CTV5 — Canby’s longtime public access cable television station — has announced it is merging with Willamette Falls Media Center in Oregon City. The goal, the two public access studios said in a press release, is to offer more “robust” services to the Canby area.
Willamette Falls Studios provides community resources for digital media by supplying the tools and training for Clackamas County communities to create and share ideas and topics that are important to their communities.
CTV5 has provided the Canby community with public access television and web video resources for over 40 years, funded through television franchise fees and local contracts with the city of Canby and other organizations.
It has provided citizens with access to public meetings, local sports events, lifestyle content and more for decades, while offering training and opportunities for the public to use professional audio and video recording equipment free of charge.
But the nature of television and streaming has changed, and officials say CTV5’s mission to provide robust programming has become a challenge.
Due to legislative and funding changes and the closing of local cable broadcasters, the conditions under which CTV5 operates were altered significantly, and the station said it became clear that working within a larger community framework like that provided by Willamette Falls Studios would better serve the community’s needs well into the future.
The studios said the merger will create efficiencies and combine resources to better provide access for the local community. Willamette Falls Studios’ intent has always been to be the community hub for all communications within Clackamas County.
“In many ways, the merger of the two entities feels like bringing a big part of Clackamas County into the larger county program,” said Melody Ashford, Willamette Falls Studios executive director.
“Willamette Falls Studios will continue to provide community services like broadcasting city meetings, covering local sports and school events, and providing local citizens access to technology to create original programming.”
Ashford added that the studios are working to create relationships that will support local youth athletics, build a strong slate of community programming, and a variety of local access points that will allow the community to better access local media.
Conversations with multiple local entities are in progress to land access points within Canby to make sure the community has access to the robust offerings Willamette Falls Studios offers.
To ensure the city and its residents are included in the process of how the newly merged studio engages with the community, there are open board positions available at Willamette Falls Studios.
To learn more, visit wfmcstudios.org.