Novi City Completes Transformation of Old Storage into a State-of-the-Art TV and Podcast Studio
The City of Novi has successfully converted an old storage space in the Novi Civic Center into a high-tech TV and podcast studio. Dubbed “Studio No.VI”, the former “dungeon” now boasts cutting-edge production technologies for creating engaging city content.
Construction of the new studio took roughly a year, starting from late August of last year. The studio, valued at $800,000, was officially inaugurated this February. Interestingly, this entire project was bankrolled solely by Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) funds, which are federal fees collected from cable consumers. These special funds are earmarked and must be used only for video operations.
Sheryl Walsh-Molloy, the City of Novi’s Director of Communications, revealed how they tapped into the PEG Fund reserves for this project. According to her, cable companies like Comcast, Charter, Spectrum, and AT&T pay the city franchise and PEG fees for right-of-way usage. As a result, the city amasses an average of $350,000-$380,000 in PEG funds annually.
While PEG funds have specific usage limitations, they served as the perfect financial recourse for this studio project. With these resources, the city has been able to transform its antiquated setup – a recording studio tucked into a closet – into a modern, fully-equipped television production hub.
The revamped 1,000-square-foot studio is home to three unique sets – a green screen, a main setup with a video wall, and a standing monitor. All the equipment is modular and can be easily rearranged, providing flexible backdrop options; the lighting system comprising of 180 different zones further adds to this flexibility.
Currently, the studio is being leveraged for various multimedia projects, including “Update Novi“, a monthly mayor’s update; “After the Gavel“, a recap of each City Council meeting; and the “Now You Novi” podcast. Moreover, the studio caters to other shooting needs of the city as and when required.
Trevor Walega, the video production specialist for the city of Novi, expressed his satisfaction with the efficiency of the studio, commenting that it had greatly reduced setup and teardown times for shoots. This efficiency, coupled with the multiple ways the city can utilize the studio, further illustrates its value.
While the Studio is not available for public rental, it produces content for city’s social media channels, website, and cable channels. Novi now looks ahead to upgrading the City Council chamber with the help of its increasing PEG funds.
