Locast carries Pittsburgh stations
July 24, 2021If you have spotty reception of local channels over the air, or you’ve cut the cord for everything but the locals on Comcast or Verizon, there’s a new option for receiving local stations in town. Locast, a nonprofit, free, digital translator streaming service is now carrying Pittsburgh (and Morgantown, WV) stations!
As stated, the service is free, but like the non-commercial stations, there is a PayPal button with your option to make donations. Those who choose not to donate will receive donation requests. Students and those who may not be able to afford to donate can apply for the “Locast Cares Program” for up to one year and not receive the donation message.
The service brings the 40 channels (the locals and their subchannels with options like MeTV and Antenna TV) that you can get over the air or via cable.
Pittsburgh is Locast’s 35th market added to their service as were Columbus, Ohio and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Locast was founded by Washington, D.C. based attorney and consumer advocate David Goodfriend who also founded the Sports Fans Coalition in 2009. There Goodfriend led the fight against the NFL and media greats to petition the FCC to end the anti-fan Sports Blackout Rule. It was ended in 2014.
Locast was created in 2018 and operates under the Copyright Act of 1976 allowing a nonprofit translator to retransmit local channels without copyright license from the original broadcaster. Interested viewers can go to locast.org, app stores and other streaming device companies to find their local channels.
I downloaded Locast and found it interesting that WPCW, channel 19 and it’s subchannels are NOT included in their lineup.