Hudson Community Television is in the middle of a major transition expanding programming, modernizing operations, and finding new ways to fund itself as cable revenues continue to decline. This week, HCTV Director Mike Johnson briefed the Board of Selectmen on how the station is adapting and where it’s headed next.
Johnson began by outlining the department’s staffing structure, which includes two full-time production coordinators, on-call staff, and two part-time videographers.
“Our on-call staff might work seasonally,” Johnson said. “They might be back from college, work an event here and there, or just fill in occasionally.”
He noted that the mission statement adopted last year remains unchanged: “to produce, teach, and provide quality hyper-local content and information by and for the residents of Hudson.”
HCTV continues to operate on Comcast cable channels 6 (public), 8 (educational), 22 (government), and 1073 HD, which Johnson described as a “Best-of” channel featuring content from all three.
“Our main purpose the reason we exist is to livestream Town of Hudson and School District meetings and events,” Johnson said. “This is our bread and butter. We also cover local community events and human-interest stories.”
The department also provides AV support for Town meeting spaces and offers residents the opportunity to produce their own content either in the studio or by signing out equipment.
Johnson highlighted longtime volunteer Pete Lanzillo of the Cable Committee as an example of community involvement. “He sends us the races from the Hudson Speedway,” Johnson said. “He’s done it for years. Just an example of what someone can do on HCTV.”
One of HCTV’s major FY26 goals was to secure sponsorships to help offset declining cable franchise fee revenue as more households shift to streaming services. Johnson said the department launched its underwriting program in February 2026.
“We have filled five out of the seven slots for this year, and we’ve raised a total of $11,350,” Johnson said. “It’s been amazing for us, and we’re very thankful for everyone who supported us.”
Two underwriting slots remain available.
Johnson also noted that the passage of Warrant Article 16 last year modified HCTV’s revolving fund, increasing the station’s share of franchise fee revenue from 80% to 100%.
“That will begin this fiscal year,” he said.