Residents who have Cox Cable have likely sped past channel 11 on their TV, looking for something to watch. The Town of Fountain Hills is trying to turn the channel into something more.

Channel 11 is most often designated as a city or town’s government programming channel. Historically, the government channel is provided to a community free of charge as part of a franchise agreement with a cable operator to operate within that community. The Town of Fountain Hills uses the channel for live broadcasts and replays of Town Council meetings. When meetings aren’t being shown, slides promote events or information about local programs and services.

The Town has recently added Wildlife Views produced by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and programming from community service providers Republic Services and EPCOR. The aim is that adding this programming will make the channel more interesting to watch and provide additional informative content.

Besides the new video content, the Town is using the channel for critical information during emergencies. The station will provide essential updates during CodeRED emergencies, such as flooding or wildfires. These updates will help viewers stay up to date on the current crisis and be a resource to find more information.

Though the Town of Fountain Hills channel 11 will not compete with many other cable channels for viewership, organizers consider it is “must-see TV” for current events and information. Those who do not have cable TV may watch the channel live at fh.az.gov/channel11.