White Springs TV is a television network that broadcasts via
satellite directly to viewers’ homes, to independent and cable TV
stations across America, and video streamed worldwide on the
Internet. The format is an eclectic mix of movies presented without
commercial interruption.
White Springs does run commercials, but they air between movies and
are clustered among cartoons, short subjects, two-reel comedies and
vintage TV clips. The station’s satellite signal covers all of
Canada, USA, Mexico and part of Central America.
Almost anyone in those countries can get the signal with a small
dish and KU Band digital receiver. The dish and receivers cost about
$150 to buy outright. Unlike Dish Network or Direct TV, there is no
monthly fee charge for programming.
“About one out of five films we run is a Made-For-TV Movie, mostly
from the 1970s, ‘80s and early ‘90s,” related Victor Ives, veteran
broadcaster and founder of ITEX media in the ‘90s, who started the
network. “An ABC Movie of the Week is a lot more enjoyable when it
isn’t interrupted every ten minutes by commercials for abdominal
machines, psychic readers or patent medicines,” Ives said.
“So
far, the biggest viewer response is from classic and not so classic
movies from the early days of Hollywood, including B-pictures from
the so called Poverty Row studios,” he added. “Another big hit is
theatrical release cartoons and musical shorts called ‘Soundies,’
filmed in the ‘40s with such music greats as Stan Kenton, Fats
Waller, Cab Calloway, the Mills Brothers, Spike Jones, and Dorothy
Dandridge.”
FTA
(free to air) viewers have over 80 space channels to watch free.
There are a number of ethnic and religious stations, also PBS
(Public Broadcasting), some sports franchises, and a couple of the
alphabet networks have become FTA providers. It is anticipated that
as viewing options expand a rapid growth of people will switch to
the free channels, rather than pay monthly fees.
In
2006 White Springs began contracting with TV stations and cable
systems, becoming the first over-the-air television network to offer
feature length movies without commercial interruption as a regular
format.
White Springs now has outlets in areas of California, Connecticut,
Maine, Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Alabama, Washington,
South Carolina, Oregon, and Nevada. There is a cable system as far
away as Guatemala, and negotiations are underway for the network to
expand to Canada.
Besides the usual direct and cable systems, thousands of viewers are
watching the channel via internet-video streaming...with viewer
reports coming in from England, Scotland, Australia and Dubai.
“In
a few years,” Ives remarked, “we can't see why our network ought not
be on the air in every market in America. The construction (of
Congress-mandated upgrading to digital channels) is going to cost
stations plenty, so why wouldn't our no-cash barter option be a
popular way to fill one of these channels?”
The
name White Springs TV comes from the name of a small town on the
Suawanee River in Florida. That's where Ives and his partners
purchased a satellite uplink facility that beams the programming
22,500 miles into space...then back to earth.
For
television information see
www.whitesprings.tv, and
www.talkstarradio.com for the radio network, or contact
info@whitesprings.TV.