Government Access Channels On OTA Subchannels

[JeeperOne]

You would think some PBS affiliates would consider taking these channels from the local cable company & add them as part of their subchannel offerings (Afterall, they ARE channels with Public Affairs programming ya know). This way, those with a dish can get them

And it's not like the cable companies haven't been trying to find someplace to dump them off to over the years in order to free up the bandwidth taken up by them (Because they have)

I wonder why PBS affiliates haven't considered this

Thoughts?

Cheers & 73 ;D

 

[FightingIrish]

Remember, we're still in the infancy of OTA digital TV. Many subchannels can't even get on to local cable systems, and if they do, they're stuffed into the upper-tier digital ghetto, rather than in the lower-tier prime neighborhoods with USA, TNT, ESPN, etc.

Second, there are some really good public television subchannel offerings out there, and many affiliates even program their own or go through a different party. In my market (Milwaukee, which is very good for sampling the many subchannel offerings), there are two public stations (both co-owned). The main one (Ch. 10) has the HD feed, PBS World (documentary programming) and V-Me, which has Spanish-language programming. The other station (Ch. 36) has the main feed of that channel (in SD), an SD feed of Ch. 10 (since they broadcast digitally on VHF, they have some reception problems), "Create", which features more lifestyle programming, two audio feeds featuring jazz and classical music from WFMT radio in Chicago, and one that has feeds from local freeway traffic cameras and audio from WISDOT radio. I don't think they have any more room there, and I know that many PBS stations are also pretty loaded up on subchannel offerings.

And the C-SPAN channels seem to be doing fine on cable systems as it is. I'm sure they catch more eyeballs than they would if they were on the local PBS outlet.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

It probably won't happen much--if at all--in this economy and bad budget times, but I think it would be neat to see a LP or Class A digital running each of the home city's public access channels OTA--the main public access channel then the others as subchannels (including local educational channels).

But are there areas where there is already a LP/CA digital channel that's already devoted to rebroadcasting a city's PEG channels OTA, and if so where and how many subchannels?

 

[dave73]

Remember, we're still in the infancy of OTA digital TV. Many subchannels can't even get on to local cable systems, and if they do, they're stuffed into the upper-tier digital ghetto, rather than in the lower-tier prime neighborhoods with USA, TNT, ESPN, etc.

Second, there are some really good public television subchannel offerings out there, and many affiliates even program their own or go through a different party. In my market (Milwaukee, which is very good for sampling the many subchannel offerings), there are two public stations (both co-owned). The main one (Ch. 10) has the HD feed, PBS World (documentary programming) and V-Me, which has Spanish-language programming. The other station (Ch. 36) has the main feed of that channel (in SD), an SD feed of Ch. 10 (since they broadcast digitally on VHF, they have some reception problems), "Create", which features more lifestyle programming, two audio feeds featuring jazz and classical music from WFMT radio in Chicago, and one that has feeds from local freeway traffic cameras and audio from WISDOT radio. I don't think they have any more room there, and I know that many PBS stations are also pretty loaded up on subchannel offerings.

And the C-SPAN channels seem to be doing fine on cable systems as it is. I'm sure they catch more eyeballs than they would if they were on the local PBS outlet.

You're not aware that WMVT 36.1 is now HD. They went HD back in February or March. That was why MPTV downgraded MPTV 10.1 to 720p (they were 1080i with no subchannels) in order to add World (formerly called PBS World),V-Me, & a weather radar channel (though this channel doesn't need 3.65mbps for that channel, which they're using approximately now, but around 1mbps or less). Moving those 3 subchannels off of MPTV 36 allowed it to add 720p HD. Now whenever MPTV gets MPTV 10's translator up & running, the simulcast on 36.2 might end, because the translator will broadcast on MPTV's former analog channel of 36. Now for those having trouble getting MPTV 10 either have the wrong antenna, which could be one of those small antennas that blend in with the house (only good for UHF), or have the correct antenna (old-fashioned element antenna), but might be getting interference from WWMT 3 from across Lake Michigan (WWMT & WMVS both broadcast on RF 8 ).


Now for the Chicago market, WTTW could not add a 24 hour government access channel to their bandwidth, without downgrading the main channel to SD. Their main channel is in 1080i HD ( with the subchannels they have, they'd be better off at 720p HD), and also have WTTW Prime (a 24 hour locally programmed channel featuring any program that would be typically air in primetime could be on anytime, slong with reairing certain shows in different timeslots), Create (a lifestyle channel featuring mostly APT programming, but also has some PBS shows), & V-Me (basically PBS en español, but operates independent of PBS).

WYCC has 2 subchannels, but currently only offers 1 subchannel (Mhz Worldview), & simulcasts an SD version of the main channel (main channel 1080i) on a subchanel.

