RFD-TV Added to House Video Lineup

According to rural-themed net RFD-TV, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-Tex.) has announced that the network will now be available to House members in their offices (digital ch. 122).

The channel provides ag news as well as entertainment programming.

“From the halls of Congress to the fields of rural America, RFD-TV provides quality programming ranging from key agriculture news of the day to agribusiness and entertainment,” Conway said in announcing the addition, according to RFD quotes Rep. Conaway. “Importantly, RFD-TV’s news and programming not only highlights the contributions of production. "I believe the news and programming of RFD-TV offers important perspectives that my colleagues in the House of Representatives would benefit from, and I’m pleased to share with you that, at my request, RFD-TV has now been added to the House of Representatives Digital Channel Lineup."

RFD-TV has been on a roll in D.C., literally, under the new Republican Administration. Back in January, its Rural Tractor Brigade, was added to the Inaugural Parade

The net has long been active in Washington, pushing for carriage and the issue of access to independent programming more broadly. It has a Washington bureau at the Department of Agriculture and founder Patrick Gottsch has long been active in Washington on program access issues, particularly during merger reviews, when there are opportunities to push for carriage, enlisting a large fan base including legislators from rural and Western states.

According to the Nashville-based network, RFD-TV reaches more than 52 million homes (100 million worldwide), including via Dish, DirecTV, Comcast, AT&T, Charter, Cox and Mediacom.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.