public-access television

[ puhb-lik-ak-ses, -ak- ]

noun

1. a noncommercial system of broadcasting on television channels made available to independent or community groups for programs of general interest to the community.
2. one or more channels on cable television that by law are reserved for noncommercial broadcasting by members of the public.

Word History and Origins

Origin of public-access television¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

“The day after I was elected mayor,” he said in the late 1980s, on an episode of “Bernie Speaks with the Community,” a public-access television show he created as mayor of Burlington, Vt., “I said to some of my colleagues, ‘We can’t survive.

From Washington Post

When it was taken off the air, he turned to the screen, approaching Lauren-Glenn Davitian of Chittenden Community Television, which had just secured funding for public-access television in a handful of Vermont communities.

From Washington Post

Chris Covent had long dreamed of becoming a full-time video game streamer, the modern version of public-access television personalities who broadcast their lives on the internet.

From New York Times

Two decades on from being the "only dad at ballet practice", he continues to share his experiences via public-access television while Deeds Driven Dads, which started in the Bronx, has expanded to a core team of 10 mentors.

From BBC

“Theater Talk” began on public-access television in 1993 under the leadership of Ms. Haskins, the director and actor Stephen Ahern and the journalist Michael Riedel.

From New York Times