Tennessee Legislature getting public TV coverage this year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Proceedings of the state Senate and House of Representatives will be broadcast statewide for the first time this year on Public Television's "Tennessee Channel."

The gavel-to-gavel broadcast will include live and taped-delayed committee meetings, floor sessions, joint conventions and other items.

The General Assembly will be responsible for feeding the broadcast of the sessions to the Tennessee Channel. It will then run through the state's six public television stations.

They are WCTE/Cookeville; WTCI/Chattanooga; East Tennessee PBS WKOP/Knoxville and WETP/Sneedville; WLJT/Martin; WKNO/Memphis; and WNPT/Nashville.

"This is rare around the country," Russell Humphrey, chief clerk of the Senate, said Wednesday. "We're one of only a few states to do this."

Up to 60 hours a week will be broadcast depending on the amount of work done by the legislators. Tape-delayed sessions will be broadcast on the day they are taped.

Live broadcasts will alternate between the House and Senate depending on which one has a floor session.

Some fragmented sessions have been broadcast previously but with a week's delay.

People can check with their local public television station for the weekly schedule.

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