Expansion of digital rural repeater transmitters to provide digital high definition video broadcast signal to viewers

Eight, Arizona PBS launching HD signal and expanded channel access to residents of Prescott, Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Globe, Williams, Show Low, Yuma, and surrounding areas this summer

PHOENIX — (June 13, 2013) - Eight, Arizona PBS will put into operation a series of seven new digital rural repeater transmitters (translators) beginning June 24 through late September, which will provide digital high definition video broadcast signal and expanded channel access to hundreds of thousands of viewers in rural Arizona, including Prescott, Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Sedona, Globe, Miami, Williams, Snowflake, Show Low, Yuma and their surrounding areas.

This service upgrade will:

• Bring television viewers within the expanded signal areas free over-the-air access to Eight HD (DTV 8.1) programming in full high definition video;
• Also provide free over-the-air access to Eight’s other digital channels, including Eight Life (DTV 8.2), Eight World (DTV 8.3) and Eight Classical (DTV 8.4);
• Bring Eight’s broadcast signal to rural Arizonans within an expanded coverage area, in some cases up to four times larger than the current service area;
• Provide access to the SunSounds reading service for the visually impaired via 8.4 secondary audio.

The planned timetable for these translators to go live is:

<p><strong>Site</strong></p> <p><strong>Scheduled On-air Date</strong></p>   <p>Prescott</p> <p>6/24 - <strong>LIVE</strong></p>   <p>Flagstaff</p> <p>6/26 - <strong>LIVE</strong></p>   <p>Cottonwood (Mingus Mountain)</p> <p>7/19 - <strong>LIVE</strong></p>   <p>Globe, Miami</p> <p>7/23 - <strong>LIVE</strong></p>   <p>Parks, Williams</p> <p>8/1 - <strong>LIVE</strong></p>   <p>Snowflake, Show Low</p> <p>Revised to mid-to-late October (due to hardware delivery delays)</p>   <p>Yuma</p> <p>Revised to mid-to-late October (pending final licensing)</p>   <p>In conjunction with this expanded service, <strong>Eight, Arizona PBS</strong> will conduct a series of community informational events, providing residents in the new digital service areas with detailed information about how to receive the additional digital channels on their televisions, demonstrating the expanded programming options and enhanced quality of the digital signal and high definition video, as well as answering questions. 

Eight, Arizona PBS has also provided informational resources on its website at www.azpbs.org/digital, including step-by-step instructions for channel re-scanning, information about use of antennas and other technical support.

Acquisition and installation of these digital translators and the resulting service expansion was made possible by grant funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Public Television Digital Transition Grant Program, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Digital Distribution Fund and The Kemper & Ethel Marley Foundation.

For more information about the new channels, including program schedules, and how viewers can access the channels on their television, visit www.azpbs.org, or call Eight, Arizona PBS Viewer Services at 602-496-2308.

Media Contact:  Colleen O’Donnell Pierce
[email protected]
(602) 496-0579
(602) 478-3867 (cell)
Visit azpbs.org/pressroom

About Arizona PBS

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