Howard County (Map, News) - GTV Manager Tara Gary turned the lights on at Howard’s television station nearly 23 years ago, hitting the air in March 1984 and broadcasting the first County Council meeting in October.

Now, Gary and other staff members — seven full-time and one part-time — have been told they will be losing their jobs at the end of June when the GTV station, one of four county-funded stations, closes.

“I am like the captain going down with the ship,” she said.

The cuts are part of Howard County Executive Ken Ulman’s push to handle anticipated state budget cuts and declining revenue. The consolidation is expected to save Howard $500,000 a year, he said.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and find efficiencies within county government,” Ulman said, adding he will give details on these efficiencies, which could include more cuts, in his “State of the County” address Tuesday.

Howard will be contracting with the community college’s television station to provide programming, he said. Some programming will change, but the channel will still exist, and council hearings still run.

More county information also may be offered online, he said.

Gary said her staff was “pretty much devastated” by the news delivered Thursday.

The cuts will be killing a “valuable service” to residents, Gary said. The channel airs programs on topics such as public safety and health care, as well as special presentations, such as news conferences and candidate forums.

Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, recently said she wanted to broadcast council work sessions on GTV, since often that is where much of the work is done before the vote.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com