LATV Becomes Granite North Television

It’s Official… GNTV is now your local access station.

At times, life places crossroads and choices in front of you. The path one selects determines all other paths along their journey. Sometimes the choices are easy decisions, while at other times, they can be much harder. With the selection of a Board of Directors in January to begin the process of governing Channel 2, a handful of choices were made. One of the easiest, and best ones we made as a collective was to rebrand our station based on our regional affiliation.

Though proud of our heritage here in Littleton, and our branding of “LATV Channel 2”, too often we heard individuals speak of the station as a “Littleton Station”. This was identified very early on as a challenge we needed to meet head on. How can we service the greater North Country region (…and regions beyond that in years to come) with a foothold married to a single town? Though the name felt right on many levels, there was some concern that it would continue to alienate viewers and users of the station. Too often the “hub” of Littleton becomes the focus simply because it is easy. It is an amazing town, with incredible stories. But so is Bethlehem. And Lisbon, or Sugar Hill… We knew very early we needed to identify our station, and it’s new nonprofit mission, with the region itself.

New name. New focus.

After a many, many years of serving the North Country as “Channel 2”, “Littleton Area Television”, “LATV Channel 2”, or some version of such, we have changed our name. We have made the decision to move forward with an all inclusive rebrand. Through numerous conversations with the station’s board, it was decided to focus the organization’s naming strategy on the Northern New Hampshire area as a whole. As we currently serve 7 townships, we felt it unfair to only “namesake” one. In addition, with a 5-year growth plan and mission to include northern regions such as Lancaster, Groveton, and Colebrook within a network of sister stations, our branding had to be as such. Enter “Granite North Television” A solid name much like the foundation of our state, with a regional focus all inclusive of the current viewers, and our future ones.

The rebrand of the logo has been a collaborative effort between Executive Director Chad Fillion, and station board member Jason Tors; both seasoned digital designers. The current logo (shown above) is a result of a handful of weeks of efforts and energetic ideas that culminated in the new clean design.

Nonprofit status

The rebrand, and the name change, comes at the same time the station has established itself as a nonprofit entity in the state of New Hampshire. Having recently received our Certificate of Existence form, and filing our Articles of Incorporation, and our SS-4 form, we officially exist as a corporation within NH. With this status and paperwork comes our Federal Tax ID number as well. This number will allow for a path toward financial stability to be built. However, like any other well traveled path, the prep work and foundation are the most critical components. Rush or cut corners and the road beneath crumbles.

Managing Director Chad Fillion has established with GNTV a solid Board of Directors comprised of local, civic minded individuals to help shape and form the future of the station. Members currently include (with interim titles indicated) Andrew Bronson (acting President) of Tender Corp and the founder of the Tender5K road race, Jason Tors (acting secretary), proprietor of The Loading Dock of NH, local musician, artist, an Cultural Arts Commission member, and Justin Roshak (acting treasurer) local and regional reporter for the Littleton Courier.

Additional board members

In addition to these willing executive volunteers, we also have Rebecca Brown, past State Representative, Journalist and current Executive Director of the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust as part of our collective, along with Eric Meth, Selectman of Franconia and Educator at Littleton High School. We also are also honored to have Nathan Read, Broadcasting and Digital Media instructor for the Hugh Gallen Career Center holding a seat at our table. Rounding out our efforts are United States Air Force Reservist, Drama coach and local actor John Adams, and Local musician and founder of the Music on the ‘Noosuc music & arts festival Adam Reczek.

With any new organization there are many items on the to do list. Many of the accomplishments the board has achieved already in it’s first 6 months are important to the foundation for the station moving forward. The board moved to have a dedicated main street office established for citizens to have access to. The station bylaws and policies are being written to help maintain order and fairness. These will help govern what content is aired, and shared, on our broadcasts. The articles of incorporation have been filed, along with state and federal paperwork issued to make the organization a legal corporation. And perhaps most importantly, a mission has been established:

Granite North Television exists to provide high-quality, community-based, distribution of local and regional news, events, programs and information that is commercial free and free of charge. Through the use of over-the air, online, or printed distribution formats, we ensure universal access to content that informs, educates, enlightens, and enriches the public, and helps to inform civil discourse essential to American society.