- What is the
Annenberg Channel?
The Annenberg Channel is a free satellite channel for
schools, colleges, libraries, public broadcasting stations,
public access channels, and other community agencies. It is
presented 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and airs a wide
range of teacher professional development and instructional
programs funded by Annenberg Media. It is available
to any non-commercial
agency with a Ku-band satellite dish and a
DigiCipher II satellite
receiver (see questions about the satellite below).
[Top]
- What equipment does my school or
organization need to access the Annenberg
Channel satellite
broadcast? If
we have the equipment, what’s the next step?
Receiving the Annenberg Channel directly from
the satellite
broadcast requires certain equipment, including a specific
Digital Satellite Receiver (DSR)—a DigiCipher II 4000,
4001, 4200, 4200B, 4200C, 4200V, 4400X, 5200 or 406—and
a Ku-band satellite dish (a large satellite dish, different
from those used in home satellite television). Tuning
information is available online.
Once you’ve
confirmed you have the required equipment, you
will be asked
to tune and authorize your Digital Satellite
Receiver, and to fill out a free license form that
specifies
how you may use programming downlinked from the satellite
broadcast. All of this is free. Once that’s
done, you’ll
have access to all the programs broadcast on the
Annenberg
Channel
as well as the right to record, duplicate, and rebroadcast
them.
If you do not have access to this equipment, there
may be a PBS or community access station in your area that
broadcasts
Annenberg Media programming (see question
4 below).
[Top]
- What is the difference
between authorizing and licensing a satellite
receiver?
Authorization
Before you receive the satellite
broadcast for the first time,
we need to hear from you with
the "serial number" and the "unit
address" of
your DigiCipher Digital Satellite
Receiver (DSR). This one-time
process is called the
authorization. It is a necessary step
to allow the satellite to
communicate with your receiver. Technicians
should contact Dana
Rouse at 1-800-228-8030, extension 4.
Licensing
Each agency that rebroadcasts,
records, or duplicates programs
received directly from the
satellite is required to submit
a license which details the terms
governing the use of the
programs. The license information
is also necessary to provide
technical updates in a timely
manner, and to direct broadcast
schedule information and updates.
Licensing is a free
process.
The license may be downloaded from
the Annenberg Channel Web site or may be
obtained by calling
the Annenberg
Channel at 1-800-228-8030. The license attachment
(Attachment
A) includes the rebroadcast expiration dates
for all programs.
[Top]
- Can I watch the
Annenberg Media programming
on a cable or PBS station in my area?
Many local public broadcasting stations and community access
stations broadcast Annenberg Media programming to
their communities.
Some record selective programs and broadcast them
sporadically;
others broadcast our full schedule. To learn if the Channel
is available to you, make inquiries as follows:
- Check with the instructional
television department of your local
public television station.
- Ask your local cable company for
the number of the agency
operating the local access channels,
including "public
access," "educational
access," and "government
access" channels.
- Ask your local
school district if they have a
digital satellite downlink.
- Call
local colleges and universities to ask if they
operate television
or cable channels.
- Or email us at channel@learner.org with
your location, including city, state, and zip code, and we
can help you locate
a rebroadcaster in your area.
[Top]
- I’m
watching Annenberg
Channel programming on a local PBS or community access cable
station – may
I record VHS copies of a program or series of programs?
Any program distributed by the Annenberg Channel may be
taped from a licensed satellite downlink, and tapes may be
kept for the life of the tape.
[Top]
- I have a DirecTV/Dish Network
satellite. Can I view the satellite broadcast
through that?
No, the Annenberg Channel broadcast is not available on
DirecTV or Dish Network, and the small
“dish-sized” downlink
cannot receive the signal directly. A limited
number of Annenberg Media
programs are included in the PBSYOU schedule, which
is delivered
by DirecTV and Dish Network. However, none of the
teacher professional
development workshops/courses are distributed by PBSYOU.
[Top]
- Does my school,
institution, or broadcasting
agency ever have to renew its license?
While the license does not need to be renewed on a regular
basis, we do appreciate receiving updated contact information
periodically. This will ensure that we can reach
license-holding
institutions effectively with new program
information or important
technical advisements. Licenses never
“expire,” however,
rights for specific programming may run out (see the next
question).
[Top]
- What are the rights periods for
your programming? Are rights ever revoked or
limited?
While Annenberg Channel programming may be recorded and
kept for the life of the tape, rebroadcast rights are limited
to the terms listed on Attachment
A of the license. This document,
and the rights included therein, are updated periodically. An
updated version of the document is always available on the
Web site.
[Top]
- How can I be sure to stay informed
of both technical difficulties and changes to
broadcast rights?
Each license-holding institution’s technical contact
is subscribed to the Channel-tech@learner.org
emailing list,
through which we send notice of technical and rights issues
relating to the satellite broadcast. We encourage licensees
to have at least one contact subscribed in order to ensure
the receipt of important technical and rights
information.
[Top]
