Pennsylvania Cable Network
Encyclopedia
PCN is a Government-access television (GATV) cable television
network
dedicated to 24-hour coverage of government
and public affairs in the commonwealth
. It features live coverage of both Houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
, as well as other forms of informational and educational programming.
The bulk of PCN's operations are located in Harrisburg
, the commonwealth capital, but it also has bureaus in Pittsburgh
and Philadelphia
.
PCN's president
and CEO is Brian Lockman, formerly C-SPAN's
vice president
of operations.
companies as a non-profit network for televising Educational-access television programming from Pennsylvania State University
. Its funding comes from the cable companies that carry PCN, and it receives neither commonwealth nor federal funds.
In 1992, PCN began moving away from a strictly educational format, with its coverage of Governor
Bob Casey's
"Capitol for a Day" town hall meetings. Two years later, it began televising daily coverage of the General Assembly. PCN ended its relationship with Penn State in 1996, and assumed full responsibility for the network's operations and programming.
and basketball
games, wrestling
matches, and state championships.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
dedicated to 24-hour coverage of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and public affairs in the commonwealth
Commonwealth (United States)
Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia....
. It features live coverage of both Houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...
, as well as other forms of informational and educational programming.
The bulk of PCN's operations are located in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, the commonwealth capital, but it also has bureaus in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
PCN's president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO is Brian Lockman, formerly C-SPAN's
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of operations.
History
PCN was founded in 1979 by eleven Pennsylvania cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
companies as a non-profit network for televising Educational-access television programming from Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. Its funding comes from the cable companies that carry PCN, and it receives neither commonwealth nor federal funds.
In 1992, PCN began moving away from a strictly educational format, with its coverage of Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Bob Casey's
Robert P. Casey
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995...
"Capitol for a Day" town hall meetings. Two years later, it began televising daily coverage of the General Assembly. PCN ended its relationship with Penn State in 1996, and assumed full responsibility for the network's operations and programming.
Coverage
The majority of PCN's programming is live, unedited coverage of both houses of the General Assembly, press conferences, and meetings of various political and business organizations. PCN's programming also includes tours of museums and manufacturing facilities, educational speeches and presentations, and cultural programming, as well as Weather World, a fifteen minute weather program from the Pennsylvania State University Department of Meteorology. Unlike most public affairs networks, PCN also broadcasts high school athletic events, including footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games, wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
matches, and state championships.