HARTFORD -- Time is running out for the Connecticut Network.
A potential victim of the compromise budget passed through the State House and Senate last week CT-N had its budget slashed by around half, $3.2 million to $1.6 million.
"We're really struggling to find whether it's possible to continue," said Paul Giguere, Connecticut Public Affairs Network CEO, the non-profit which runs CT-N.
CT-N has been in operation since 1999 and provides non-partisan, non-stop coverage of events in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of state government.
More than 30 people work for CT-N. Whether or not they'll still be employed through the end of the week is unknown.
Giguere says CPAN and the legislature, which, through an ancillary taxpayer account, funds CT-N, had been in contract negotiations since the late Spring. The contract was granted a one year extention while negotiations continued.
The contract expires midnight on October 31st. Giguere says CT-N will cease operations if no solution is found.
"Every single day, things are happening in state Government that we the people need to have access to and CT-N delivers that, whether it's on cable television or cell phones or tablets, it's there and it's vital to a healthy democracy," said Giguere.
FOX 61 reached out to each of the four caucuses in the Legislature and received a statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Len Fasano:
'This budget does not shut down CT-N. We all believe the network serves an important role in bringing transparency to the legislature. But when facing a deficit of over $3.5 billion, reductions have to made throughout all areas of government to protect core services. CT-N is going to have to consolidate services and coverage of important capitol hearings and limit coverage of outside events. We are all making sacrifices and we are asking CT-N to join us.'
When asked if Giguere felt targeted by disgruntled legislators for providing coverage, he paused and replied, "I don't know."