Yesterday, FTVLive FIRST told you that PACSAT, satellite uplink services, is closing up their Sacramento operations at the end of the month.

We got our hands on the memo that confirms our story:

Update: The company contacted FTVLive to say Capitol Television News Service is shutting down not the parent company PACSAT. In addition, the PACSAT Sacramento studio will continue to operate, but will be moving to a location closer to the Capitol.

From: CTNS <ctnsscripts@pacsat.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 5:17 PM
To: 'CTNS' <ctnsscripts@pacsat.com>
Subject: CTNS Important Announcement

EXTERNAL EMAIL
Capitol Television News Service

Capitol Television News Service began providing news coverage from the State Capitol in 1987 for subscribing TV stations throughout California. Most of our original subscribers are still using the service to this day. In the beginning, the service was named Northern California News Satellite, NCNS and it was changed several years later to Capitol Television News Service, CTNS.

We regret to announce that CTNS will cease the service at the end of May 2019.

The service has always been unprofitable, as I suspected when I conceived the idea long ago as an NBC News Foreign Correspondent based in Tokyo. I was looking for ways to escape the hectic and sometimes dangerous network news lifestyle. My wife, Kathy and I agreed that after 10 years of living in Beirut, London, Moscow and Tokyo, it was time for me to stop risking my life and return to California and raise our family.

I was the State Capitol Bureau Chief for NBC/KNBC Los Angeles in the mid 70’s when Jerry Brown served his first terms as Governor. By 1987, all the major TV news organizations had closed their Capitol bureaus. I thought it might be possible to produce and distribute generic news coverage that stations would welcome. This would be made possible using Ku band satellites to deliver a subscription-based news feed. At the time Ku band was not widespread and some were exploring the potential for using trucks with “dish” antennas to deliver live news coverage.

I thought it was a brilliant concept. I hired a veteran newsman/news director to research the news feed concept and he received positive responses from many California TV News Directors. I believed such a service was necessary and important. I also saw the profit potential of a satellite truck business that could underwrite the news service. So, I hocked the farm and invested every dollar I could.

The service started in April 1987. Initially, my staff ran the operation while I continued my responsibilities to NBC traveling around Asia. A year and a half later, (after considerable losses at NCNS) I left the network and returned to Sacramento. The newly named CTNS continued to grow as did PACSAT, our satellite truck business. At one point we had 18 trucks providing transmission services across a large section of the USA, from California to Florida. We also supplied flyaway uplink systems to several hot spots and sporting events in countries around the world.

In recent years, the satellite truck business has declined as technology changed. We trimmed our fleet to the seven trucks operating today. Unfortunately, PACSAT cannot continue to underwrite CTNS. In some respects it is timely for me personally, since I am an aging septuagenarian and the tread on my tires is wearing thin.

I regret that the Capitol will not be getting the coverage it deserves. Attempts have been made to find media companies, individuals and whomever to take over the service by offering up the assets, including the library, but, there has been no positive response. Consequently, the service will cease on May 31st.

Thank you for your support all these years.

Cheers,
Steve Mallory
News Director – CTNS
President - PACSAT