FALLS CHURCH, VA.: The DTV transition proved advantageous for one niche TV network in the tony suburbs of Washington, D.C. MHz Networks, which caters to the substantial international population of the area, is up with 10 free over-the-air multicasts. MHz cut analog transmissions last September to do a stick swap, pictured on the final print edition of Television Broadcast. Followers without digital reception thought the channel was gone, according to Kim Hart of The Washington Post. It was then rediscovered by people who rescanned for channels after the June 12 digital transition deadline.

MHz is different from many international channels because it’s neither language-based, nor does it focus on a single culture or region. It’s carried newscasts from Moscow, “La Piovra,” the Mafia mystery series from Italy, the seminal German detective series, “Tatort,” and “Water Rats,” TVB’s all-time favorite crime procedural based on the Sydney Water Police in Australia’s great natural harbor.

MHz is owned by Richmond, Va.’s Commonwealth Public Broadcasting. It has a footprint of around 27 million households through broadcast, cable and satellite carriage, Hart said. A mobile launch is planned for next month in conjunction with the Open Mobile Video Coalition.
-- Deborah D. McAdams