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You’ve probably heard about Community Access Television Services (CATS), the cable TV station at the Downtown Library. But how familiar are you with the amazing programs on CATS, and how to watch them? And what about creating your own programs for broadcast? 

Here's all you need to get involved with the coolest—and only—community access TV station in Monroe County.

Tuning In

CATS Channels are available on all three major cable systems (Comcast, Smithville TV, and AT&T U-Verse) in Bloomington and Monroe County. Channel Line-ups & Instructions

And if you prefer to watch online, you can always see what's airing on CATS live, as well as the daily and weekly schedules for each channel—or choose a program from the Video Archive

Channels

Each of the five channels CATS broadcasts features its own unique blend of content.

The Library Channel

Local events, arts happenings, and interesting talks, documented for TV by CATS production crews. Enjoy annual favorites like Lotus World Music and Arts Festival and VITAL Quiz Bowl, as well as weekly series programs like CATSweek (our weekly recap of local government meetings) and Pets Without Partners—this channel is your window to our community.  Suggest an Event for CATS to Cover 

The Public Channel

An eclectic mix of original programs by local residents—everything from local live music to religious services to friends talking over drinks. You can submit your own content for the Public Channel (and even create it using a CATS camera) by filling out a Public Channel Program Proposal.

City & County Government Channels

Broadcast for the express purpose of promoting open government, these channels are operated by CATS on behalf of the City of Bloomington and Monroe County. With gavel-to-gavel coverage of over forty local government meetings per month, they're an essential part of connecting citizens to the local democratic process. Whenever possible, meetings are cast live, and most are replayed the following day (and are also accessible on the CATS website, of course).

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SCOLA International News

A valuable source of programming for international community members, second-language speakers, or just people with an interest in news from countries like Germany, Japan, Brazil, France and more. Operated by CATS, SCOLA also helps us learn about the culture, language, and events of different places in our ever-shrinking world.

A Sampling of CATS-Produced Episodes

VaVaVa Vaudeville August 19, 2017 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Bloomington Chef Challenge July 30, 2017 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Bloomington City Council August 4, 2017 at Bloomington City Hall

CATSWeek October 6, 2017 in CATS Studio A, Downtown Library

South Central Opioid Summit September 28, 2017 at the Monroe Convention Center

Copyright 101 for Creators September 21, 2017 at the Downtown Library

Air Your Own Programs on CATS

Music videos, television episodes, short films—CATS is always looking for original content. Just bring videos you've created to CATS (first floor of the Downtown Library, down the hallway between the Friends Bookstore and Level Up), fill out some paperwork, and tell your friends when to tune in! 

And if you need to shoot your program outside of Level Up (the Library's publicly available video, audio, and editing studios), CATS also lends video cameras for you to take home. 

For more information on CATS' services and programming, contact them directly. You can also follow CATS on Twitter at @cats_staff.