Minnesota Channel

Minnesota Channel

Type	Educational television, public affairs, ethnic and local programming
Country	United States
Availability	OTA digital television in Minnesota, North Dakota, and surrounding regions
Founded	2005 in Minneapolis-St. Paul
Owner	Twin Cities Public Television
Launch date	2007 statewide
Official website	MNchannel.org

The Minnesota Channel is a full-time state-wide network originating at Twin Cities Public Television. It is carried on digital subchannels of nine stations and features programming related to Minnesota (and some related to Wisconsin and North Dakota), plus coverage of the Minnesota Legislature when in session.

History

In early 2003, TPT began setting aside time on KTCI for the "Minnesota Channel", an evening dedicated to local and regional related programming, frequently produced in partnership with other nonprofit and public service organizations. The service expanded from one to two evenings in 2004 and, on September 16, 2005, became a new full time digital channel, tptMN (digital channel 17.2, Comcast (Saint Paul) 243, Comcast (Minneapolis) 202, and Mediacom 102). The Minnesota Channel was expanded to region wide coverage in Minnesota and North Dakota in February 2008.

Programming

Since its inception, the MN Channel has co-produced more than 250 programs with more than 100 partner organizations: non-profits, universities, governmental agencies and other public service organizations.

Among the programs broadcast on the MN Channel are several targeting ethnic communities that now call Minnesota and the Twin Cities home and who are generally under-served by commercial media. Some of these shows are also broadcast on Public-access television cable television channels in the region:

• Zona Latina (Latino)
• Kev Koom Siab (Hmong)
• Geetmala (Hindi)
• BelAhdan (Middle Eastern)
• Journey to the East (Chinese)
• Vietnamese News (Vietnamese)

The network will carry games from the Bemidji State University men's hockey team in the 2010-11 season.^[1]

The network's website^[2] features information on programs and partners, as well as streaming video and podcasts.

Affiliates

Minnesota

• KTCA (2.2) St. Paul/Minneapolis
• WDSE (8.4) Duluth / WRPT (31.4) Hibbing
• KAWE (9.6) Bemidji / KAWB (22.6) Brainerd
• KWCM-TV (10.3) Appleton / KSMN (20.3) Worthington
• KSMQ-TV (15.4) Austin/Rochester

North Dakota (Prairie Public Broadcasting)

• KGFE (2.3) Grand Forks
• KBME-TV (3.3) Bismarck
• KWSE (4.3) Williston
• KSRE (6.3) Minot
• KDSE (9.3) Dickinson
• KFME (13.3) Fargo
• KCGE (16.3) Crookston, MN / Grand Forks
• KJRE (19.3) Ellendale
• KMDE (25.3) Devils Lake

References

1. ^ http://www.bsubeavers.com/mhockey/news/103/3157/
2. ^ mnchannel.org