A-PAC

A-PAC
Launched 20 January 2009
Owned by Foxtel, Austar
Picture format 576i (SDTV 16:9)
Slogan Australia's Public Affairs Network
Country Australia
Language English
Website a-pac.tv
Availability
Satellite
Austar Channel 648
Foxtel Channel 648
Cable
Foxtel Channel 648
Optus TV Channel 648
Internet television
Available free to all internet users http://www.a-pac.tv/

A-PAC ( /ˈeɪpæk/ ay-pak; Australian Public Affairs Channel) is an Australian 24 hour cable and satellite news channel available on Foxtel and Austar platforms. On 15 November 2009, A-PAC's channel location for Foxtel changed from Channel 607 to Channel 648.

Contents

History

A-PAC is a public affairs television network in Australia (initially launched as "A-SPAN").[1] The network is jointly funded by Pay TV companies Foxtel and Austar and is produced by Sky News.[1] The channel officially launched on the morning of 20 January 2009 (Australian time), just in time to cover the inauguration of US President Obama using a feed from U.S. cable channel, C-SPAN.[2] It is similarly named to the comparable CPAC channel.

The channel is available on Australian subscription television services and online.[1] It will also be offered to digital, free-to-air television organisations. The channel is similar to the American public affairs network C-SPAN.[2] A-PAC content features live broadcasts from Australia's Parliament House in Canberra (including sittings of the House of Representatives, the Senate, parliamentary Committee meetings and political press conferences), the parliaments of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland as well as sittings of the United States Congress, live broadcasts of speeches from the Australian National Press Club and a program which provides coverage of the New Zealand and British parliaments.[2] Material from the United Nations and the European Parliament will also be carried.

In December 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd hailed the creation of the network as being "good for our democracy" given the lack of such raw access prior to its founding.

A-PAC began Widescreen broadcasting along with sister channels Sky News Business Channel and Sky News Australia on Sunday, 17 May.[3]

Related links

References

  1. ^ a b c "Rudd hails new A-Span TV network". ABC News. 8 December 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/08/2440386.htm. Retrieved 8 December 2008. 
  2. ^ a b c Archer, Lincoln (8 December 2008). "A-SPAN, non-stop public affairs channel, launched". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24766880-5005941,00.html. Retrieved 8 December 2008. 
  3. ^ [1]

External links

Parliamentary and public affairs broadcasters
IGOs
EuroparlTV (European Union)  · Europe by Satellite (European Union)  · United Nations Television (United Nations)
National
governments
A-PAC (Australia)  · ANTV (Venezuela)  · ARtv (Portugal)  · BBC Parliament (United Kingdom)  · Camera dei Deputati (Italy)  · Canal Parlamento (Spain)  · Chamber TV (Luxembourg) · CDtv (Chile)  · La Chaîne parlementaire (France)  · CPAC (Canada)  · C-SPAN (United States)  · Al Jazeera Mubasher (Middle East)  · Knesset Channel (Israel)  · Lok Sabha TV (India)  · Houses of the Oireachtas Channel (Ireland)  · PTV News (Pakistan)  · Parliament TV (New Zealand)  · Phoenix (Germany)  · Rada TV (Ukraine)  · Radio Radicale (Italy) · Rai GR Parlamento (Italy)  · TV Senado (Brazil)  · TV Câmara (Brazil)  · Senato Italiano (Italy)  · Vouli Tileorasi (Greece)