Local-access television channels, once an important tool for cable companies looking to turn a community’s residents into customers, are now literally being shoved aside.
Run by local governments and nonprofit organizations, and one of the only outlets for a certain kind of local programming, the channels used to be found in the single digits on your cable box – prime real estate for catching eyes.
But more and more they are being relegated to the deep reaches of the ever-expanding cable universe; in Maine, local-access channels are now in the 1300 range.
As the Portland Press Herald reported Tuesday, “Most of Maine’s cable access channels are now sandwiched between Public Broadcasting’s Create channel of cooking and home improvement shows and a subscription-based Chinese language channel.”