Nonprofit is only service to stream all local TV channels – for free – over internet
All eyes on Pennsylvania as critical swing state in 2020 election
WILKES BARRE, Pennsylvania and SCRANTON, Pennsylvania, Oct. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Locast, the nonprofit local broadcast TV streaming service, is now delivering 16 local TV channels via the internet – for free – to those living in the Wilkes Barre, Scranton and Hazleton TV market in Pennsylvania. Locast provides a public service by giving access to important local news, storm coverage, emergency information, election coverage, sports, and entertainment programming to internet-connected devices.
“For the first time, more than 1.5 million residents in Wilkes Barre and the surrounding area will be able to watch all of their local TV stations on their phones, tablets, laptops or streaming media devices,” said Locast Founder and Chairman David Goodfriend. “When considering health, safety, or participation in our democracy through voting, Locast performs a critical public service by increasing access to local broadcast channels. This is especially important during this year’s election in a swing state like Pennsylvania.”
Goodfriend added, “We’re the only service that retransmits all your local TV channels via the internet. Through Locast, Pennsylvanians can stay on top of local emergency information or enjoy watching professional football – on the go, over the Internet. We are working diligently to make local broadcast more accessible to you, and especially for those who cannot get local TV channels from an off-air antenna or cannot afford a pay-TV subscription.”
With Locast, viewers using internet-connected devices can watch, for free, their locally produced broadcast TV in high definition via the Locast app or at www.locast.org. Locast also offers multi-language support by giving Spanish-language access to the Locast app’s user-interface, log-in screens, and program guide.
Locast delivers 16 local TV channels in the Wilkes Barre-Scranton designated market area (DMA), including WNEP ABC 16, WBRE NBC 28, WYOU CBS 22, WOLF FOX 56, PBS, PBS Kids, Antenna TV, The CW, Bounce, Mystery, LAFF, True Crime, and more.
Locast is accessible to viewers in more than 16 counties in the Wilkes Barre DMA including Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming.
Complete local TV guides are available at www.locast.org.
Locast now delivers local TV channels via the internet into 25 U.S. TV markets and serves approximately 150 million viewers or more than 45% of the U.S. population. Locast has more than 1.7 million users.
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 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.
Locast is available for streaming at www.locast.org, app stores, TiVo, streaming service providers Google Play, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon, and ROKU, and on DISH Hopper/Wally receivers or select DIRECTV receivers.
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 2018 and is available in 25 DMAs. SFCNY is the first local chapter of Sports Fans Coalition, Inc., which led the successful campaign to end the FCC’s Sports Blackout Rule and continues to advocate for fans. As a nonprofit, Locast is supported by user donations and is available at www.locast.org.
Press contact:
Marc Lumpkin
Altitude Public Relations for Locast
303-378-2366, marc@altitudepr.com