A new leader for Cambridge Community Television will be announced Friday after a year of searching, according to the board of the organization that provides tools and training in media technology and, at times, local news coverage for the city.
The station’s previous executive director, Jessica Smyser, left in May 2024 for a similar role in Brookline. An interim leader started in late June but was gone in October during a search for a permanent leader. During that time, fundraising saw a dip in individual donors and CCTV missed out on grants that are not available without an executive director in place, leaders at the organization said.
The nonprofit’s annual report shows a drop in fundraising to $13,013 in 2024 from $26,269 in 2023 – money cable access organizations such as CCTV rely on as money dries up from cable television licensing fees.
“It was really challenging at first,” said Matt Landry, president of CCTV’s board of directors. “Last summer was a bit of a scramble to make sure we understood everything that was happening, and I have to say that all of the staff really stepped up in incredible ways and really got involved.”
With interim leader Linda Chin gone, the board conducted a search with help from The Buske Group, a cable communications consulting firm, and hired Melina O’Grady as a part-time director of leadership transition. O’Grady came on around late November.
“Melina has this way about her that can really bring everybody together, help us pull out our strengths, kind of recalibrate the team and help us reprioritize when there’s a lack of a leader,” said Maritza Grooms, associate director of people and culture at CCTV. “Melina helped strengthen the things that were already working well and helped us forge new paths to really smooth out any rough edges that might have come up last year.”
Grooms said they hope to stay in touch with O’Grady despite her temporary role. Landry and Grooms commended the CCTV staff on its ability to work without a permanent executive director and to continue the station’s programming amid the confusion.
“Transition is difficult and challenging for anybody, and ongoing change can be really challenging, but when you have a team that’s dedicated and committed to the community, you work together and you overcome those challenges,” Grooms said. “We’re in a really strong place and ready to welcome our new ED.”
The search process with Buske involved an essay submission and multiple rounds of interviews that Grooms and Landry said gave them confidence in the incoming choice – “We offered the position to our top candidate and she did say yes,” Landry said – and their experience.
“This person is coming in with a wealth of background and experience in community media, in managing large groups of people and small groups of people. They are a person who leads by example,” Grooms said. “I think it’ll be an exciting time for CCTV.”
The new executive director is set to be onboarded in July. Grooms and Landry said that with a permanent leader, the community can expect a stronger presence from CCTV in the coming months.
“You’re going to see us around more. You’re going to see us at more events, we’re going to be out in the community more than we have been in the last few years due to the pandemic and other circumstances. But really, you’re just going to see a stronger CCTV,” Grooms said.
This post was updated May 22, 2025, to say that an interim leader at CCTV last year was “gone in October.”
A stronger
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