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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Statewide Ohio |
| Network | PBS |
| Affiliates | |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Ohio Government Telecommunications |
| History | |
| Launched | 1996 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
The Ohio Channel is a service of Ohio's public broadcasting stations that operates out of theOhio Statehouse inColumbus, Ohio. The Ohio Channel, on behalf of its parent company Ohio Government Telecommunications, produces gavel-to-gavel, unedited video coverage of official sessions of theOhio Senate, theOhio House of Representatives, and theSupreme Court of Ohio. In addition to these official sessions, The Ohio Channel covers various Office of theGovernor of Ohio events, news conferences and bill signings, other state agency proceedings and events, and public affairs and educational programming.
The mission of the Ohio Channel is to provide the citizens of Ohio with unbiased, unedited, and non-partisan access to public proceedings of the state government and to inform the public about current topics that affect their communities.
The Ohio Channel streams video of official sessions live over the internet and broadcasts those sessions live on over-the-airPBS affiliates across the state ofOhio. Videos are immediately archived on the web for future viewing.Ohio Senate andOhio House of Representatives sessions from 1996 to the present are available for viewing online, and coverage and archives of theSupreme Court of Ohio oral arguments from 2004 to the present are also available.
Unofficial events are covered by The Ohio Channel on a by-request basis from state organizations and agencies holding the event. Hundreds of Governor's bill signings and news conferences of theOhio General Assembly,Lieutenant Governor of Ohio,Ohio Attorney General,Ohio State Treasurer and many administrative agencies are available online.
In addition to providing video coverage of state government, The Ohio Channel also distributes public affairs and educational programming. By partnering withPBS stations around the state, The Ohio Channel broadcasts videos of regional radio talk programs includingWOSU-FM'sAll Sides with Ann Fisher andWKSU'sThe Sound of Ideas, plus rebroadcasts ofWOSU-TV'sColumbus On The Record andWVIZ'sIdeas. The Ohio Channel also broadcasts its own programming featuring Ohio history, culture and public affairs.
The Ohio Channel updates weekly its broadcast schedule, and the channel locator allows viewers to find the Ohio Channel based on region of the state and distributor.
The Ohio Channel was created in 1996 upon the completion of the restoration of theOhio Statehouse. Beginning in 1993 after the restoration of the Senate Building and Atrium, restoration of theOhio Statehouse included wiring the buildings for video and broadcast coverage.
The Ohio Channel began tracking video views on its website in 2011 and reached over 6 million total web views in one year. The Ohio Channel began covering all committee hearings for the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate in 2020.