Wrentham Community Media faces several common challenges that impact its ability to fully achieve its mission and operational goals as a nonprofit PEG access station.

1. Funding & Revenue Stability

  • Reliance on cable franchise fees, which continue to decline as cable subscriptions decrease.

  • Limited alternative revenue streams (grants, sponsorships, memberships, fundraising).

  • Rising costs for equipment, software, insurance, utilities, and facility maintenance.

  • Difficulty planning long-term capital investments due to uncertain funding.

2. Industry & Technology Shifts

  • Audience migration from traditional cable to streaming and on-demand platforms.

  • Need to invest in updated production equipment and digital infrastructure.

  • Ongoing training required to keep pace with evolving media technology.

  • Balancing cable broadcasting with expanded digital and social media distribution.

3. Community Awareness & Engagement

  • Limited public awareness of available services and membership opportunities.

  • Recruiting and retaining volunteers and active content producers.

  • Encouraging diverse participation across age groups and community sectors.

  • Competing with commercial media and social platforms for attention.

4. Staffing & Operational Capacity

  • Small staff managing multiple responsibilities (production, training, technical support, administration).

  • Risk of burnout due to limited personnel resources.

  • Dependence on volunteers for programming and event coverage.

5. Regulatory & Structural Constraints

  • Compliance with municipal agreements and cable provider requirements.

  • First-come, first-served service model limiting scheduling flexibility.

  • Physical space limitations for studio production and equipment storage.

6. Equipment & Infrastructure Needs

  • Maintaining and replacing aging cameras, editing systems, and broadcast hardware.

  • Ensuring reliable live-streaming and playback systems.

  • Managing IT security and data storage for archived programming.

Overall Impact

These obstacles affect financial sustainability, operational capacity, and the ability to expand services. Addressing them requires strategic planning, diversified funding, community partnerships, technological adaptation, and ongoing outreach to ensure Wrentham Community Media continues to serve as an open, accessible platform for civic engagement and local expression.