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Vidwest to Operate Public Access TV Channel

Meiying Wu / KBIA

The Columbia City Council unanimously approved a bid for a nonprofit organization to operate a new public access television channel at Monday night’s meeting.

Local nonprofit Vidwest will take over operation of a public access channel and community access center previously owned by Columbia Access Television. The Office of Cultural Affairs requested proposals for a new company to handle the public TV channel, with Vidwest being the only company that responded. The nonprofit will partner with Ragtag Film Society and receive roughly $35,000 from the city for the 2020 fiscal year to run the channel. Per the agreement, all equipment and funds belong to the City.

But the Manager of the Office of Cultural Affairs, Sarah Dresser, stressed that Vidwest is “going to make a point of being self-sufficient” once the fiscal year is over. Vidwest will have free access to 28 arts agencies for consultation. It will also collaborate with the Office of Cultural Affairs to produce a thirty-minute monthly special showcasing local artists

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story and headline read that Vidwest had "purchased" the public access channel. That is incorrect, and the story has been updated to accurately reflect the arrangement.