City of Wheat Ridge Launches Videostreaming Technology

April 17, 2009

WRTV Channel 8 Programming Now Online and On Demand

WHEAT RIDGE, CO – Wheat Ridge residents are now able to watch local City meetings broadcast live on the Internet. Users can also instantly replay of all or part of those meetings at their convenience through a link on their City’s web site (www.ci.wheatridge.co.us and click on the link titled “WRTV Live and OnDemand Videos”).

The City officially launched the new videostreaming technology at the April 13, 2009 City Council meeting enhancing the accessibility of Channel 8 programming to citizens who may not have access to WRTV 8.

"The City of Wheat Ridge has made open government a priority by funding initiatives that enhance communication with our citizens," said Mayor Jerry DiTullio.  "We are excited about this new web site feature as further example of our ongoing efforts to increase public input and involvement in government."

Currently the City televises the regular City Council and Planning Commission meetings.  These meetings can be accessed live at their regularly scheduled time.  Additionally, citizens can access scheduled meetings of the Citizens’ Budget Oversight Committee.  A copy of the monthly Channel 8 schedule is available on the City’s Website.

“The City is very excited about this new technology as a way to outreach to a greater number of residents and members of the business community,” said Heather Geyer, Assistant to the City Manager/Public Information Officer.  “This is one of the Website enhancements that the City has been looking forward to since the launch of our new City Website last December.”

The new on-line service is powered by San Francisco-based Granicus, Inc., the premier provider of government webcasting and public meeting management solutions to over 500 government agencies spanning 45 states across the nation.

“Wheat Ridge is a great example of the positive direction cities are moving in to foster more openness in government with innovative technology. They are among the first 10 cities in the state of Colorado to deploy this type of technology,” said Michael Osuna, South Central Regional Manager of Granicus, Inc. “The more meaningful information they can put online, the more they can encourage citizen awareness and involvement.”

The Granicus solution includes streaming software to capture, manage, store and distribute online video recordings. In addition, the video player window includes the meeting agenda with direct links to access specific agenda item discussions within the archived meeting. Archived meetings will generally be available for viewing by 10 p.m. the same evening depending on the length of the meeting.  Meetings will be archived and available for viewing for one year.  In the coming week the City will be adding other Channel 8 programs such as Wheat Ridge Top of the Hour.

Heather Geyer, Assistant to the City Manager/Public Information Officer, Wheat Ridge