Public access stations lend cameras, teach production and give you cable airtime, usually free or for a small fee, because cable companies pay for them through franchise agreements. Back to Filmmaker Resources. Related: Studios & Stages, Gear Rental & Purchase, Education & Training.
The plain finding for Columbus: we could not prove any open public access station in Columbus or Central Ohio. Every station below we could verify is in Dayton, Cincinnati or northeast Ohio, and most of them only serve residents of their own towns. See "Columbus and Central Ohio" and "Needs verification".
All facts below were read from each station's own page on 2026-11-02. Where a page did not say, the cell says "not stated". Nothing here is from memory.
Best value
Ranked by what a filmmaker gets free or cheapest. "Eligibility" is the catch: most free offers are for residents of one town.
| Rank | Station | City | Cost (read 2026-11-02) | What you get | Who may use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hudson Community Television (HCTV) | Hudson | Free air time, free cameras, free instruction | Staff-provided cameras, production instruction, studio at Hudson High School | Hudson residents and organizations |
| 2 | Brunswick Area Television (BAT) | Brunswick | No fees listed; "free equipment loans" | Equipment loans, studio, control room, podcast facility, training | Community groups, nonprofits and individuals; residency rule not stated |
| 3 | Waycross Community Media | Forest Park (Cincinnati area) | Equipment use and cablecast free; membership cost not listed | Video training, equipment, cablecast | Residents of Forest Park, Greenhills, Springfield Township, Colerain Township |
| 4 | Cincinnati Community Television (CCT) | Cincinnati | Orientation free; other cost not listed | Studio, field and post-production resources for certified producers | Cincinnati residents (proof required) |
| 5 | Dayton Access Television (DATV) | Dayton | $50 a year, or $5 a month; $35 early-bird renewal | Studio, field gear, edit suites, workshops | Eligibility rules not stated |
Ranking note: DATV is last on price but is the only one whose own page describes a full studio, field kit and edit suites, and it states no residency limit. If you are in Columbus and want real access today, DATV is the one to call first.
Columbus and Central Ohio
| Station | Status |
|---|---|
| Community 21 (Columbus Community Cable Access, Inc.), Columbus | Not checked / not proved open. The only source we could read is a Columbus Free Press timeline published April 2000, which describes the organization at 394 Oak Street with declining staff and programming. We found no live page for it. Do not drive there. |
| Suburban government channels (Westerville, Dublin, Hilliard, Gahanna, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Delaware, Grove City) | Not checked. We found no page showing any of them runs a resident production program. Several city sites blocked our automated check. |
If you know a working Columbus-area station, tell MOFA and we will verify it before listing it.
Station details
Free before paid. Columns are what the station's own page said.
Hudson Community Television (HCTV), Hudson
- Tier: statewide (northeast Ohio, Summit County).
- Channels: Spectrum 1021 (community and public access), 1022 (city and school board meetings), 1023 (community information).
- Studio: Hudson High School, 2500 Hudson-Aurora Road, Door M, Hudson, OH 44236. Call to make an appointment.
- Field cameras: staff provide cameras to Hudson residents and organizations at no charge.
- Edit suites: not stated.
- Training: production instruction at no charge; no prior experience needed.
- Cost: free. Online payments for DVDs and donations carry a convenience fee.
- Who: Hudson residents and organizations.
- Phone: (330) 653-2500.
- Station page: hudson.oh.us, read 2026-11-02.
Brunswick Area Television (BAT), Brunswick
- Tier: statewide (northeast Ohio, Medina County).
- Channels: Government Access, Public Access, Educational Access and a Recreation Channel on Spectrum; two of the channels on Breezeline. Channel numbers not stated on the page.
- Studio: 4274 Manhattan Avenue, Brunswick, OH 44212, with a control room and podcast facility.
- Field cameras: equipment loans offered; camera models not stated.
- Edit suites: not stated.
- Training: "comprehensive training"; staff can pair you with existing producers.
- Cost: no fees listed on the page; "free equipment loans".
