Nonprofit offers ‘Locast en Español’ to serve free local TV channels over internet during America’s national emergency
NEW YORK, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Locast, the nonprofit local broadcast TV streaming service, is increasing accessibility to local TV channels by offering multi-language support with “Locast en Español,” making it convenient for Spanish-speaking audiences to easily read and understand the Locast app’s user-interface, log-in screens, and program guide.
“Coronavirus marks a critical time in our country for accessing local TV news for both English and Spanish-speakers,” said Locast Founder and Chairman David Goodfriend. “We now provide greater access to the more than 41 million U.S. residents who speak Spanish at home to join Locast, read our on-screen prompts, and easily navigate our user interface to get emergency information anytime, anywhere.”
Locast provides for free dozens of local TV channels – including foreign language channels – to viewers in 17 U.S. cities and Puerto Rico so they can watch important local news, weather and storm coverage, emergency information, sports, and entertainment programming on their internet-connected devices via the Locast app or at www.locast.org.
Locast has more than one million users, including people who can’t get local channels through an antenna or can’t afford a pay-TV subscription.
Locast operates under the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows nonprofit translator services to rebroadcast local stations without receiving a copyright license from the broadcaster. The federal statute (17 U.S.C. 111(a)(5)) states that a nonprofit organization may retransmit a local broadcast signal and even collect a fee to cover the cost of operations. Locast asks viewers to donate as little as $5 per month to help cover operating costs. The donation is voluntary and not required to view local TV channels from Locast.
For more information, visit www.locast.org. Follow Locast on Facebook and Twitter @LocastOrg.
About Locast
Locast.org was founded by Sports Fans Coalition NY (SFCNY), a New York-based nonprofit, fan-advocacy group formed in 2017. Locast launched in January 2018 in New York City and now reaches more than 42 million TV households in 18 designated market areas. SFCNY is the first local chapter of Sports Fans Coalition, Inc., which led the successful campaign to end the Sports Blackout Rule at the FCC in 2014 and continues to advocate for fans wherever sports and public policy intersect. As a nonprofit, Locast is supported by user donations and is available at www.locast.org. Visit www.locast.org.