About Us: CCTV Opens the Door so You Can Change the World

Launched in 1984, CCTV Center for Media & Democracy advances free speech, promotes local democracy, facilitates participation in political decision making, and builds unity and empathy in the community by convening, recording, airing, sharing, and archiving community voices.

CCTV’s advocacy and innovative project development secures media channels, tools, and training that allow community involvement in the exchange of ideas and decision making.

CCTV preserves archival video assets that document the exchange of diverse ideas, local community history, and the processes of community democracy.

Learn about our Board and Staff. Read the Diversity Values Statement.
 

CCTV Staff works closely with a variety of local, state, and national partners who are devoted to securing the future of free speech, public access, and open networks. CCTV is a founding member of the Vermont Access Network, an association of 25 community media access centers that operate 40+ channels and serve 100,000 cable households in Vermont. We are part of a larger network of 2500+ community access centers across the nation, represented by the Alliance for Community Media

  • Town Meeting TV  is a trusted producer, educational and equipment resource, and community archive of video providing access to local government and facilitating engagement in local democracy. Town Meeting TV is Chittenden County's regional government access TV channel overseen by municipally appointed representatives from Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Essex Junction, Williston, Winooski, Colchester, and St. George. Town Meeting TV programs are made available on Comcast 1087, Burlington Telecom 17 & 217, as well as at www.CH17.TV.

    Launched in 1990 to cover municipal events and public issues, Town Meeting TV airs 100 hours of public meetings, election coverage, and community events each month on Comcast and Burlington Telecom and www.ch17.tv.  Town Meeting TV opens the door to local government.
     

  • CCTV Productions delivers award winning media production services--from event coverage to documentary and promotional video. CCTV Productions offers recording, hybrid meeting support, live streaming, and mini documentary style overage of events, issues, or organizations.
     
  • Vermont Language Justice Project - Vermont Language Justice Project is guided by a Community Task Force of service providers working with refugees and immigrants meeting monthly to advise and guide health messaging and project priorities. VLJP reaches populations that have been systematically excluded from public health messages - notably saving lives of children and their families during the COVID health emergency. Currently, VLJP distributes a range of COVID health messages (3-5/ month) focused on health precautions, prevention, vaccination and testing protocols in 16 languages (including American Sign Language) as well as other health related messages. VLJP may be able to assist you and your organization in producing video messaging in a variety of languages to expand your mission's reach.
     
  • CCTV Archives is a unique collection of Chittenden County’s history. This history exists on a range of media types, including physical media dating back to the 1980s, as well as born-digital content. With digitization of these assets, CCTV improves the community’s access to these programs and creates long-term preservation of the programming; any member of the public may search CCTV’s entire catalog of program listings (from 1984 to the present). High school, college and university students are introduced to CCTV and the archives through internships and regular partnerships with journalism, anthropology and political science faculty. CCTV Archives contains all material produced by CCTV and Town Meeting TV producers and community users including municipal meetings, election coverage, studio programs, and field recordings. In addition the CCTV Archives maintains select content produced independently and submitted by municipalities, community members, the Vermont Media Exchange, and CCTV Productions. 

Featured Story

Civic Learning Week - Resources & Opportunities at Town Meeting TV

March 11–15, 2024, marks Civic Learning Week, an annual celebration dedicated to promoting civic education and its importance in preparing people for their roles as informed and engaged participants in our self-governing society. At Town Meeting TV, we offer a robust media education program that often centers around civic engagement. Interns, students, and community members can rent & take out video equipment at no charge to record community events, rallies, and interviews with community leaders, local representatives, and state legislators. Click here to learn more.

Read more...

More News from the Center for Media and Democracy