Local PBS station dark on Bright House

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Jun 18, 2009 - 5:47:07pm

Though Bright House Networks has been advertising “Don’t be left in the dark by the digital transition,” fans of WDSC Channel 15 are in the dark, and some of them are upset.

The station, broadcast from the Daytona State College campus in Daytona Beach, is no longer available to viewers who have Bright House basic or expanded cable service. Customers need a digital television, or a digital tuner ordered through Bright House, to pick up the local public-television channel.

Bright House says the station went dark because of problems with the format WDSC opted to provide. Daytona State College Public Broadcasting says it’s because Bright House simply chose not to offer the station.

“By law, they only have to carry one public TV station,” WDSC communications coordinator Susan Johnson said June 16.

Bright House carries Orlando’s public-television station, WMFE.

Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno is concerned because WDSC serves as Volusia’s emergency-broadcast network. Bruno said the local public-TV channel should be available to all viewers because it broadcasts information about weather and road conditions, shelters and other vital matters during times of hurricanes and other catastrophes.

WDSC was formerly known as WCEU. It is a Public Broadcasting Service affiliate, and its operation on campus enables students at Daytona State College to earn a two-year degree in digital television and media production.

Bright House chose the June 12 transition to all-digital broadcasting to stop showing Channel 15 on its standard or analog tier of channels, although the station switched to digital months ago, Johnson said.

A statement on WDSC’s Web site stated: “WDSC was given the option to continue carriage in either digital or analog, and of course being a progressive station we had to opt for digital.

“Thus by default we were dropped. We did not however opt to be removed from the basic or expanded basic levels other than by making the proper choice for our station’s future in that either/or selection we were given.”

Johnson said Bright House cable subscribers who believed they would not lose any stations with the changeover have been disappointed.

There’s no good reason to drop the station, she said, adding, “We’re the 19th-largest market in the country for public broadcasting.”

WDSC is contacting U.S. Rep. John Mica to enlist his help in regaining the cable spot. Volusia County Chair Bruno is contacting state and federal officials about the problem, as well, including Florida’s U.S. senators, Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez.

Bright House Vice President for Public Affairs Sara Brady said there are two separate issues. One is a national agreement between public television and the national cable-television stations that allows a cable provider to elect to go with just one PBS station, even if there are more in its viewing area.

Secondly, Brady said, WDSC opted to provide its signal to Bright House in a digital-only format. This means viewers who do not have a digital TV set cannot pick up Channel 15 unless they get a digital tuner from Bright House for an extra $1 a month.

“It’s available,” Brady said. “They didn’t lose anything.”

She said the snafu affects few customers.

“The whole world is going digital,” Brady said, and most of Bright House’s customers have digital TVs. Channel 15 is available in high definition on Channel 1150.

Brady said it is incorrect to say WDSC was removed from the tiers of regular cable access.

As for emergency notifications, Brady said Bright House transmits them on all the cable stations.

Volusia County Director of Information Dave Byron said WDSC is the official emergency-management station for Volusia County. The county pays WDSC $10,000 a year for this service, and can take over the station as a Volusia County emergency-broadcast station, if the emergency warrants that.

As for what went wrong June 12, Byron said, “The bottom line is, WDSC is not being carried by Bright House in the basic tier of channels.”

He pointed out WDSC made the transition to a digital signal months ago, and Bright House provided WDSC on Channel 15 to all its viewers until June 12.

“This is an up-converting situation that Bright House can handle easily. This is not a technical problem for Bright House,” Byron said.

For many customers, another $12 a year for a digital tuner on top of their regular cable bill is a hardship, he said.

Byron said having a local PBS station is important. The other television stations carried by Bright House are geared toward the Orlando market, he said, while WDSC puts out information specifically for Volusia and for Flagler counties, which also uses the station for emergency notification.

Also, the county has a contract with WDSC for a regular program about Volusia County government.

Byron said local programming is what WDSC is about, and the county is concerned about loss of access to information for Volusia County residents.

Bruno planned to take the matter to the County Council at its June 18 meeting, to get a resolution telling Bright House the county wants WDSC Channel 15 returned to the basic cable lineup.

The county can’t simply order the change. The county no longer has control over cable franchises, Byron said. The state took that authority away from local governments a couple of years ago.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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