- Who: community groups, nonprofits and individuals. Programs reach subscribers in Brunswick and Brunswick Hills Township.
- Phone: 330-220-1726, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
- Station page: brunswick.oh.us, read 2026-11-02.
Waycross Community Media, Forest Park
- Tier: statewide (Cincinnati area).
- Channels: Spectrum 4, 8/979, 15, 17, 13 and 24; Cincinnati Bell Fioptics 850 to 855.
- Studio: 2086 Waycross Road, Forest Park, OH 45240. Tours offered.
- Field cameras and edit suites: not stated.
- Training: video production workshops and video training for residents.
- Cost: equipment use and cablecast of your program are free; membership cost not listed.
- Who: residents of Forest Park, Greenhills, Springfield Township and Colerain Township.
- Phone: 513-825-2429. Page footer reads 2023, so confirm by phone.
- Station page: waycross.tv, read 2026-11-02.
Cincinnati Community Television (CCT), Cincinnati
- Tier: statewide (Cincinnati).
- Channels: Spectrum 4, 8, 15, 24; Fioptics 802 to 805.
- Equipment: certified producers may use "studio, field recording or post-production equipment resources"; models not stated.
- Training: hands-on producer training in studio and location production, plus an information session. Next orientation on the page: "SPRING 2025", so the page may be stale; ask.
- Cost: orientation free; membership cost not listed.
- Who: Cincinnati residents; proof of residency required.
- Address and phone: not on the page. Email info@cincinnaticommunitytelevision.com.
- Station page: Get involved, read 2026-11-02.
Dayton Access Television (DATV), Dayton
- Tier: statewide (Dayton).
- Studio: homepage history says a 40 by 50 foot studio and four edit suites (Avid and other systems). The same history gives 280 Leo Street, Dayton, as the building bought in 1992; the page lists no current address or phone, so confirm before visiting.
- Field and studio gear: the membership page's workshops cover field cameras with tripods and lights, a Tricaster switcher, robotic cameras and Adobe Premiere Elements editing. No formal equipment list is given.
- Training: entry-level workshops first (Field Production, Basic Studio, Audio, Editing, and more), then advanced workshops, mostly weekday evenings. Free volunteer orientations on the second Wednesday of each month per the homepage.
- Cost: individual membership $50 a year (early-bird renewal $35 before December 31); monthly tiers from $5; DATV/Film Dayton joint membership $70.
- Who: eligibility rules not stated.
- Station pages: membership and homepage, read 2026-11-02.
Not yet open
- Akron Community Studios, Akron. Its own page says it "is launching a non-profit entity" and the site is in its initial layout phase. It promises a membership program with free training, and donated cameras and computers, using WAOH Television's space until its own studio is built. No cost, launch date or cable channel is given. Do not plan around it yet. Address on its page: 540 South Main Street, Suite 962, Akron, OH 44311; (330) 576-8495.
Needs verification
What we tried and could not prove on 2026-11-02:
- Community 21, Columbus. Searched for a live page; only a 2000 timeline and 1990s court cases turned up. Guessed city and station addresses did not load. Not listed as open.
- Miami Valley Communications Council (MVCC), Dayton area. Search results describe producer training, a TV Production class, a podcast studio and free advanced workshops, but mvcc.net refused our automated requests (HTTP 403), so no fact was read from the station's own page. Check mvcc.net by hand for member cities, fees and address.
- Athens Community Television (Public Access Channel 23), Athens. The only source was a January 2006 Athens Post article; no current page found. Not listed.
- Springfield Public Access Channel 5. A 2022 city notice exists but could not be read. Not listed.
- Cleveland (TV20 or any city access station), Toledo, Youngstown, Canton, Columbus-area suburban channels. No station page found that shows a resident production program. Not checked.
- CitiCable, Cincinnati. A government channel; the page does not say residents can produce on it. Not listed as public access.
- Facebook-only stations. None identified; any found would be "not checked".
- DATV current street address, phone and eligibility; CCT address, cost and current orientation dates; Waycross page is dated 2023.