PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. – The Calvert County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) announces the launch of Calvert Broadcast, Calvert County’s public, educational and government (PEG) access broadcast studio. Calvert Broadcast represents BOCC’s ongoing efforts to improve government transparency and expand audience reach, and provides the public with access to modern broadcast production services and equipment.
The BOCC commemorated the opening of the studio with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at the new studio on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. The Calvert Broadcast studio is located at 100 Skipjack Road in Prince Frederick. As a demonstration of Calvert’s broadcast capabilities, the inaugural event was broadcast live on Comcast Channels 6 and 1070 HD. A recording can be viewed on the Calvert County Government YouTube Channel.
Calvert Broadcast is the county’s first and only PEG television and streaming access network, providing subsidized rental access to television production space, equipment and services to the public. The studio offers 1,000 square feet of production space, a 35-foot green screen, 4K and 8K cameras, and a podcasting suite, all available to the public for rental.
“The opening of the Calvert Broadcast studio represents a unique milestone for Calvert County,” said BOCC Chairman Earl F. “Buddy” Hance. “While PEG access is available in communities nationwide, few offer access to a high quality production studio, equipment and services as part of their regular operations. This studio is an important community investment to provide increased government transparency to citizens that will also provide the public, non-profit organizations, small businesses, educational organizations and partner government agencies with affordable access to space, equipment and professional quality television production services.
While county staff will use the studio and equipment during regular business hours, members of the public will be able to rent studio resources after hours and on weekends. This reimbursement model is designed to reduce the studio’s annual operating costs, while allowing access to production services and equipment that would otherwise be unavailable or cost prohibitive to the general public.
As agreed in the Comcast Franchise Agreement 2018the Calvert County government took control of the PEG Access Channel (channel 6 and 1070 HD) in 2019, under what is now the Communications and Media Relations Division, and began increasing news and County government information on the PEG station, including emergency information, public service announcements and live broadcasts of public meetings.
Work began in 2021 to renovate a secure, multifunctional production space at 100 Skipjack Road in Prince Frederick. The $125,000 renovation was completed in March 2022.
Calvert Broadcast, a multimedia division of the Calvert County Office of the County Administrator, Communications and Media Relations Division, serves the citizens of Calvert County with programming that informs, educates, entertains and promotes inclusion and the community. Citizens can listen to news and information from Calvert Broadcast through the Calvert County Government YouTube Channelthe News Podcast of Commissioners’ Reports and Comcast channel 6 and 1070 HD. Find more information about Calvert Broadcast online at www.CalvertCountyMd.gov/CalvertBroadcast and follow @CalvertBroadcast on Instagram.
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