Locast Expands In Ohio

Locast, the nonprofit, free, local broadcast TV digital translator streaming service, is now delivering 45 local TV channels via the internet to the 2.5 million residents of the Columbus, Ohio, TV market, which includes the cities of Bucyrus, Chillicothe, Marion, Mt. Vernon, Washington Court House and Zanesville. Columbus is Locast’s 34th market.

Columbus is also home to university students who can qualify for the Locast Cares Program — a way for users who cannot donate financially to watch their local TV channels without receiving donation-request interruptions. The program is open to the first 25,000 applicants and available for one year. Students, first responders and low income households, among others, can apply at www.locast.org/cares.

Locast delivers more than 45 local TV channels in the Columbus DMA, including WCMH NBC 4, WSYX ABC 6, WBNS CBS 10, WTTE Fox 28, PBS, PBS Kids, as well as DABL, Telemundo, Antenna, CourtTV, Movies, MeTV, TrueCrime, CW, Circle, Bounce, Quest, Laff, Comet, HSN, Grit, Charge!, and more.

Locast is accessible to viewers in 20 counties in the Columbus DMA including Coshocton, Crawford, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Guernsey, Hardin, Hocking, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Ross, and Union.

Locast now has more than 2.8 million registered users nationwide in 34 markets — large and small — reaching more than half of the U.S. population.

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 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.