(The Center Square) – WisconsinEye wants $1 million in the form of $50,000 per month through December 2027 from the state’s Joint Committee on Legislative Oversight as it works to keep operating in the state.
Lawmakers did not pass any of several proposed bills to fund the governmental meeting streaming service before it left session this spring.
The request of taxpayer funds comes on the heels of the network saying in Mid-April that it would need to close its doors after 19 years “by early summer” without funding from the state.
“This request reflects the intention of monthly support as articulated in the Senate’s bill, and captures the spirit of the Assembly bill to provide ongoing earnings from invested funds,” WisEye said in a statement. “The requested amount of $50,000 per month provides for one-half of the network’s operational expenses and will send a significant, strong message to program sponsors and charitable donors contemplating their support.”
WisEye has been operating on a limited schedule as it works to raise funding for its current budget after temporarily shuttering and taking its archives offline in December.
“The end date proposed accompanies a parallel request of WisconsinEye to extend the network’s current access and carriage agreement through CY 2027, allowing time for the new legislature to consider a long-term plan of support – one that could create a hybrid of the Senate and Assembly bills, and allowing for WisconsinEye to stay operational while exploring an RFP and other support options,” WisEye’s statement said.
The Wisconsin Senate passed a bill that would have sent WisEye more than $585,000 in taxpayer funds for the next year while collecting requests for proposal for a public affairs network.
The JCLO previously approved $50,000 in funding to keep the network on the air through February.
