MontanaPBS Restores Service on Flathead Indian Reservation

MontanaPBS is pleased to announce the restoration of over-the-air public television service in the communities of Pablo, Polson, Ronan, Hot Springs, St. Ignatius and Arlee. In the past year, MontanaPBS has been working cooperatively with Salish Kootenai College, the Federal Communications Commission and local landowners to facilitate the orderly transfer of broadcast translator licenses, transmission equipment and site leases.

“The technical challenges and the federal regulatory process to restore service have been complex,” said Dean Lawver, Director of Technology for MontanaPBS, “but as result of a great partnership with Salish Kootenai College and with help from members of the community, it has all come together.”

Local viewers using antennas in the affected communities are encouraged to use the rescan function of their televisions and tune in MontanaPBS’ five channels 46.1 through 46.5. Those include MontanaPBS’ primary high definition channel (46.1) offering the national PBS schedule and local MontanaPBS programs. Additionally, viewers will find a MontanaPBS’ Kids channel (46.2), MontanaPBS Create (46.3), MontanaPBS World (46.4) and the Montana Public Affairs MPAN channel (46.5).

Ray Ekness, Director of the Broadcast Media Center at the University of Montana said,“We are delighted to bring national PBS programming back to the Flathead Reservation this fall, as well as Montana-made documentaries, public affairs programs and viewer favorites like The Backroads of Montana”.

The restored translators reach households across the majority of the Flathead Reservation as well as some viewers in Flathead, Missoula and Sanders Counties. After rescanning, viewers will find MontanaPBS’ five channels displayed as 46.1 through 46.5.

MontanaPBS is a cooperative service of Montana State University, KUSM-TV in Bozeman and The University of Montana, KUFM-TV in Missoula. The network has produced high-profile documentaries for statewide viewers, such as Indian Relay and Playing for the World: The 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls’ Basketball Team, as well as the recent C.M. Russell and the American West. MontanaPBS translators on the Flathead Reservation will also serve the community as Emergency Alert System stations, providing Amber alerts, national, local and regional emergency notifications including weather alerts.