SCVTV: Building a Roadmap for a Community Media Station's Next Chapter

Overview

In 2023, the nonprofit operator of a local public access television channel launched a strategic planning process to prepare the organization for its next phase of growth and sustainability. The goal was to evaluate current operations, assess shifts in the media landscape, and develop a roadmap that would guide the organization through evolving technology, funding challenges, and changing community needs.

As Executive Director, I led the development of the station's 2023–2026 Strategic Plan, working alongside board members, community stakeholders, educators, and media professionals to create a shared vision for the future of the organization.

The resulting plan established priorities around rebranding, workforce development, revenue diversification, and expanding the station's role as a regional hub for media creation and training.

Background: Eight Years Building Toward This Moment

I spent nearly a decade at SCVTV, moving from Reporter to Producer to Station Manager into the Executive Director role, and the 2023–2026 plan was the product of that entire arc — not a single planning cycle. Over that time, the station's programming grew substantially: I led the creation and expansion of shows including Finding Art, SCV Soundcheck, Five Minute Foodie, Open Archive, Santa Clarita Spotlight, and SCVTV's Community Corner, along with a set of history documentaries marking milestones like the city's 30th anniversary and the Newhall Auditorium. Longer-running programs — Newsmaker of the Week, the OutWest Concert Series, SCV in the Movies, and the annual Fourth of July Parade broadcast — were expanded and improved during the same period. Finding Art, Community Corner and Santa Clarita Spotlight went on to win industry awards.

Alongside programming, I built the operational backbone the station had been missing: production expense tracking and annual budget management structures, an archival media digitization initiative to improve access to decades of local footage, and the station's first grant-writing pipeline, which resulted in several submissions and a secured award. I also negotiated and secured contracts with College of the Canyons' Silver Spur and the Magazine of Santa Clarita, successfully completed the 2016–2019 SCPTA (Santa Clarita Public TV Authority) contract, and secured the subsequent 2019–2024 contract.

On the workforce and community side, I expanded student training partnerships with organizations including Hart District’s Career Visions, the city of Santa Clarita’s Youth Employment Services, Carousel Ranch, and Yes I Can, and laid the foundation for two initiatives that became central to the 2023–2026 plan itself: the SCV Media Collaborative and the NextGen Media Makers Festival committee, both built from years of relationship work with local media professionals and educators before they ever had a name. I also represented SCVTV in an ongoing, voluntary capacity on several community boards and advisory committees — including the SCV Education Board of Directors, the Boys & Girls Club Advisory Committee, College of the Canyons' Media Entertainment Arts Department Advisory Committee, the Hart District's CTE/CCR Advisory Committee, and Bridge to Home's Marketing Advisory Committee — work that kept the station embedded in the civic and educational fabric of the Santa Clarita Valley and directly informed the partnerships reflected in the strategic plan.

I also invested deliberately in building the skill set the role demanded, rather than learning it purely on the job. I completed the Leadership Education in Action Program (LEAP) Certificate through College of the Canyons in 2022, then followed it with the Center for Nonprofit Management's Nonprofit Management Certificate Program and Grant Writing & Giving Fundamentals Certificate Program in 2023 — training that directly shaped how I approached the station's grant pipeline, board development strategy, and the organizational assessment work at the core of the strategic plan.

That groundwork is what made the 2023 planning process possible: it was the first time in the station's recent history that community stakeholders were formally convened for strategic planning, and it built directly on strategic planning concepts I had been developing and proposing internally for years prior.

The Challenge

The station operates within a rapidly changing media ecosystem. Like many community media organizations, it faces a number of structural challenges:

• Declining PEG funding as audiences shift away from traditional cable

• Fragmentation of media consumption across digital platforms

• Limited public awareness of the station’s services and impact

• A need to diversify revenue sources beyond government funding

• Outdated web platforms that separated video and news content

• A growing demand for workforce development opportunities in media production

At the same time, Santa Clarita itself is evolving — with new residents, new businesses, and new media voices emerging. The station needed a strategy that would both preserve its legacy of community storytelling and position it for the future of digital media.

My Role

As Executive Director, I led the strategic planning process from concept through completion. My responsibilities included:

• Designing and facilitating the strategic planning process

• Convening a cross-sector committee of community leaders, educators, and industry professionals

• Conducting internal and external organizational assessments

• Identifying industry trends and structural risks

• Synthesizing stakeholder feedback into actionable priorities

• Drafting and finalizing the strategic plan and implementation roadmap

The planning process brought together voices from local government, education, nonprofit leadership, business, and the media industry to ensure the plan reflected the broader community ecosystem.

Strategy & Process

The strategic plan was developed through a multi-phase process that included organizational assessment, stakeholder consultation, and scenario planning.

Key steps included:

Organizational Assessment
We evaluated the station’s internal operations, staffing structure, facilities, funding model, and program mix to identify areas requiring change or investment.

External Landscape Analysis
We examined trends affecting local media, including:

• cord-cutting and declining PEG funding

• the rise of short-form digital video

• fragmented media consumption

• increased competition from social platforms and hyperlocal outlets

Stakeholder Engagement
Community representatives from education, government, media, and business participated in planning sessions to identify needs and opportunities for collaboration.

Future Scenario Planning
The committee explored best-case and worst-case scenarios for the organization, helping clarify priorities and risk mitigation strategies.

Strategic Priorities

The final plan identified several key initiatives for the 2023–2026 planning period:

Rebrand & Digital Infrastructure

• Modernize the station’s brand identity and marketing strategy

• Merge the separated websites into a unified digital platform

Media Arts Collaborative

• Launch a regional partnership connecting media professionals, educators, and students

• Expand workforce development opportunities in film, television, and digital media

Revenue Diversification

• Develop sponsorship programs, advertising opportunities, and fee-for-service offerings

• Pursue grants and philanthropic funding

Facility Expansion

• Support the development of a new media facility that would allow for expanded programming, training, and community engagement

Board & Organizational Development

• Expand the board of directors and build succession plans

• Align staff roles and compensation structures with long-term sustainability

These initiatives were designed to strengthen the station’s ability to serve the community while adapting to structural changes in the media industry.

Impact

The strategic plan created a clear roadmap for the station’s next phase of development and positioned the organization to evolve from a traditional public access station into a collaborative regional media hub.

The process also strengthened relationships across the community’s civic, educational, and media sectors, creating new opportunities for partnerships and workforce development initiatives.

Most importantly, the plan reaffirmed the station’s core mission:
to serve as a center for community storytelling, media training, and collaborative content creation in the Santa Clarita Valley.