Ketchikan residents are no longer able to access to cable TV from in the fall of next year. Ketchikan Public Utilities, the island’s final provider, announced that it will end cable services in the coming year. KPU claims that the number of subscribers has dropped and that operating costs have increased as the population of the nation shifts away from local television and to streaming services.
It’s a commercial that Ketchikan residents may recognize.
“Are you at home, wondering how the wind is blowing? How cold is it?” KPU TV’s Michelle O’Brien asks viewers in the ad of 2010. She’s standing on a beach wearing jeans and an oversized windbreaker. She is passing by snow on her side. “It’s freezing! It’s freezing! KPU is the only local weather station within Bar Harbor.”
The video’s quality appears gloomy for something that was created just over 10 years back. But in the coming years the cable commercials that look like this will be a more prominent time-worn relic in Ketchikan.
In September 2024, cable cables in every home will be eliminated. KPU Telecommunications announced on Dec. 4 that it could not compete with companies that offer streaming video services.
“When you have big businesses, such as Hulu, Fubo, Netflix, YouTube TV, I think there’s a number of them – they’re all trying to grow their market share. It’s changing the market in general However, this change has been happening for the last 10 years, and it’s sort of picked up speed in the past five years,” explained Dan Lindgren, KPU telecommunications manager.
Lingren owns an unplugged cable box at his home. If asked if he’s likely to be missing it, he’s not emotional.
“No, nope. I’m prepared to transition completely with absolute certainty,” Lindgren said.
However, there are a lot of people who aren’t. Lindgren estimated that at present, 20 percent from KPU customers are subscribers to cable. He’s aware that this transition isn’t easy for everyone.
In particular, the older generation who may not be accustomed to smart TVs or the plethora of streaming options. Lindgren said they wouldn’t be left out in the change, however.
“We will be putting the focus of making sure that we help our customers and do everything we can to ensure that they get their entertainment requirements in video,” he said.
He said that for KPU it’s not only that fewer people are watching cable TV, but it’s also becoming more expensive to provide.
“You know, we’ve came to a point where it’s just not logical any more,” Lindgren said.
The majority of people who stream KPU cable can do this through set-top box. Lindgren explained that the technology is getting outdated more and more quickly and they’re unable to replace every single box in the world, not to mention higher-priced licensing and content fees.
GCI is the other provider of cable in Ketchikan has suspended its service in 2021.
The cable system in Ketchikan is the first to be built in this state. In October of 1953, the first cable TV was introduced within the Elks Club and a few bars in town. Anchorage got cable a couple months later.
KPU TV didn’t come along in 2005, however as per Lindgren. The first time they appeared it, they had local programming such as the TV show “Live In Ketchikan.”
In an announcement, KPU assured customers that it will continue to create local content like high school sports as well as arts, cultural, and other events and other community-oriented video content. It will only be available exclusively on the mobile and on the internet.
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