Arlington Community Media

What Arlington Community Media does

Arlington Community Media, Inc. (ACMi) is a nonprofit, membership-based community media organization headquartered at 85 Park Avenue, Arlington, Massachusetts. Founded in 2006 and incorporated in Massachusetts, ACMi provides an electronic forum for the free exchange of information and ideas reflecting the Arlington community, operating three cable television channels — Public Channel, Education Channel, and Government Channel — distributed across Comcast, RCN, and Verizon Fios, complemented by a global on-demand streaming platform. It serves Arlington residents, K-12 students, the Town of Arlington government, and community organizations with live coverage of town meetings, elections, high school graduations, sports, and cultural events. The organization is led by Executive Director Norman J. McLeod and an 8-person management team that includes 13-time Emmy Award-winning News Director Jeff Barnd.

ACMi's product surface spans three linear channels plus ACMi News (a local newscast) and ACMi Sports (youth-produced coverage of Arlington High School athletics). The underlying technology stack consists of professional production studios (including a convertible Studio A), member-accessible equipment ranging from camcorders and DSLRs to VR headsets and drones, and Adobe creative software. Supporting programs include Studio Knights (weekly production group), ACMi Films, citizen journalism and internship pipelines, school-level youth groups (elementary Green Teams through high school production groups), and the annual A-Town Teen Film Festival. The 2022 and 2023 Hometown Media Awards for 'Best Public Access Newscast' from the Alliance for Community Media anchor its competitive positioning.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure comprising four streams: recurring membership fees (which grant equipment and studio access), public donations, programming sponsorships, and managed-services funding through a Television Access Agreement with the Town of Arlington. Distribution relies on wholesale carriage across three major cable providers in the regional market and self-serve on-demand streaming. Go-to-market is community-led, engaging members through workshops, orientations, volunteer crews, and youth programs rather than conventional sales motions.

Name

Arlington Community Media

Legal name

Arlington Community Media, Inc.

Website

https://acmi.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arlington Community Media (ACMi) is a nonprofit community media organization that operates three cable TV channels (Public, Education, Government) plus on-demand streaming, serving Arlington, MA residents, K-12 students, and the Town of Arlington with local news, sports, government coverage, and member production facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Media Services

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Broadcasting Content Distribution & Interconnection (Sat/IP feeds) (MPABADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Production & Outside Broadcast (OB) for Live Events (MPABAJAI)

Keywords

• Community media broadcasting
• Public access television
• Local news production
• Youth media education
• Cable channel programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Community members pay to become members and gain access to equipment, training, and studio facilities
2. Donations: Public donations and support from the community
3. Sponsorship: Sponsorship programs for programming and content
4. Town Funding: Funding through Television Access Agreement with Town of Arlington

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACMi operates three cable TV channels (Public, Education, Government), produces a weekly local newscast and sports coverage, and provides Arlington residents, students, organizations, and town agencies with access to professional production studios, equipment, and media training. Programming is distributed across Comcast, RCN, Verizon Fios, and on-demand streaming, supported by a membership program, donations, municipal funding, and sponsorships.

