At their June 28 meeting, Asheville City Council members agreed to partner with Buncombe County in seeking options for a new community media project to replace the defunct WNC Community Media Center. Council also unanimously passed a request to rezone part of the property occupied by Sunny Point Cafe in West Asheville.
Several members of the WNC Community Media Center Board of Directors have resigned, raising more questions about its solvency.
The city of Asheville begins an inventory today of equipment at the public access channel URTV, currently in the midst of a dispute with Buncombe County over funds, and Lauren Bradley, the city’s administrative services director, tells Xpress that the channel will go dark in one to two weeks as equipment is removed. She adds that staff are not recommending a renewal of the center’s contract with the city.
The WNC Community Media Center has shut down studio operations while it continues to look for funding and production alternatives that would keep public-access television station URTV on the air. The nonprofit organization closed its facility at 31 College Place in downtown Asheville on Saturday night, May 14.
