Comcast Network
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| CN8: The Comcast Network | |
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| Launched | 1996 |
| Owned by | Comcast |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | American English |
| Broadcast area | Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the Northeastern United States |
| Website | www.cn8.tv |
| Availability | |
| Cable | |
| Comcast | 8 |
The Comcast Network (also known as CN8) is a cable television station that services more than 9 million cable viewers in 12 states and 20 television markets from Maine to Virginia on Comcast cable systems. Key markets include New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Denver, Detroit and Chicago have their local channels that use the Comcast branding. CN8, employing more than 400 people in its footprint, was founded in 1996 and now airs more than 90 hours a week of original programming from its six studios in the Baltimore, Boston, Delaware, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. areas. CN8's programming and hosts have been recognized by the television industry with more than 370 regional Emmy Award nominations.
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[edit] Shows broadcast
The flagship show is It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle, which has been on the air for over 10 years of broadcasts; its host is the wife of senior Comcast executive Michael Doyle. It also features the dating show Dating on Demand, which encourages viewers to take advantage of the on-demand function of digital cable. Another show in the CN8 lineup is Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, a show that focuses on issues pertaining to seniors.
Other shows broadcast on CN8 include:
- American Builder with Brian Gurry
- Art Fennell Reports
- Backstage with Barry Nolan
- Comcast Comedy Spotlight
- Caucus NJ (broadcast only in New Jersey)
- Christina Cooks
- Flavors of America
- The Fretz Kitchen
- ITV with Donald Barrett
- Larry Kane: Voice Of Reason
- Let's Cook with Paul Dillon
- Money Matters Today with Mary Caraccioli
- New England Newsmakers with Sarah Zapp (broadcast only in the New England region)
- One on One with Steve Adubato
- Out of Bounds with Gregg Murphy
- Smooth Jazz TV
- Your Morning with Connie Colla and Greg Coy
CN8 has recently made the leap from linear television programming to On Demand content. CN8 original programs are available On Demand immediately following their live broadcast for viewing any time day or night for up to three days. In addition, CN8 special broadcast events are also made available On Demand for up to two weeks following their original air time. In an effort to ramp up its political coverage, CN8 offers local political coverage On Demand as well. Political viewers have access to Candidates On Demand, the Philadelphia Mayoral Race, Political Conventions, Presidential Debates, and President Gerald Ford’s memorial services, among others.
CN8 Sports produces and airs more than 200 local, regional and national sports events each year. These broadcasts include collegiate teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer and lacrosse; “Varsity GameNight” featuring regional high-school football and basketball match-ups and playoffs; professional and amateur sports events including boxing, figure skating, gymnastics, baseball, tennis, rodeo; and more. CN8-Mid Atlantic carries MISL soccer games for the Philadelphia Kixx as well as select minor league baseball games, generally from the Eastern League.
CN8-New England carries some sports events (mostly men's hockey games) of Boston University and in the past has carried coverage of the Pawtucket Red Sox (minor-league baseball) produced by Cox Sports Television in Rhode Island, thus making "Pawsox" games available to viewers in the Boston area. The New England feed also carriesoverflow Boston Red Sox games, when regular carrier NESN airs Boston Bruins hockey, then the station is branded as NESN Plus.
CN8-Mid-Atlantic carries "overflow" games when at least two of the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Flyers, or Philadelphia 76ers play at the same time, with one of the games airing on Comcast SportsNet. WPSG also carries games from each team to alleviate conflicts.
Within the last year, CN8 has made a big push to have more of a national presence, including the addition of a flagship studio in the Washington, DC market. Located on Capitol Hill, the studio hosts a variety of local and federal government leaders throughout the year. CN8 hired Robert Traynham as the Washington Bureau Chief for the network. Traynahm hosts “Roll Call TV with Robert Traynham”, CN8’s show that focuses on legislative issues throughout the DC area. “Roll Call” is the first show to originate from CN8’s studio in the nation’s capital.
[edit] Controversy
Like other local cable networks in the United States, CN8 is not available on satellite systems, particularly DirecTV and Dish Network. CN8, along with similar networks like NY1 and News 12, was created to add value to cable networks over satellite systems.
The area where this decision raises the most controversy is with sports. Lawmakers have put pressure on Comcast to make the sports contents that they cover, particularly on sister network CSN Philadelphia, available to satellite operators. CN8 is not available on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, which covers many sporting events, because their internal cable system is satellite based.
Another controversy took place when CN8 expanded to New England. At the time, Comcast had a studio in Brookline, Massachusetts that was shared by the company for local-origination programming, and Brookline Access Television (BAT), the local public-access cable channel in that town. BAT was kicked out of that studio, and it resulted in Comcast getting bad publicity in a local newspaper. Eventually, BAT built its own separate studio elsewhere in the town while the former studio shared by Comcast and BAT is now used full-time by CN8, the major (but not the only) studio facility used by CN8 in New England.
In September of 2007, CN8 was fined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for allegedly airing multiple video news releases (VNRs) without disclosure. The FCC proposed $16,000 in fines for not-disclosing the use of footage from several companies, all airing in fall 2006. It was the FCC’s first-ever fine for violating the sponsorship-identification rules. Complaints had been lodged by the Center for Media and Democracy and Free Press, among others.
[edit] Variants
[edit] Chicago
Comcast's Chicago cable systems carry a different Comcast Network, unrelated to CN8. It is the home of the AHL Chicago Wolves.
[edit] Detroit
A different Comcast television network airs in the Detroit area as a small regional sports network, Comcast Local (CL).
[edit] Denver
- Main article: Comcast Entertainment Television
A Comcast local channel similar to CN8 is available in the Denver area, Comcast Entertainment Television (CET).
[edit] External links
- CN8 Official Site
- Comcast Special offers
- Chicago's Comcast Network
- Detroit's Comcast Local
- Multichannel News Article on FCC Video News Release controversy
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