Product overview

Arlington Community Media (ACMi) is a nonprofit community media organization operating three cable television channels: the Public Channel (general community programming), Education Channel (school and educational content), and Government Channel (town meetings and municipal affairs). The core product offering includes ACMi News, a weekly local newscast, and ACMi Sports coverage of Arlington High School athletics. ACMi provides community members access to professional production studios, equipment (camcorders, DSLRs, 360-degree cameras, action cameras, VR headsets, drones), and training through workshops on camera operation, editing, lighting, and audio. Youth programs include Studio Knights, ACMi Films, youth groups at local schools, and the annual A-Town Teen Film Festival. The organization also supports citizen journalism through internships and volunteer opportunities, offering hands-on experience in television production to Arlington residents, students, and community organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Channel ACMi's primary community television channel broadcasting general-interest programming including local events, community affairs, and entertainment content, distributed on Comcast CH. 8, RCN CH. 3 and CH. 629 (HD), and Verizon CH. 31 for Arlington residents.
• Education Channel Channel dedicated to educational content including school events, student productions, and academic programming, available on Comcast CH. 9, RCN CH. 13 & 613 (HD), and Verizon CH. 24.
• Government Channel Channel covering town government meetings, public affairs programming, and municipal coverage, available on Comcast CH. 22, RCN CH. 15 & 614 (HD), and Verizon CH. 26 under the Television Access Agreement with the Town of Arlington.
• ACMi News Award-winning (Hometown Media Awards 2022 and 2023 Best Public Access Newscast) weekly local newscast providing comprehensive coverage of Arlington news, town government, community events, sports, and in-depth reporting on issues affecting residents.
• ACMi Sports Extensive coverage of Arlington High School sports including football, hockey, basketball, and other athletic events, produced by youth crew volunteers.
• Studio Facilities and Equipment Access Professional production studios and equipment available to ACMi members for creating their own television programming, including state-of-the-art camcorders, DSLRs, 360-degree cameras, action cameras, lighting and audio equipment, VR headsets, drones, and access to Adobe Suite software on studio computers.
• Workshops and Training Media production training including basic camera, editing, lighting, and audio skills, with one-on-one help, hands-on work experience, and access to Adobe Suite software and equipment for members.
• Internship Program In-depth hands-on television production internships, primarily serving college students from nearby institutions, providing practical experience in all aspects of media production including news, sports, and original programming.
• Youth Media Programs Youth media programs including Green Teams at elementary schools, the Ottoson Media Group at Ottoson Middle School, and various production groups at Arlington High School, plus collaborations on AHS music technology classes and school performance coverage.
• ACMi Membership Paid annual membership program that gives Arlington residents access to ACMi's professional production studios, equipment library, training workshops, and the member-producer community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hometown Media Award winner (Best Public Access Newscast) for consecutive years 2022 and 2023

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Town of ArlingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACMi operates under a Television Access Agreement with the Town of Arlington, providing broadcast coverage of government meetings, public affairs programming, and serving as the official community media outlet for Arlington.
• Arlington International Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACMi collaborates with the Arlington International Film Festival to support local filmmakers and youth filmmaking through the A-Town Teen Film Festival and ongoing filmmaking workshops.
• Regent TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for the A-Town Teen Film Festival, showcasing youth filmmaking talent from Arlington and beyond at the historic Regent Theatre.
• 48-Hour Film FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACMi has participated in the 48-Hour Film Festival as part of its filmmaker support and community engagement.
• Crowdsourced BostonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative filmmaker project that ACMi participates in to inspire and support local filmmakers.
• Ottoson Middle SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACMi maintains strong presence at Ottoson Middle School through Green Teams and the Ottoson Media Group, providing media production opportunities for middle school students.
• Arlington High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACMi provides extensive coverage of Arlington High School sports and performances, collaborates with music technology classes, and supports student production groups.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Somerville Media Center (SMC): Somerville, MA PEG access center adjacent to Arlington with the same town-franchise-funded cable, education, and government channel model and member production programs.
• Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN): NYC's community media organization operating multiple cable channels, offering studio/equipment access, training, and youth programs. Functionally identical model to ACMi at a much larger urban scale.
• Watertown Community Access (WCA-TV): Watertown, MA public access organization operating public, education, and government channels adjacent to Arlington with comparable member services and local news programming.
• Belmont Media Center: Belmont, MA community media organization immediately adjacent to Arlington offering public, education, and government cable channels, equipment access, and youth programs.
• Brookline Interactive Group (BIG): Brookline, MA community media center operating PEG channels, youth programs, and member-driven production. Suburban Greater Boston peer with a similar franchise-funded model.
• Cambridge Community Television (CCTV): Cambridge, MA PEG access center operating cable channels, a news program, and youth media programs. Direct neighbor and functional mirror to ACMi with the same nonprofit, three-channel (Public/Education/Government) model.
• Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN): Boston's community media center providing cable channels, training, equipment access, and youth programs. Closest large-metro analog to ACMi's model in the Greater Boston area.
• LexMedia (Lexington, MA): Lexington, MA PEG access center providing community cable channels, member production facilities, and local news programming — direct suburban peer to ACMi.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance for Community Media (ACM): National trade association for PEG access channels and community media centers. Issues the Hometown Media Awards that ACMi has won and advocates for the cable-franchise funding model that underpins ACMi's revenue.

Regional players

• Vermont Access Network (VAN): Statewide network of PEG access centers in Vermont operating under the same cable-franchise-funded, nonprofit, three-channel model as ACMi, but serving a multi-town rural footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACMITV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AcmiTv
• Facebookfacebook.com/acmitv
• Instagraminstagram.com/arlingtoncommunitymedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arlington Community Media