The California Channel

FAQ

1. What is The California Channel?

2. What is The California Channel's Relationship with the Legislature?

3. Where is The California Channel Currently Available?

4. How Do Viewers Gain Access to The California Channel?

5. What are The California Channel's programming hours?

6. Can I purchase a copy of a program I saw on The California Channel?

7. How do I obtain a written transcript of a proceeding?

8. How can I see a particular hearing or program again?

9. I am experiencing signal reception problems; what do I do?

10. I am a satellite dish owner and cannot receive your signal. What do I do?

11. Can I download streaming video files.

1. The California Channel is an independent, non-profit public affairs cable network governed by California's cable television industry, and modeled after the national C-SPAN service. Our primary mission is to provide Californians direct access to "gavel-to-gavel" proceedings of the California Legislature, and other forums where public policy is discussed, debated, and decided - all without editing, commentary, or analysis and with a balanced presentation of viewpoints. While we strive to transmit as much live coverage as we can, every televised Legislative event is videotaped for future playback over the network.

2. The California Channel is an independent entity which has an informal relationship with the State Legislature. The California Channel receives two video signals from both the Assembly and Senate, and incorporates them into its mix of public affairs programming. We strictly follow established legislative guidelines so that you will generally only see the person speaking in a head and shoulders format, and never any audience "reaction" shots - all in an effort to allow you the viewer to come to your own interpretation of what you see and hear.

3. Currently, over 5 million cable subscribers via 108 cable systems can watch The California Channel from their homes, businesses and classrooms throughout California. Citizens as far north as Eureka and as far south as San Diego now have direct access to their state legislators and officials, all as a public service of California's cable television industry. Please review the California Channel Carriage List for information about where you can see The California Channel in your area.

4. The California Channel is delivered via satellite to cable systems, businesses and educational institutions throughout the state. You may also watch The California Channel programming over the internet through our website's RealVideo service.

If your cable operator does not carry The California Channel, and you would like to see it added to your cable lineup, the best thing to do is to make a call to your cable operator with the request that they add the network to their channel offerings. The more calls and letters they receive, the sooner they might find a way to add our programming to their channel line-up. As virtually every cable operator is already providing a monthly donation to the network, they are clearly incented already to add The California Channel.

5. The California Channel transmits its satellite signal throughout the state every Monday through Friday, from 9AM until 3:30PM. In an effort to provide viewers with gavel-to-gavel coverage of legislative events, we always continue live floor sessions or committees to their conclusion over the internet through our website's RealVideo service.

Most cable operators have other programming services "wrapped around" The California Channel signal. So before 9AM or after 3:30PM you may see such programming as C-SPAN II, Ovation, Pay-per-View, or even public access television. While most customer service representatives are aware of those shared channel positions, you should make sure that you clarify any informational request.

6. The California Channel does provide copies of Legislative proceedings and other events produced by the network at a rate of $22.50/hour (or portion thereof). As an example, a copy of a Senate hearing that lasted 2 hours would cost $45 + tax and shipping/handling. Video tapes of Assembly proceedings may be purchased directly from the Assembly by calling 916/319-2813. Video duplications of Senate proceedings may be purchased by calling 916/445-4913.

Often The California Channel is given only the broadcast rights for programs provided by outside sources. For copies of programs produced by cable operators, it is best to contact the specific cable operator directly. Additionally, the same is generally true of any programming produced by California's PBS affiliates. Copies of KVIE's "CapitolWeek" may be purchased by calling 916/929-7367 . Copies of programs from the "California's Gold" or "California's Missions" series can be obtained by calling 800/266-KPBS, or by writing to Huell Howser at California's Gold, KCET, 4401 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027. You can also visit their web site at www.calgold.com, and can e-mail Huell himself at Huell@aol.com.

7. We do not offer written transcripts of any programming seen on The California Channel. Some Legislative events are transcripted, so you may wish to contact a specific committee directly to see if they are providing written transcipts or reports.

8. The California Channel is very sensitive to viewer requests. If there is a committee hearing or specific program that you would like rebroadcast, simply let us know. You may reach us by calling 916/444-9792. We log every request, and generally can let you know when your requested playback will occur so that you can be sure to watch it.

Additionally, you may find the program you wish to see in our RealVideoÆ archives on our website. We generally maintain the last four months of programs in those archives. Using RealVideoÆ, and going to the date the program aired, you can view the program over your computer at your convenience.

9. If you are experiencing video or audio problems please notify your cable operator immediately. They will look into the problem, first starting at their operation, and then will contact us if necessary. Often these transmission problems are corrected quickly by the operator resetting their decoding unit.

10. The California Channel is transmitted via satellite in a compressed digital format. To receive our programming you need digital receiving capability. To translate our digital signal into the analog format for your television set, you will need an MPEG2 decoding unit. We transmit our C-Band signal over Galaxy 15, Transponder 3C, at the downlink frequency of 3745 MHz, horizontal polarization.

11. The California Channel provides online video via streaming media only. We do not allow downloads of video archives because large file downloads can slow down our network and deteriorate access to other users.
Legal Disclaimer: Government Code Section 9026.5 prohibits use of any program or webcast files for any political or commercial purpose, including, but not limited to, any campaign for elected public office, or any campaign supporting or opposing a ballot proposition submitted to the voters. Violation of this section is a misdemeanor.