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Community television supporters urge council to fully fund Prince George's Community Television
Summary
Multiple current and former staff, volunteers and users of Prince George's Community Television (PGC TV/CTV) urged the County Council to restore the station's funding in the FY26 budget, describing workforce training, local news coverage and youth programs that would be lost without county support.
Current and former staff, volunteers and viewers of Prince George's Community Television (PGC TV, also called CTV in testimony) told the County Council on May 6 that cutting the station from the FY26 budget would remove hyperlocal news coverage, youth job training and community programming.
The Most Newsworthy: Onichi Chuku, community relations director and project manager for PGC TV, described the station as "more than a station" that provides youth training, internships and community programming. Several current employees and alumni said the station launched media careers and provides coverage of county events not otherwise reported by regional outlets. Multiple speakers asked the council to "save CTV" and fully fund the agency in the FY26 operating budget.
Why it matters: Supporters said CTV serves as a workforce pipeline, an information source for elections and county events, and a resource for nonprofit partners. Staff and volunteers described rapid digital growth after the executive's budget proposed eliminating the agency and said restoring funding would preserve local programming and youth opportunities.
Testimony highlights: Melvin and Vanselle Green described CTV's public-access programs and internships. Onichi Chuku cited community outreach including Thanksgiving drives and summer youth enrichment; he said PGC TV provides professional video reels and job pipelines. Current and former employees including Brian Young and Grant Walker (testifying earlier on other matters) described internships and training that helped them move into professional media positions. Several speakers described measurable audience and training outcomes and requested full funding or, if full restoration was not possible, preservation of staff positions.
Council context and next steps: Testimony was directed at council members as they finalize the FY26 budget. No council vote occurred at the hearing. Speakers urged quick action to restore line-item funding or to preserve staff who run news and youth programs.
