Indie KCET's channel moves off VHF on two cable systems

Two California cable systems have shifted Los Angeles's KCET from its VHF position into the harder-to-find digital tier, now that the station has departed PBS. Charter Communications and Cox Cable made the move to keep PBS's new primary station, PBS SoCal/KOCE, "in the more trafficked VHF band," according to Variety (free registration required to view story). KCET President Al Jerome said it made "a strategic decision to retain its digital multicast channels ... This has impacted our channel positions with some cable services." The move affects around 377,000 Charter viewers; Variety did not list the number of Cox subscribers. Jerome said the channel remains the same on other cable outlets, including Time Warner and Comcast.