One America News is attempting a comeback by taking advantage of an age-old technology: the antenna.
Bloomberg report That pro-Donald Trump conservative channel is aiming to replace lost viewers after pay-TV providers DirectTV and Verizon dropped it from their lineup.
Founder and owner Robert Herring Sr. earlier this year urged One America viewers to pressure their providers to reinstate the channel, without success.
So now, the station, which has been accused of spreading misinformation about the 2020 election and still faces several lawsuits related to its reporting, is going old school and offering free, over-the-counter services in nearly 30 markets. is setting up the over-the-air subchannel, with plans to reach about 100 by the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.
Markets OAN is targeting: Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Wichita, Kansas and Jacksonville, Florida.
Last month, the company said it struck a deal to launch OAN 22 states with Zito Media of Potter County, Pennsylvania, which it said was moving quickly to get its signal ahead of the midterm election. was.
Sub-channels are a small corner of the TV business that is growing as more people cancel pay-TV and reinstall antennas at their homes to take over free broadcast stations.
The subchannel, Bloomberg explained, is “a small corner of the TV business” that is growing as more people cancel pay-TV and reinstall antennas at their homes to take on free broadcast stations. . The report, citing Nielsen, says that about 15% of American households use antennas, up from 10% in 2010.
KPVM, a broadcast station in the Las Vegas market, reaches about 875,000 homes, as Bloomberg reports, which began carrying OAN as a subchannel about a year ago.
KPVM CEO Vernon van Winkle said of the network, “The audience absolutely loved it.” “If my signal goes down for even a second, my phone lines are going up and people are asking ‘What’s going on?'”
Bloomberg said Nielsen does not report OAN’s audience, and it is difficult to determine how many views it has. Advertising revenue from sub-channels is also unlikely to be as lucrative as subscriber fees from cable and satellite services.
Angelo Carusone, president of America’s watchdog group Media Matters, told Bloomberg that the effort might not bring in much money for OAN, but it could help it stay connected to its fans, and help take the matter to big TV. Can do. the provider.
OAN’s strategy appears to be “let’s find as many distribution partners as we can,” Carusone said.
Bloomberg reported that other conservative networks, including Newsmax and Real America’s Voice, also use sub-channels in various locations across the country.
