Features

A three-way deal between the City of Berkeley, Comcast Cable Communications and a Christian broadcaster at the end of October has resulted in a channel shuffle, with Berkeley’s public access station moving from channel 25 to channel 28 and the local government station from channel 78 to channel 33. 

Everything else remains the same. 

According to Roger Miller, a telecommunications analyst for the city, the switches came after Christian station KTLN—also known as Total Life News—asked Berkeley’s Comcast Cable office to pick up their broadcasts. 

KTLN currently broadcasts over the air on channels 25 and 68 and has been slowly establishing themselves on Northern California cable slots using those same numbers under a federal law that mandates broadcast channels receive the same dial positions on cable.  

The City of Berkeley was also looking for a change, and had asked Comcast to move them off channel 78 because that channel falls into the second tier on the cable network—meaning that only some cable subscribers had access (channel 34 is the cutoff for the first and cheapest tier of cable service). 

So the city swapped 25 for 28 and 33, moving them into the cheap channels. 

Miller said that for the next month, digital cable subscribers will view the programming on 33 even if they are tuned to channel 78. Analog subscribers will find a notice advising them of the switch when they try to tune in. 

KTLN is running a public service announcement on 78, directing would-be public access viewers to that channel’s new location. 

For more information contact Miller at atrmiller@ ci.berkeley.ca.us or 981-6502.