Check It Out

Madison City Channel Moving to Channel 994

July 21st, 2008 Tana

A note from Brad Clark, Station Manager, Madison City Channel:

Effective August 12th, 2008, Madison City Channel will move from our position on Charter Cable Channel 12 to Channel 994. This channel will continue to be part of Charter’s “Basic” tier of service, which means that there will be no additional cost to you for our programming.

However, since Channel 994 will be a digital channel, in order to continue to receive Madison City Channel after August 12, you will need a television or equipment to allow you to receive a digital signal:

• If you are a Charter subscriber and you currently have any Charter digital services such as any of the digital tiers of programming, or a pay service such as HBO or On-Demand or Pay Per View, and have a set top digital converter, you’re all set and need do nothing more to be able to continue to receive Madison City Channel.
• If you do not have a set top box, please contact Charter at 1-800-581-0081 to make arrangements to get a set top converter box. Upon request, Charter will make a set top converter box available to you at no charge for six months. After six months, you will have to pay an additional $5.00 per month for each box.
• If you have a “digital-ready” television with a built-in “QAM” tuner, you’re all set and need do nothing more to be able to continue to receive Madison City Channel. If your television is more than four years old, it probably does not have a “QAM” tuner; check your owner’s manual to be sure.

Madison City Channel will be part of Charter’s new “Public Affairs Neighborhood” which will include channels such as Wisconsin Eye (channel 995). Charter will be moving CSpan 2 to 997 and will be launching CSpan 3 on 996, and is looking to move CSpan to 998 as soon as they are contractually able to do so. There is a certain logic in having the various “government” channels such as Madison City Channel, Wisconsin Eye, and CSpan grouped together.

Don’t forget, all of Madison City Channel’s award-winning programming including our live coverage of City of Madison government meetings will continue to be available through our website at www.madisoncitychannel.tv. Beginning August 12, you will be able to “stream” our on-air signal 24 hours a day at the website.

Please be sure to note that this transition has nothing whatsoever to do with the digital transition mandated by the Federal Communications Commission which will take effect in February of 2009, and has nothing to do with any government coupon or rebate program. That transition only affects people who only receive television signals broadcast over the airwaves, and has nothing to do with cable television. If you get a digital converter box through any government rebate program, it will not allow you to continue to receive Madison City Channel.

This situation is similar to the early days of cable. In the early to mid-1970’s, when we added cable we all had to have a set top box on top of our TVs in order to get the 12 channels they offered at that time. Then, in the 1980’s, “cable-ready” TVs started becoming the standard and so folks no longer needed that set top box. Now, as cable companies like Charter transition to a completely digital signal, we need these set top boxes, but more and more the standard will be TVs which have digital (”QAM”) tuners built in, and in a few years just by attrition if you will, most of us will not need the boxes any more.

Still have questions? You’re not alone! WE’RE HERE TO HELP. Give Madison City Channel a call at 266-6501 or send us an email at citychannel@cityofmadison.com and together, we’ll get through this transition and continue to provide you with a vital link to your local Madison government.

Entry Filed under: City Connection, Community Issues