The Mount Pleasant Community School District Board of Directors spent much of Monday night’s regular board meeting discussing a proposed five-year media and broadcasting agreement with Hedgepost LLC, doing business as Amplify-MP. No action was taken. The board is expected to continue the discussion and potentially vote on the agreement at its October 12th meeting.
The media company’s representatives Kellen Gracey and Matt Bryant presented the proposal. They described the company as offering more than livestreaming athletic events, with plans for video production, marketing services and potential opportunities for Mount Pleasant students to gain experience in media production.
The complete project discussed with the board totals approximately $575,000 over three phases. Gracey and Bryant said Amplify-MP’s portion of the project would be about $175,000 for equipment and installation needed to livestream events at the high school gymnasium and Mapleleaf Athletic Complex, including the football, baseball and softball fields.
The proposal also includes a $300,000 videoboard for the football field, a $75,000 Luxedo projection system for the high school gym and an additional $25,000 in equipment and camera installation at the Chapel on Central Campus for potential future event coverage. The media company’s representatives said the equipment would enhance the broadcast experience, while Mount Pleasant Activities Director Scot Lamm said the videoboard would also improve the experience for people attending games in person.
Lamm said the current football scoreboard and stop clock are aging, require repairs and are becoming more difficult to maintain because replacement parts are not always readily available. Lamm said he also believes there is community interest in a new videoboard and that potential donors have expressed interest in helping with the project.
Board members asked Lamm to determine how much money could potentially be pledged by community members and businesses before the next meeting. Board member Josh Maher said he would be comfortable with the district contributing between 10% and 25% of the videoboard cost, with the remainder coming from corporate and private donations.
Lamm said he believes there is momentum behind the project, stating, “I feel like we have an opportunity now. I would like to strike while we can. I’ll try to raise it all. I don’t know. There’s people who have the interest, for sure.”
Under the proposed agreement, the district would own the permanent broadcasting infrastructure, while Hedgepost would provide production and staffing for substantially all covered home varsity regular-season athletic events. The agreement also calls for original feature content and potential student participation opportunities.
Hedgepost would receive exclusive rights to produce and publicly distribute complete video broadcasts of covered home varsity events. Traditional radio, audio and news coverage would continue to be permitted, although board members raised questions about how the exclusivity provisions would apply to other types of media coverage.
The financial commitment prompted questions from board members about how the proposed project fits with the district’s other needs, particularly because the district does not currently have a long-range facilities master plan. Maher said the $175,000 investment could instead go toward maintenance of district buildings.
“If we’re going to be stretched, $175,000 could go a long way on just the maintenance of our buildings. And we don’t necessarily have a master plan,” he explained.
Board member Mike Hampton suggested the broadcasting equipment and rollout of the project be incorporated into the district’s eventual master plan. Superintendent Dr. Sharon Dentlinger also questioned whether the board would be comfortable making the commitment before having that long-range plan in place, asking, “Without a long-range plan, can we commit?”
Board President Angie Blint offered a different perspective, comparing the potential investment to the roughly $150,000 the district recently approved for elementary playground equipment.
“We just spent $150,000 on playground equipment for the elementary buildings. Investing in those kiddos, not necessarily in their education, but for their total benefit and school experience. I look at this as impacting the middle and the high school students,” she explained.
Board member Mark Overberg questioned the experience of Amplify-MP, noting the company has been operating for about a year.
Company representatives Gracey and Bryant said the proposal is about more than livestreaming sports and would include marketing services and other opportunities for the district.
Bryant also told the board that the media company plans to continue livestreaming Mount Pleasant sports regardless of whether the agreement is approved, assuring them, “We want to livestream sports. Regardless, we’re going to continue to do it.”
The board also raised questions about cybersecurity, student privacy and the technology involved.
Board member Craig Hurd asked how the company’s equipment would be separated from the school district’s network and whether firewalls or other protections could be used. Hurd’s questions prompted discussion about how the media company’s equipment could be separated from the district’s network. Gracey and Bryant said they were willing to work with the district on those protections.
There was also significant discussion about music and other copyrighted material in athletic broadcasts or other school-sponsored activities that may be livestreamed. Because Amplify-MP does not currently have the necessary music licensing rights for some material, portions of livestreams may have to be muted to avoid problems with broadcasting platforms. Some events or portions of events may also not be livestreamed because of copyright restrictions.
Board members questioned how long the technology would remain useful, who would cover events when Amplify-MP cannot, and whether the district’s existing student media program could help fill those gaps. Ronald Waggoner, the teacher sponsor for MPTV-Close Up, was at the meeting. MPTV-Close Up is the high school’s student media production program, which works with livestreams, graphics, social media, the yearbook and other media projects.Waggoner said he sees potential in the proposal, while recognizing there could be challenges.
“As long as things are going well, I think it will be good. I don’t envy some of the hurdles they’re going to have to face,” he added.
One student, senior Caden Mullin, was also at the meeting. While Mullin is not directly involved with MPTV-Close Up, when asked whether students would be interested in the opportunities, he said, “I think it’ll be good for us.”
The reliability of the district’s current livestreaming system also came up after last Friday night’s football broadcast by Amplify-MP experienced technical problems and was not watchable. Gracey and Bryant attributed that problem to the available internet speed from LISCO, saying it was not fast enough to support the livestream. They suggest increasing the district’s internet speed at an additional cost of about $85 per month, or more than $1,000 per year.
Board members also noted there could be additional ongoing costs for software subscriptions, updates and upgrades once the equipment is installed and operational.
Gracey also discussed possible opportunities for students in the future, including the possibility of dual-enrollment credit through William Penn University for students who work with their company to learn video programming and production. He emphasized that possibility is a future concept and is not part of the immediate proposal before the board.
Again, no action was taken on Monday night. The board is expected to continue reviewing the proposal, with a possible vote scheduled for October 12th. KILJ will continue to follow the district’s consideration of the proposed agreement, including the project’s cost, funding, technology and potential opportunities for students. To view the differences in the initial proposal versus the current agreement, click here.