Rogers cable subscribers in Ottawa have recently been told that they will no longer be able to watch the PBS broadcast out of Watertown, N.Y.
The station — broadcast throughout eastern Ontario since 1971 — won't be picked up by Rogers, which said that as of Aug. 18 it will begin to broadcast the PBS signal out of Detroit.
Donna McGrath, an Ottawa resident who has regularly contributed to WPBS during its funding drives, said that the Watertown station will be missed.
"If it's a done deal, I'm going to cancel my subscription to Rogers," she said. "I am because I just don't like the way it was handled."
WPBS said it only learned that Rogers was dropping its signal when an Ottawa viewer emailed the station, said Lynn Brown, who has been the director of programming since 1971.
"And it took a good half hour just kind of staring at one another and getting over that shock," she said.
Brown said WPBS has built a relationship with communities on both sides of the border and often chooses programs specifically for its viewers in Ottawa.
"I just cannot believe in my heart of hearts that there's going to be another media entity that is going to have the same commitment," she said.
Nancy Cottenden, who speaks for Rogers, said that the company is sticking to its decision.
"Over the years, we've heard from our customers that they'd like to continue to receive PBS, but would like a feed that has a higher-quality reception," she said.
The workers at the PBS station in Watertown said the decision has been devastating for them.
The station, they said, relies heavily on the support it has received from its eastern Ontario viewers.
Although those viewers only represent 20 per cent of the stations members, they donate 70 per cent of the money it receives through its funding drives.
WPBS's website urges viewers to call Rogers.
