HTV = old station with a new feel
Carlos Gonzalez, an HTV production specialist, cues talent for an in-studio taping. On July 16, the Municipal Channel morphed into HTV. Photo courtesy of HTV.
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By Dave Schafer
There’s nothing wrong with your television. That is the former Municipal Channel you’re watching. HTV is the same cast with a new name, logo, look and programming.
“We want to keep viewers coming back to watch us,” said station manager Carol Herrera. “We’re not competing with other networks, but we do want viewers.”
The Municipal Channel, launched in 1986 to inform the community about city happenings and policies, reaches about 500,000 households. The mandate stays, but the city is hoping new programming will help reach more viewers.
“The municipal channel plays a critical role in providing information to the public, allowing people to have a stake in what’s going on and to be participants in government,” said Patrick Trahan, Mayor Bill White’s press secretary and a member of HTV’s board. “As with any television station, your ability to market is important in driving viewership. We believe we have a good product, a product that provides information and makes you smarter about what’s going on around you.
“The new branding allows us to use new technology to make the channel more exciting and drive viewership.”
HTV will still carry City Council and planning commission meetings and “City News Update,” Herrera said. But upgrades at City Hall, the Annex and HTV’s facility at 3100 Main St. enable the station to operate more efficiently. They’ll be able to broadcast breaking news live from the Visitors’ Bureau, City Hall Rotunda, or the Houston Emergency Center.
New shows include “Pet Pals,” featuring animals from the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care, and programs on cooking, history, public service, and teen issues. Herrera is hoping stronger ties with city departments blossom into more new programs.
The channel remains cable-access only, but will soon be streamed online for the computer-using world.
HTV’s new branding logo. |
New image, new money
The rebranding positions the station for PBS-style fundraising, minus the telethons, to create another stream of cash flow to augment the station’s budget and help fund new programs, Herrera said.
For that, it hired a marketing and business development specialist, Michelle Moak.
First Moak approached nonprofits, which already have an investment in the community, to sponsor shows. The sponsor will be buying 15-second mentions at the front and back of shows, she said.
Next, she’ll move on to businesses, but only reputable ones with a history of giving back to the community.
“We’ll look at as many resources, knock on as many doors as we have to, to get this going,” said Herrera, a 20-year station veteran.
New programming, new visibility
The station is forming a partnership with LAT-TV Channel 30 to air HTV English/Spanish language programming in prime-time slots. PAX/ION-TV Channel 49 already airs the station’s public affairs programs during early morning news blocks.
In the hall outside City Council chambers, the station is adding plasma televisions so passersby can view the proceedings. Those are good promotional tools, Trahan said. “It’s a way for us to say, ‘Hey, when you need to know what’s going on here, you can find us on HTV.’”
Although a city public relations tool, the station aims to provide all the facts in its reporting and let viewers decide their position, Herrera said.
“People are excited,” she said. “I hope they will continue to watch. I’m sure they will.”
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