The Cox Channel
Encyclopedia
The Cox Channel is a local origination cable channel based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, and is owned and operated by Cox Communications
, through its Oklahoma City and Tulsa-area cable television systems. The Cox Channel is not available on DBS
providers DirecTV
or Dish Network
, nor is it available to IPTV
provider, AT&T
U-verse
.
of premium channels and some sports programming. After acquiring TCI's cable system in Tulsa in 2000, Cox Communications added similar programming to the local origination channel on cable channel 9.
The "Cox Channel" name was adopted in 2004 on the Oklahoma City and Tulsa service areas, and was moved to channel 7 in the Oklahoma City market, swapping channel space with NBC affiliate KFOR-TV
(channel 4), and channel 3 in the Tulsa market in 2006; in Oklahoma City, it returned to channel 3 in March 2010. Until 2006, the channel was also available on cable outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas in portions of Oklahoma; that year, Cox sold its systems outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas to Cebridge Connections (now Suddenlink Communications
), and was dropped by December of that year.
On December 14, 2010 Cox Communications relegated access to TV Guide Network's programming on channel 2 in Oklahoma City to digital cable subscribers and subscribers using a CableCard
on their analog cable box, at which time Cox dropped the program guide from the channel due to the presence of an interactive program guide
that digital subscribers can access on their TVs; on that date, Cox separated the standard definition feeds of the Cox Channel to its customers: analog cable subscribers began seeing the TV Guide Network's former scrolling program grid (restyled to the color-coded version of the guide based on genre, used on the channel nationally until July 1, 2010) on the bottom ¼ of the screen while regular programming was carried at the top ⅔ of the screen. Digital cable subscribers continue to see The Cox Channel full-screen without the grid.
for Oklahoma's two largest metropolitan areas (although officially, the primary regional sports network for the Oklahoma City and Tulsa television markets is the Fox Sports Oklahoma subfeed of Fox Sports Southwest), but it mostly offers public interest programming. The channel's sports offerings consist mainly of high school sports with football games during the fall season and basketball games during the late winter and early spring months, along with high school swimming events; these games are broadcast under the banner "Oklahoma Ford High School Game of the Week".
The channel also broadcasts Oklahoma Sooners
and Oklahoma State Cowboys
women's basketball and softball games, as well as St. Louis Cardinals
Major League Baseball
games not carried via national sports channels, generally simulcasting Cardinals games carried by either Fox Sports Midwest or NBC affiliate KSDK
(channel 5) in St. Louis during the MLB season (Cox Communications has offered Cardinals games to its Oklahoma cable system area since the late 1990s, as games were carried by the Oklahoma City system on analog cable channel 67, when they began carrying the games). Since 2010, the Cox Channel has also carried games from the WNBA's Tulsa Shock women's professional basketball team that are not carried nationally on ESPN
and NBA TV
. The channel also carries a sports wrapup program called SportsNight Oklahoma, airing on weeknights at 6:30 and 10 p.m. (CT
).
The Cox Channel airs local programming, informercials
or older TV series (such as the classic western Gunsmoke
) when there is no sports programming to air. It airs a limited amount of news programming as it carries the University of Oklahoma
's weekday afternoon newscast called OU Nightly, produced by the university's journalism department. The channel also carries simulcast blocks of programming from the local real estate
channel GoScout Homes (which is carried as a standalone channel on digital cable channel 22 in Oklahoma City and digital cable channel 122 in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa) and since July 2010, also carries a simulcast of the morning newscast from news/talk radio station KRMG-AM/FM in the Tulsa area only on weekday mornings from 5-8:30 a.m. CT (in the Oklahoma City area, infomercials air on The Cox Channel during the same time).
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, and is owned and operated by Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
, through its Oklahoma City and Tulsa-area cable television systems. The Cox Channel is not available on DBS
DBS
-Automobiles:*Aston Martin DBS, 1967–72 automobile model*Aston Martin DBS V12, 2008- automobile model, officially also called the Aston Martin DBS-Technology:*Database system*Discbox Slider, a carton board disc case...
providers DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
or Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, nor is it available to IPTV
IPTV
Internet Protocol television is a system through which television services are delivered using the Internet protocol suite over a packet-switched network such as the Internet, instead of being delivered through traditional terrestrial, satellite signal, and cable television formats.IPTV services...
provider, AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
U-verse
U-Verse
AT&T U-verse is a registered service mark under which AT&T offers Internet access, television, and telephone services in various parts of the United States. It began in 2008 to serve mostly residences and small businesses in urban and suburban areas.-Services:...
.
