PEG stations are doing the work. Two-thirds maintain video archives. 91.2% have valid SSL certificates. They’re producing civic content every day.
But their communities can’t find it.
Blue Astral analyzed 410 community television or broadcast stations with active websites nationwide. The findings reveal why: a combination of technical gaps that, together, bury civic content where residents will never see it.
This matters because cord-cutting continues to accelerate, with cable viewership declining steadily since 2015. As audiences shift online, stations without digital visibility lose their connection to the communities they serve.
The Compound Problem
No single issue is fatal. But the accumulation is:
- 54.9% lack meta descriptions, reducing click-through when they do appear
- 48.3% have no schema markup, so search engines can’t understand their content
- 27.3% run on legacy platforms that may require full rebuilds to fix
- 22.2% lack sitemaps, making it harder for search engines to discover their pages
The result? Stations producing vital civic content that stays invisible to the residents who need it.
Why This Matters
When a resident searches for “city council meeting video,” your station should appear. When a board member presents to city council, they should have data showing digital reach. When grant applications ask about technical compliance, you should have answers.
This report provides the baseline data your station needs to benchmark, prioritize, and defend your digital investments.
What’s Inside the Full Report
The complete 2025 PEG Digital Readiness Study covers:
- Performance & Optimization: Compression, caching, CDN adoption, mobile responsiveness
- Discoverability & SEO: Meta descriptions, sitemaps, structured data markup
- Security Infrastructure: HTTPS, SSL validity, security headers
- Content Production: Video archives, program schedules, live streaming capabilities
- Platform Analysis: CMS distribution, legacy system risks
- Actionable Recommendations: Prioritized fixes based on impact and cost
Download the Full Report
Enter your email and station name to receive the complete research report, including detailed methodology, full data tables, and a prioritized action checklist for your team.
Blue Astral helps PEG stations modernize their digital infrastructure. Request your free station audit to see how you compare to the 410-station baseline.
Blue Astral helps PEG stations modernize their digital infrastructure. Request your free station audit to see how you compare to the 410-station baseline.
