The Florida Channel
 | |
| Type | Cable network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Florida |
| Owner |
Florida State University Florida State Legislature |
Official website | thefloridachannel.org |
The Florida Channel is a government-access television network operated by Florida State University's WFSU-TV and the Florida State Legislature. The channel is currently carried by 46 cable TV systems throughout the State of Florida either on a part-time or full-time basis as well as through nine live Internet streams and via satellite.[1] The station operates 24 hours a day though its normal broadcast schedule starts at 6:00 a.m. ET and ends at 6:00 p.m. ET with the day's programming repeated in a loop throughout the night. The Florida Channel also airs on the digital subchannels of most Florida PBS member stations and on some local cable-only stations.
When the state Legislature is in session, live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives is carried until the end of legislative business and is then usually followed by the "Capitol Update" at 5:30 p.m. ET, which provides comprehensive coverage of each day’s most significant legislative events.
When the Legislature is not in session, other live gavel-to-gavel programming is carried, including the Florida Supreme Court, the meeting of the Governor and cabinet and the Florida Public Service Commission meetings. When there is no live gavel-to-gavel meetings, other local or statewide public affairs programming is carried.
The Florida Channel's offices and studios are located on the 9th floor of the Capitol Building in Tallahassee.
| Participating Stations[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | Station | Channel | Notes/Air Times |
| Tallahassee | WFSU | 11.2 | Flagship station for The Florida Channel (24/7) |
| Panama City | WFSG | 56.2 | Co-flagship station for The Florida Channel and semi-satellite of WFSU (24/7) |
| Jacksonville | WJCT | 7.4 | daily from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (shows WJCT More! from 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m.) |
| Fort Myers | WGCU | 30.4 | 24/7 |
| West Palm Beach | WXEL | 42.4 | daily from 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. (shows T.E.N.: The Education Network from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) |
| Gainesville | WUFT | 5.2 | weekdays from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (shows Create, weekdays from 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. and all day on weekends) |
| Daytona Beach | WDSC | 15.2 | 24/7 |
| Cocoa | WEFS | 68.4 | 24/7 |
| Miami | WPBT | 2.2 | weekdays from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (shows Create, weekdays from 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. and all day on weekends) |
| Tampa | WEDU | 3.3 | daily from 6:00 p.m.-6:00 a.m. (shows World from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.) |
| Pensacola | WSRE | 23.3 | daily from 5:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (shows Create from 5:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m.) |
Controversy
In June 2011, it was revealed that The Florida Channel would receive $1.8 million for continued operation of the network, as part of the $2.8 million in funding that WFSU will receive. This is despite the $4.8 million of funding to other public radio and television stations vetoed by Governor Rick Scott in May 2011.[3]