As for WYIN on the Indiana side, they primarily serve NW Indiana rather than Chicago, due to a weak signal toward Chicago (they did have a CP to locate in Chicago, but money reasons prevented the move, & not WTTW & WYCC's objections to the FCC, which denied WTTW & WYCC's request to block the move of WYIN to Chicago). Right now, they have 3 subchannels along with the main channel, & 2 subchannels still need to be filled. The main channel & 56.2 are both in 720p HD, while 56.3 & 56.4 are widescreen SD channels. 56.3 has been filled with a locally programmed PBS Kids Go channel (surprised it isn't all of PBS Kids).56.2 & 56.4 still simulcast the main channel. WYIN broadcasts any programs they receive in HD, but their locally produced programming however is still SD, because they haven't upgraded all their equipment to HD. The channel overall looks like crap, due to a lack of bandwidth with them running 2 720p HD channels, & 2 widescreen SD channels. The 8 Indiana PBS stations are now part of the Indiana Channel, which got a soft launch earlier this year, & all 8 Indiana stations will eventually have a subchannel dedicated to the Indiana Channel. WYIN currently airs some of those shows either on the main channel, or interrupt PBS Kids Go (though programmed locally) in order to air programming from the Indiana Channel on 56.3. I believe the Indiana Channel will either end up on 56.2 or 56.4. The other Indiana stations part of the Indiana Channel are: WNIT South Bend, WFWA Fort Wayne, WIPB Muncie, WFYI Indianapolis, WTIU Bloomington, WVUT Vincennes, & WNIN Evansville. The Indiana Channel currently only has about 3-6 hours of programming, & for now, either integrates the small schedule of programming into their own programming on the main channel, or have it air on a subchannel (even if it means removing World, Create, or other satellite programming) in order to air Indiana Channel programming.

 

[fybush]

Keep in mind that many of these government access channels are funded in large part by the franchise fees paid by cable operators to local governments. That's one reason they remain tied tightly to cable distribution. Another is their hyperlocal nature: within the seven or eight counties reached over the air by the PBS station where I do some work (WXXI-TV Rochester) are literally hundreds of local government jurisdictions - city councils, town and village boards, school boards, and so on. Each one is of interest to a few thousand people served by that jurisdiction, and of no interest whatsoever to most anyone outside those jurisdictions. Putting those broadcasts up on a wide-coverage OTA DTV signal would waste a lot of coverage, and would do nothing for Dish or Direct viewers, since those services don't carry DTV subchannels except in very specific cases.

I know of one PBS station that does carry government access. WNIN in Evansville, Indiana contracts with several local governments, including the city of Evansville and the Vandenburgh County schools, to carry their public meetings on a subchannel. Interestingly, that channel does not appear on the local cable - you have to be watching OTA to see it.

 

[FightingIrish]

Remember, we're still in the infancy of OTA digital TV. Many subchannels can't even get on to local cable systems, and if they do, they're stuffed into the upper-tier digital ghetto, rather than in the lower-tier prime neighborhoods with USA, TNT, ESPN, etc.

Second, there are some really good public television subchannel offerings out there, and many affiliates even program their own or go through a different party. In my market (Milwaukee, which is very good for sampling the many subchannel offerings), there are two public stations (both co-owned). The main one (Ch. 10) has the HD feed, PBS World (documentary programming) and V-Me, which has Spanish-language programming. The other station (Ch. 36) has the main feed of that channel (in SD), an SD feed of Ch. 10 (since they broadcast digitally on VHF, they have some reception problems), "Create", which features more lifestyle programming, two audio feeds featuring jazz and classical music from WFMT radio in Chicago, and one that has feeds from local freeway traffic cameras and audio from WISDOT radio. I don't think they have any more room there, and I know that many PBS stations are also pretty loaded up on subchannel offerings.

And the C-SPAN channels seem to be doing fine on cable systems as it is. I'm sure they catch more eyeballs than they would if they were on the local PBS outlet.

You're not aware that WMVT 36.1 is now HD. They went HD back in February or March. That was why MPTV downgraded MPTV 10.1 to 720p (they were 1080i with no subchannels) in order to add World (formerly called PBS World),V-Me, & a weather radar channel (though this channel doesn't need 3.65mbps for that channel, which they're using approximately now, but around 1mbps or less). Moving those 3 subchannels off of MPTV 36 allowed it to add 720p HD. Now whenever MPTV gets MPTV 10's translator up & running, the simulcast on 36.2 might end, because the translator will broadcast on MPTV's former analog channel of 36. Now for those having trouble getting MPTV 10 either have the wrong antenna, which could be one of those small antennas that blend in with the house (only good for UHF), or have the correct antenna (old-fashioned element antenna), but might be getting interference from WWMT 3 from across Lake Michigan (WWMT & WMVS both broadcast on RF 8 ).

Ah, forgot that 36 was going HD.

 

[azumanga]

Many PBS stations in Florida air "The Florida Channel", a state government access network, as a subchannel. Also, some communities have a government access station on LPTV -- St. Petersburg has WSPF-CA channel 35, which broadcasted over--the-air since the 1990s.

 

[mjlarochelle]

The reality may be that government access channels are better suited to either cable or low-power broadcasters.