by Derek Westby, Director, WTCO
The Trempealeau County Board has voted to expand staffing hours at its county-managed television station WTCO TV. Like many other community media centers, WTCO helped the county get through the pandemic by adding much more extensive meeting coverage. Now that some semblance of normal has returned, community events are picking up and the county board had to make a decision. Should the television staff continue to cover the additional government meetings and resume their community event coverage or should the county reduce one or both of those services in order to maintain current staff levels? The county board voted 17 to 0 to approve increasing two of the staff members from 28 hours per week to 40 hours per week bringing the staff total to three full-time employees.
This increase has enabled WTCO TV to continue to cover nine different committees as well as the full county board each month and to resume coverage of community events and concerts.
With the increase in staff availability the quality of community coverage has also increased because WTCO is more able to flex around the 40 hours for the two hourly staff. This has created high quality concert coverage such as the popular Americana band Them Coulee Boys all the way down to local favorites such as Crooked Willow.
WTCO is also looking at becoming the Trempealeau County communications department to offer other departments services while still providing coverage of community events.
In a world of consolidating news outlets, community media is the light that keeps ‘local’ alive. During the pandemic, many communities turned to their local media centers to keep government coverage going and it has renewed the need for such centers. With its vote, the Trempealeau County Board has made its view clear that local coverage is needed and it’s important here in Trempealeau.
