The city of Janesville hosts its first ever all-video “State of the City” address.
City spokesman Nick Faust says the city and cable access channel JATV worked to build a 20-minute “State of the City” video this year.
The video broadcasts during the upcoming city council meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, and on JATV’s YouTube feed and cable channel 994.
The new video format is a break from the style of State of the City addresses residents might remember hearing under former City Manager Mark Freitag.
Freitag, a retired Army Colonel, ran an annual address similar to the U.S. President’s annual State of the Union address. Those city addresses typically rolled in January, and they mainly featured Freitag, at a podium at City Hall, delivering his presentation live, and speaking for about an hour.
The new formula for Janesville’s “State of the City” is more brief and less ceremonial. It includes an address and some narration by city Manager Kevin Lahner.
But Faust says the video features many more city employees who take the lead to talk about city initiatives such as the pending General Motors property buyout and the Woodman’s Center project.
It’s the first major video project the city has undertaken with JATV since Lahner assumed administrative control over the local cable access channel earlier this year. The city took on authority of JATV after years of the city-funded, nonprofit local access TV station operating under guidance of the Hedberg Public Library board.
Faust says the State of the City video is an example of the types of programming the city aims to leverage through its new management of JATV.
Faust says Monday’s State of the City address was slated to roll in spring in part as a way to ring in a new city council.
Lahner last gave a State of the City address in January 2024 when he spoke for 15 minutes on city initiatives. The talk was held at a private breakfast that local business operators held at local country club.
The 2024 event was recorded and later re-broadcast on JATV.
