NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Regional school districts, city governments and public access television channels are encouraging Cox Communications customers to stay tuned to local programming as Cox changes -- or adds -- several channels to its cable lineup in the coming weeks.
The move will affect public, education and government channels in Washington and Benton counties.
For viewers with the most basic Cox service -- meaning they still plug a coaxial cable directly into their TV -- the move will require a digital upgrade if they want to continue watching the public, education and government channels.
Cox customers with a high-definition TV or a digital converter box will still be able to access those stations, although, beginning on or after Dec. 9, they can only be found on a new channel.
Several of the people who produce content for the public channels said they are excited about the change because it will provide them with one channel for their content, instead of having to share a channel with others. Other local producers said they were more apprehensive about the move, because it could make their content less visible.
"I would hate for people to think the station had disappeared because they couldn't find it," said Richard Drake, a longtime contributor to Fayetteville's public access channel, which has been operated by Community Access Television for nearly two decades.
Drake, who produces an interview show called "On the Air with Richard S. Drake," said it is an important part of the community because it keeps people up to date on local goings-on.
"We have a long history in Fayetteville of community volunteerism and citizen activism, and public access is just part of that," Drake said.
Janet Barnard, Cox senior vice president, said in a news release that a need to convert analog channels to a digital format prompted the channel changes because it opens bandwidth for more Cox programming and faster Internet speeds.
"We understand it can be difficult to adjust to changes, but the end result will truly provide a better customer experience," Barnard said.
Public, education and government channels are also available on AT&T's U-Verse, another cable provider serving Northwest Arkansas.
In the past, Cox has provided three channels for public, education and government programming to cities free of charge. In Fayetteville, Cox Channel 14 is shared by the University of Arkansas and the Fayetteville School District; Channel 16 is for city government programming such as live City Council meetings; and Channel 18 is operated by Community Access Television with shows such as Drake's, "Short Takes" and "Sons of Thunder."
For most other Cox customers in Washington and Benton counties, Channel 16 is shared by city governments but operated by Springdale-based Jones Television. Channel 22 offers original Jones Television programming, such as "Washington-Madison County Drug Court," "All Pets Considered" and "Front Row."
Mike Berenbrok, Jones Television's station manager, emphasized that Channel 22 will remain the same for all Cox customers. The other channels will move to channels in the 200 range.
Additionally, channels 219, 221 and 222 will air content exclusively from the Springdale School District, Rogers School District and the Bella Vista community, respectively.
Kelly Zega, Cox spokeswoman, said all customers in Washington and Benton counties will be able to watch those channels following the transition and other channels they weren't able to access before.
For groups such as the Rogers School District, which previously shared a channel with the Springdale School District and the University of Arkansas, the change means the district will have its own cable channel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"The channel allows us to inform our parents and all of Northwest Arkansas about the great things happening in the Rogers district," said Sandy Beeson, Rogers Heritage High School's television teacher. "Plus, my students get real-world experience creating television programming for a large audience."
Those involved with community television in Fayetteville said the transition will take some adjustment.
"Anytime a channel lineup changes, there are going to be unique challenges," said Anne Shelley, station director. "Our main concern is making sure those who view the public access station are informed and are able to make the switch and keep watching."
That effort to notify viewers has already begun at the various channels, and Zega said Cox is also sending its customers letters regarding the change.
For those customers without digital or HDTV, Cox will provide a digital converter box -- at no additional monthly charge -- so long as they pick up the box at a local Cox store before the end of February.
"If a customer is missing these channels to the extent that they would want the digital converter box, our guess is that giving them three months to obtain one should be a sufficient amount of time," Zega said.
For more information on the change, Cox customers can call 479-751-2000.