Idaho Public Television opens the doors of government to people throughout Idaho with a combination of broadcast television and online streaming compatible with multiple devices.

IDAHO IN SESSION, the title of the overall service, includes live coverage on-air and/or online and some archived material of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government. LEGISLATURE LIVE is now one part of the expanded service, which is a partnership of IdahoPTV, Idaho Legislative Services and the Idaho Department of Administration.

“We wanted the service to reflect the fact that it wasn’t just the Legislature we are covering,” says Jeff Tucker, IdahoPTV production manager. “This is part of Idaho’s continuing efforts for openness in government.”

LEGISLATURE LIVE continues to offer live television coverage of the Idaho House and Senate when either is in session — see the House floor action on Learn/Create Subchannel 3 and the Senate on World Subchannel 4. Anyone with over-the-air reception of IdahoPTV’s four digital channels can watch the gavel-to-gavel action. The channels also are carried by some cable companies across the state. Watch it online at http://idahoptv.org/insession/ by computer or iOS and most Android devices.

In addition, Joint Finance – Appropriations Committee (JFAC) and other meetings in the Capitol Auditorium are live video-streamed. Also nine committee rooms in the House and Senate sides are wired for audio-only live streaming.

IDAHO IN SESSION offers a library of archived meetings. Video-on-demand of the Governor’s State of the State Address and live online press conferences are made available through GOVERNOR LIVE.

New in late 2012 is live online coverage of the Idaho Supreme Court when it holds oral arguments in Boise, through JUDICIARY LIVE.

Operational funding for the service is provided by grants from the Idaho State Broadcasters Association, the Union Pacific Foundation, Idaho Association of Counties, Idaho Cable Telecommunications Association, Association of Idaho Cities and your contributions to the Idaho Public Television Endowment.

 Over the weekend of November 30-December 2, including the Downton Abbey Special on November 25, Idaho Public Television’s DecemberFest reached out to viewers and users across the state to solicit financial support benefiting our outstanding programming services.

 All told, 692 people pledged $100,073! I’d like to thank everyone who took the opportunity to donate to IdahoPTV.

 I’d also like to thank our great phone volunteers from St. Luke’s, Snake River Pool & Spa and  Nordstrom Rack. http://www.facebook.com/idahoptv#!/idahoptv/photos_albums

If you haven’t yet contributed, there still is time to do so before the end of the calendar year. Donations can be made at:

http://idahoptv.org/support_new/membership/whatChannel2DecemberFest.cfm

or by calling:

1-800-543-6868 during business hours.

 On Tuesday, November 20, IdahoPTV engineering staff powered up a new IdahoPTV digital television “fill-in” translator on channel 17 serving Idaho City, the county seat of Boise County. This culminates more than five years of work to return regular IdahoPTV television service to the residents of one of Idaho’s most famous mining towns, a place that more than a century ago was our state’s largest city, but where today regular cell phone service is not yet a reality.

The need for this translator began in the late 1990’s when the Federal Communications Commission issued IdahoPTV a digital television channel in Boise that was not effective at navigating the mountains of central Idaho. Historically, IdahoPTV had successfully served rural communities like Idaho City with an analog signal from our main transmitter located on Deer Point, near Boise.

At IdahoPTV’s invitation, the FCC sent staff in 2006 to visit the Idaho City area, to see firsthand the mountainous conditions that Idahoans take for granted, and the digital television reception problems associated with this location. FCC staffers also had the opportunity to participate in a Boise County Commission meeting and hear first hand concerns of local residents.

A year later, the FCC offered broadcasters nationwide an opportunity to apply for special “DTV translator fill-in” licenses that would allow us operate equipment to better serve affected areas. IdahoPTV applied for and received six fill-in licenses, including Idaho City, Emmett (eastside), Boise Foothills, Glenns Ferry, Wood River Valley (southern portion) and Pocatello (northeast side). Months later, IdahoPTV secured competitive grant funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the State of Idaho for the needed equipment.

 The new Idaho City translator is located north-northwest of downtown Idaho City and will serve people in the near-surrounding areas, including Duquette Pines subdivision. Viewers will need to point their rooftop antennas in that direction and then re-scan their digital television to acquire the new signal.

For the next several weeks, we'll be in a testing mode for the new translator. We are also very excited to be partnering with the Idaho Department of Homeland Security to provide enhanced emergency alert services to the county residents, government and sheriff’s office. Special thanks go to IdahoPTV technical staff members Rich Van Genderen and Larry Smith. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the efforts of Idaho Power, the Idaho Department of Public Works and the US Forest Service's Idaho City District and Interim Ranger Mary Faurot. USFS staff members have had their hands full with a very busy summer fire season, and we appreciate their efforts with this project.

Beginning Monday, August 20, Idaho Public Television added gavel to gavel coverage of the  Idaho Supreme Court to its live coverage of the Gem State’s government in action. Courtroom sessions can be found at: http://idahoptv.org/leglive/ .

IdahoPTV’s IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE, which provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Idaho House, Senate, Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, and all Statehouse committee rooms will, for the first time, began live streaming of Idaho Supreme Court oral arguments. Future  arguments will be scheduled throughout the high court’s fall/winter session. Details of schedules and arguments can be found at http://isc.idaho.gov/appeals-court/isc-calendar .

IdahoPTV’s coverage of the state Supreme Court will be from the high court’s Boise courtroom only. In addition, no television broadcasts of arguments are currently scheduled.

Idaho Public Television’s coverage of the Supreme Court is provided via a Windows Media stream that will play on most Macs and all Windows computers. IdahoPTV will soon be adding services that will allow live playback on all Macs, iOS mobile devices (iPad, iPhone) and Android devices.

“With the addition of the Idaho Supreme Court, IDAHO LEGISLATURE LIVE has the ability to stream committee meetings, hearings and press conferences from all branches of state government that are conducting business within the Capitol building,” says Jeff Tucker, IdahoPTV production manager. “We’ve also live streamed many other agency meetings and even off-site meetings around the Capitol mall area and around the state.  It’s a great way for the public to stay involved in their state government”

According to an unofficial poll by Steve Kenyon, clerk of the courts for the Idaho Supreme Court & Court of Appeals, Idaho is the 15th state to have a broadcast service provide live coverage of its state supreme court.

Dialogue Writers’ Collection is now available free, for students of all ages and teachers, at our Scout Video Collections at idahoptv.org

In partnership with the Idaho Commission for Libraries, we’re making available more than 70 interviews with renown writers through IdahoPTV’s Scout Video Collections.

The Dialogue Writers’ Collection join more than 18,000 additional videos, images,  mobile apps and lesson plans at the Scout Online Video Collections…which can be found at idahoptv.org…and at scout.lili.org.