Background
The channel originated on cable channel 67 in Oklahoma City in 1995, and in its early days had only carried a bulletin board for local events and for the system itself, as well as occasional free preview weekendsFree preview
Free preview, sometimes referred to by the portmanteau nickname "freeview", is a term, most commonly used by cable television, referring to when cable systems offer a pay-TV service to customers for free for a short period of time.-History:...
of premium channels and some sports programming. After acquiring TCI's cable system in Tulsa in 2000, Cox Communications added similar programming to the local origination channel on cable channel 9.
The "Cox Channel" name was adopted in 2004 on the Oklahoma City and Tulsa service areas, and was moved to channel 7 in the Oklahoma City market, swapping channel space with NBC affiliate KFOR-TV
KFOR-TV
KFOR-TV, virtual channel 4 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. KFOR-TV is owned by Local TV, a subsidiary of the private equity group Oak Hill Capital Partners, in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate KAUT-TV ; its studios are located at 444 East Britton Road in...
(channel 4), and channel 3 in the Tulsa market in 2006; in Oklahoma City, it returned to channel 3 in March 2010. Until 2006, the channel was also available on cable outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas in portions of Oklahoma; that year, Cox sold its systems outside the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas to Cebridge Connections (now Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink Communications, formerly Cebridge Connections, is a top-10 cable broadband services provider in the United States with approximately 1.4 million subscribers. Suddenlink operates in 18 states in primarily medium-sized communities. With its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, MO,...
), and was dropped by December of that year.
On December 14, 2010 Cox Communications relegated access to TV Guide Network's programming on channel 2 in Oklahoma City to digital cable subscribers and subscribers using a CableCard
CableCARD
CableCARD is a special-use PCMCIA card that allows consumers in the United States to view and record digital cable television channels on digital video recorders, personal computers and television sets without the use of other equipment such as a set top box provided by a cable television company...
on their analog cable box, at which time Cox dropped the program guide from the channel due to the presence of an interactive program guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
that digital subscribers can access on their TVs; on that date, Cox separated the standard definition feeds of the Cox Channel to its customers: analog cable subscribers began seeing the TV Guide Network's former scrolling program grid (restyled to the color-coded version of the guide based on genre, used on the channel nationally until July 1, 2010) on the bottom ¼ of the screen while regular programming was carried at the top ⅔ of the screen. Digital cable subscribers continue to see The Cox Channel full-screen without the grid.
Programming
More or less, it operates as a regional sports networkRegional sports network
In the United States of America and Canada, a regional sports network, or RSN, is a cable television station that presents sports programming to a local market. The most important programming on an RSN consists of live broadcasts of professional and college sporting events, as those games generate...
for Oklahoma's two largest metropolitan areas (although officially, the primary regional sports network for the Oklahoma City and Tulsa television markets is the Fox Sports Oklahoma subfeed of Fox Sports Southwest), but it mostly offers public interest programming. The channel's sports offerings consist mainly of high school sports with football games during the fall season and basketball games during the late winter and early spring months, along with high school swimming events; these games are broadcast under the banner "Oklahoma Ford High School Game of the Week".
The channel also broadcasts Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
and Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
women's basketball and softball games, as well as St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games not carried via national sports channels, generally simulcasting Cardinals games carried by either Fox Sports Midwest or NBC affiliate KSDK
KSDK
KSDK, Channel 5, is the NBC-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KSDK is owned and operated by Gannett Company, and the station's transmitter is located in Marlborough, Missouri. The station broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 35, using its former analog channel assignment...
(channel 5) in St. Louis during the MLB season (Cox Communications has offered Cardinals games to its Oklahoma cable system area since the late 1990s, as games were carried by the Oklahoma City system on analog cable channel 67, when they began carrying the games). Since 2010, the Cox Channel has also carried games from the WNBA's Tulsa Shock women's professional basketball team that are not carried nationally on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and NBA TV
NBA TV
NBA TV is a television specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association , which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner...
. The channel also carries a sports wrapup program called SportsNight Oklahoma, airing on weeknights at 6:30 and 10 p.m. (CT
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
).
The Cox Channel airs local programming, informercials
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
or older TV series (such as the classic western Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
) when there is no sports programming to air. It airs a limited amount of news programming as it carries the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
's weekday afternoon newscast called OU Nightly, produced by the university's journalism department. The channel also carries simulcast blocks of programming from the local real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
channel GoScout Homes (which is carried as a standalone channel on digital cable channel 22 in Oklahoma City and digital cable channel 122 in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa) and since July 2010, also carries a simulcast of the morning newscast from news/talk radio station KRMG-AM/FM in the Tulsa area only on weekday mornings from 5-8:30 a.m. CT (in the Oklahoma City area, infomercials air on The Cox Channel during the same time).