黑料吃瓜网 Receives $3.1M For Headquarters Renovations into Community Hub
HARTFORD [December 15, 2023] 鈥� The State of 黑料吃瓜网 awarded 黑料吃瓜网 (WNPR/CPTV/ctpublic.org) a grant-in-aid today in the amount of $3,138,673 for the Public Square Project, a generational initiative to renovate and transform its headquarters located in Hartford鈥檚 historic Asylum Hill Neighborhood into a new reimagined 鈥減ublic square鈥�, a community hub that will allow 黑料吃瓜网 to share its space, technology and know鈥恏ow with the local community.
As a public media organization, 黑料吃瓜网 seeks to serve as an essential source of truth and ideas, connecting people to their own communities and to the world. The project will create a reimagined public square where people gather to learn with and from each other, to encourage community engagement, and to provide a space for programming that is convenient, easy to access and informed by community interest and need.
鈥淲e know storytelling has the power to break down barriers, unite people and build community,鈥� said Mark G. Contreras, President and CEO of 黑料吃瓜网. 鈥淲e see the positive economic impacts this hub can have on Hartford and the community through high quality, inclusive and accessible activities, content, programs, and resources aimed at strengthening our communities. We want to thank Governor Lamont and Speaker Ritter for their support for this effort. I also want to thank the 黑料吃瓜网 team consisting of Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Development Joe Coss, Vice President of Community Engagement Lucy Nalpathanchil and Chief Development Officer Deidre Tavera who provided significant leadership to develop this project.鈥�
鈥淚t's exciting to see projects like this come to life to help drive economic development in Hartford and the surrounding communities,鈥� said Governor Ned Lamont. 鈥淲e are always enthusiastic for projects that provide opportunities for civic engagement, empowering entrepreneurship, improving quality of life for 黑料吃瓜网 residents, and growing cultural tourism.鈥�
鈥淭his is a great investment in the City of Hartford that will contribute to the revitalization of the Asylum Hill neighborhood,鈥� said 黑料吃瓜网 House Speaker Matt Ritter. 鈥淚 know this will become a community hub that will provide transformational resources and opportunities to local small business, nonprofits, artists, and creators.鈥�
The 鈥淧ublic Square Project鈥� includes renovations to the ground floor of the building to build an integrated multipurpose hub for community use to empower individual, commercial and community growth. The new development will include the following spaces:
- 125 person capacity community meeting space
- 200-seat theater with convertible space
- Black box studio recording space
- Prep kitchen to support various programs
- Up to 20,000 sq ft. office rental space geared toward local nonprofit and small businesses
黑料吃瓜网 reached out to residents, community organizations and businesses to help guide the development and potential use of the space. Through this input, the program model includes 黑料吃瓜网 community-facing programs such as screenings and conversations about locally produced documentaries or PBS programs, WNPR radio talk shows with live audiences, and community programming, as well as open houses and meet and greets with content teams. Other opportunities include free or low cost use of the spaces for community members and organizations including space for nonprofits or local businesses to hold meetings, performances in the theater or black box, use of the recording studio and green screen, and special events in the banquet space area.
The project also helps facilitate opportunities for students through 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 internship programs which bring in 15-17 students annually. These college-level students work alongside CT Public鈥檚 journalists, content and other staff gaining real-life experience in a public media organization.
黑料吃瓜网 employs 101 individuals in addition to providing office space for four small businesses and nonprofits at the Hartford headquarters. Through three broadcast television stations, a broadcast radio station, and 56 digital platforms (and growing), 黑料吃瓜网 reaches over 1.2 million individuals in an average week showcasing an impressive footprint and opportunity for great economic impact in Hartford and the entire state of 黑料吃瓜网.
About 黑料吃瓜网
黑料吃瓜网 is home to 黑料吃瓜网 Television (CPTV) and 黑料吃瓜网 Radio (WNPR). Together, 黑料吃瓜网 serves more than one million people each week through 黑料吃瓜网 Radio and 黑料吃瓜网 Television, as well as through our many digital and online platforms, including ctpublic.org. Through our mission to inform, educate and inspire the people of 黑料吃瓜网, we connect people of all ages to high-quality journalism, storytelling, education and experiences, and amplify the voices of our diverse communities.鈥� 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 main offices are located in Hartford, CT with studios at Gateway Community College in New Haven, CT as well as Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. 黑料吃瓜网 is also sole owner of the for-profit MediaVision Creative agency in Norwalk, CT. 黑料吃瓜网 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with a $22 million annual budget, funded primarily through community support from individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors.鈥