It looks like WPXI’s PCNC is on life support.

The local cable news channel for Pittsburgh, which is operated by WPXI is dead or at least near death.

WPXI posted this to their website:

WPXI today announced that Comcast has decided that its subscribers will no longer be able to access the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel beginning on January 1, 2020.

Since 1994, PCNC- Pittsburgh Cable News Channel has served the communities of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region by providing viewers with up-to-the minute news, weather and talk programming.

PCNC is carried by most major cable systems throughout the area and has been carried by Comcast for almost two decades. Comcast subscribers have come to rely on PCNC as the trusted source of local news, weather and information.

On Monday, without any prior warning, Comcast informed WPXI’s parent company that it will cease distribution of PCNC to Comcast subscribers as of midnight on December 31st.

WPXI has offered Comcast an extension, including a temporary extension into 2020 that would provide Comcast subscribers with uninterrupted access to PCNC while a more permanent arrangement is worked out. Comcast has refused all such offers while failing to respond with a counterproposal. Comcast has stated it will not reconsider its decision or engage in discussions for continued carriage, even on a temporary basis, an irresponsible position that fails to consider its Pittsburgh-area customers.

Without being on the Comcast systems, it would be unlikely that WPXI would continue to carry the channel.

Then again, this could just be another retrans pissing match and you will see PCNC back on the system soon.

Footnote: FTVLive used to work for WPXI and PCNC and it would be sad to see the cable news channel die. Although it was never given the resources it should have been to try and make it really successful.