Adams Community Television was founded in 1988 by Raymond Gouker, a teacher of Visual Communications at the Gettysburg High School.  His interests were to create a medium for Adams County and surrounding communities by providing an opportunity to showcase their local talents, history, people, cultural and athletic events, landscaping and economy, as well as provide a focal point which will address issues and provide educational programming that will be of interest to and benefit local residents.

During the winter of 1985-86, Raymond Gouker called a meeting of a large number of representatives of various communities organizations and businesses that he thought would be interested in such an adventure.  Included in these were representatives from the Gettysburg Area School District, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg Library, Gettysburg Hospital, and Gettysburg Fire Company.  Also included were a number of individuals who were interested in the project.  In 1987, ACTV formed their very first Board of Directors.

The ACTV Board of Directors felt that a system like ACTV would be a tremendous benefit to the community.  Their aim was to have cable access available and airing programs by September 1989.

          The Support of community organizations, companies, and individuals through financial gifts and vounteer time determined the extent of quality and quantity of benefit that ACTV could provide to Adams and surrounding counties.

Much to the suprise of the so called  "experts" in the field, ACTV went on the air as a cable access television station in October 1989.  At this time, local productions of sports, community events, and news were beginning to be developed.  By 1990, these productions were made into live shows.

When ACTV first aired, it was telecasting five nights a week, two hours a night.  In 1998, the programming increased and added three more hours to its telecasting time and now airing five hours a night. Currently ACTV is on air 11 hours a day seven days a week.  In the spring of 2004 ACTV made its programming avalible online, streaming the live signal from 4pm to 10pm Monday threw Friday.  From 1999 to present, ACTV, funded in part by Comcast Cable Network, provides a variety of live programs, pre-preproduced programs, and special programming.  It currently broadcasts over 1,500 programs to approximately 32,000 households yearly.