from the opinion sites in Naperville. … Social media has been wonderful. It’s been a connector. But the job of NCTV is to curate it. News doesn’t influence; its job is to inform.”
While their core audience is between the ages of 35 and 55, NCTV17 reaches out to youth via Instagram, Twitter and You Tube.
“Our sports (videos) on YouTube have over one million views a year,” Spencer said. “Instagram is more fun posts only. We put out live tweets during high school and college games.
“Our viewers tend to be people who are engaged and civic minded. They are more likely to have a young family. People who vote, who want to know about their community; people who care.”
While the pandemic has hit many businesses hard, NCTV found a surprising benefit. While it’s true like other organizations they are suffering from staff shortages, their viewership has grown exponentially.
“On an average month, we have 150,000 unique viewers,” Spencer said. “This is up from 40,000 in 2018. Its due to the pandemic. NCTV really stepped up to produce some daily constant news updates.
“People wanted to know the positivity rate in Naperville. How many patients with COVID at Edward (Hospital)? They wanted to know if they were safe, and we knew what they wanted. From the very minute we were locked down in 2020, I think people that found NCTV stayed with us.”
The station operates with 17 full-time staff members, three part time, some sports part-timers, and interns from North Central College, with whom they have a long-standing relationship.
“We’re professionally staffed because we need to meet the needs of the community,” Spencer said. “We need professional reporters. That has changed since we started, when they were all volunteers, just like other nonprofits. As the community grew, we needed to professionalize.”
Today’s 6,000-square-foot studio on Ambassador Drive is a far cry from the 1,200-square-foot facility on Fifth Avenue where NCTV started. Spencer joined on March 30, 2002.
When the channel began in 1987, the original purpose was to give the community access to programing about public education and government channels, known as PEG. It was paid for by cable, which was still relatively new at the time.
“(Cable’s) main goal in the ’60s was to improve reception for rural communities,” she said. “They grew and expanded their reach to carry multiple channels like the Weather Channel, CNN and C-Span.
“In the mid-’80s, one of my first jobs was at C-Span. I laughed when they talked about starting a weather channel. I thought who would watch that all day? Now I have their app on my phone. I have a job in TV because of cable TV because it brought more jobs.”
It used to be that it was important to NCTV that people not get rid of their cable service because they’d not longer be able to watch local programs, she said.
More Top Picks Lawn Mower
“But now they can access us in other ways. It’s an exciting part of our growth,” Spencer said. “Cable was really popular in the ’80s, although people were worried about it. They thought there were too many channels, but it was very cheap. Naperville saw the opportunity to have its own television station, so they got together a community coalition, including North Central college and the high schools.”
At that time, there were several live shows.
“Live is always a thrill,” said Spencer, who particularly enjoys the station’s live coverage of the city’s parades. “From a very technical point of view, everything comes together and with the rawness of life, it doesn’t always work. It’s like live theater.”
Looking to the future, Spencer said the channel wants to increase news and sports content while getting viewers to engage with them.
But there’s something else they need — financial support. NCTV is a 501c3. They receive 35% of their budget from PEG fees from the cable company and more from program sponsorships. To stay impartial, they will not accept news sponsors.
“We need philanthropy dollars supporting us and the community,” she said “I believe we contribute to the vibrancy of this town. Without local media, you won’t have a vibrant community. As streaming continues, people who have to pay for TV may find it more appealing that they can witness us for free.”
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.