About Us
City 7 is the government-access cable television channel in Independence, Missouri. It is available to all Comcast cable subscribers within the city limits. City 7 is operated solely by the Communications Division of the City Manager’s Office and broadcasts various programming from local, state, and federal governments 24 hours per day. Online multimedia content is available from this Web site via CityConnect. City 7 is operated out of City Hall, 111 E. Maple, and is funded by General Fund revenues.
In 1996, the City renegotiated its franchise agreement with Jones Intercable, the cable system operator at the time. A government access channel was reserved as part of the agreement, and the City acquired channel 7 on June 21, 1996. A City Council Resolution officially established guidelines for its operation and named it “City 7."
On Monday, July 1, 1996, the first City Council meeting was videotaped as a test of the new equipment. The next week, Monday, July 8, the City Council was seen live on TV for the first time. For Independence residents without cable television or interested persons outside of the City limits, Council broadcasts are also available live and on demand on this Web site via streaming video.
City 7’s event coverage has expanded quite a bit since its first meeting broadcasts. Other public meetings, including sessions of the Planning Commission and Tax Increment Financing Commission, are now broadcast. The Jackson County Legislature provides videotapes of their meetings to City 7 for playback. City 7 has also broadcast other public-interest events such as the mayor’s annual State of the City Address, the annual Truman Public Service Award ceremony, City Council candidate forums, special public hearings, and a report of the Missouri State Auditor.
City 7 staff also produces informational videos seen on the channel and throughout the community. These have included programs about new sales taxes to fund Tourism, Storm Water, Parks, Streets, Fire, and Police programs. Other videos have discussed electrical power outages, west nile virus and influenza. City 7 produces a bi-monthly news program called CityView, designed to inform residents about programs, accomplishments and activities throughout the various departments of City government.
Other governmental agencies provide programming for City 7 as well. These include Missouri Outdoors from the Missouri Department of Conservation and Army Newswatch from Soldiers Radio and Television. For more information about the programming on City 7, visit the Programs section of this site.
When videos aren’t playing on City 7, residents can keep up on the latest government news and information by watching the video Bulletin Board. This collection of slides provides information ranging from Parks & Recreation classes to emergency preparedness tips. In all, the Bulletin Board runs for more than an hour before it recycles. It was named a top-three finalist for the 2003 Beacon Award in the category of "Best Bulletin Board" and then won the award in 2005.
If you are an Independence resident or plan to visit Independence, we welcome you to take in some of the diverse informational programming on City 7. It’s government information for you.