A charity initiative that unites several local media entities is reliant on city dollars, according to tax filings analyzed by The Grand Rapids Herald.
The Grand Rapids Community Media Center (GRCMC) is a 501(c)(3) public charity. It was founded in 1980 to act as a unified community media ecosystem in Grand Rapids.
GRCMC houses five local news services, which include GRTV public access television, WYCE 88.1 FM community radio, citizen reporting outlet The Rapidian, performing arts venue Wealthy Theater, and nonprofit tech support CMC IT Services. The network formerly housed activist media watchdog Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy (GRIID), but that project now operates as a separate entity.
GRCMC receives as much as 58% of its funding—about $1.16 million—from cable franchise fees distributed by the City of Grand Rapids. Under Michigan’s Uniform Video Services Local Franchise Act, local municipalities are allowed to collect and redistribute up to 5% of a cable provider’s revenue.
These city funds appear to represent an internal conflict in the mission of GRCMC, primarily through its association with The Rapidian. That project, linked to the nationwide Documenters network, trains and pays citizen journalists to report on public meetings of the City Commission and other influential groups.
GRCMC Executive Director Starla McDermott did not respond to a request for comment from The Grand Rapids Herald.
Cable access dollars appear to be drying up with more residents turning to streaming services. These fees are also coming under scrutiny at the state and federal level, presenting further risk to the GRCMC’s operations.
This predicament is likely one contributing factor why GRCMC has been operating at a deficit of about $500,000 annually since 2024. Increased investments in The Rapidian and WYCE have only accelerated this shortfall.
Given GRCMC’s reserves of about $2.23 million as of 2025, the group may exhaust its resources by 2028.
The remainder of GRCMC’s funds come mostly from contributions and grants, followed by inventory sales and investment income.
Write to jackson@grherald.com.