STAMFORD, Conn.—Charter Communications’ operating brand Spectrum and pay TV operator Optimum have struck new agreements that expand access to local news channels on their systems and provide for closer collaboration on advertising sales.

One of the agreements restores Spectrum News NY1 to Optimum TV customers and News 12 to Spectrum TV customers across the New York metropolitan area in September. In May of 2025, Optimum and Spectrum ended an eight-year-old reciprocal deal that made NY1, which serves the five New York City boroughs, available to Optimum subscribers and the News 12 networks in Brooklyn, The Bronx and suburban areas available to Spectrum customers.

The agreement will also expand the distribution of Spectrum News to Optimum TV customers in Texas and North Carolina.

“Together, we're expanding access to trusted local journalism while creating even greater value for our customers,” said Mike Bair, executive vice president, Spectrum Networks. “Our local news teams are deeply connected to the communities they serve, and we're pleased to bring that reporting to even more viewers while restoring access to iconic local news brands across the New York market.”

“This agreement reflects our continued focus on delivering the content and experiences our customers value most,” said Keith Bowen, president of news, programming and business services, Optimum. “By expanding local news offerings and strengthening our advertising capabilities through this collaboration with Spectrum, we're enhancing the customer experience while positioning our business for continued growth. It's a great example of how two industry leaders can work together to better serve viewers, advertisers and the communities we both call home.”

As part of a separate agreement, Spectrum Reach will provide advertising sales representation for Optimum’s West markets, which include approximately 30 DMAs across the Central, Southern and Western United States.

The arrangement combines Optimum’s relationships and local market expertise with Spectrum Reach’s advanced advertising capabilities, operational scale and multiscreen solutions, creating a more seamless experience for advertisers, the two operators said.

NEW YORK, N.Y.—News 12 New York has launched on the streaming service Pluto TV, making its news coverage from the tri-state region available on all devices and platforms that carry Pluto TV.

The launch expands Pluto TV’s extensive lineup of news channels, which already includes Altice News’ live streaming news network Cheddar News. 

“We are excited to continue Altice News’ partnership with Pluto TV in today’s launch of News 12 New York,” said Kristin Malaspina, senior vice president of marketing and partnerships at Altice News. “Now, more viewers than ever will be able to tune in to News 12’s award-winning content from across the country through Pluto TV’s extensive user base.”

Amy Kuessner, senior vice president, content strategy & global partnerships at ViacomCBS Streaming, which includes Pluto TV, added that “hyperlocal news is an important part of every community, and this partnership will provide Pluto TV’s tri-state viewers easy access to the most up-to-date information in their region for absolutely free.”

News 12 is owned and operated by Altice USA and is part of the Altice News group, which also includes national and business news from Cheddar News and the global and current affairs network i24NEWS.

NEW YORK—You always need help when you move, and broadcasters are no different. News 12 Networks, which is located on Long Island in New York, is working with KMH Audio-Video Integration on its relocation that will take it from two separate facilities to a single central facility in Bethpage, N.Y.

KMH has been consulting with News 12’s team since the beginning of this multi-year project that is currently underway to ensure the new facility is scalable and has the right technologies to meet current production needs. When complete, the new facility is expected to provide upgrades in workflow efficiency, on-air quality and production flexibility, KMH says.

The first phase of the project saw the moving of master control systems, including four operator positions and a monitor wall. A central equipment room with 100 racks supporting master control and News 12 production systems will also be moved to the Bethpage facility.

All production systems, a technical operations center, studios, control rooms, graphic, edit suites, newsrooms and sales and marketing offices will also be migrated to the new facility.

KMH is handling off-site fabrication and staging for select racks from its Hauppauge, N.Y., facility to help expedite on-site installation. This has included a 576x576 MCR router and I/O jackfield racks, a 576x576 production router and I/O jackfield racks, distribution frames and jackfield racks.

KMH is also providing architectural consulting to coordinate cable paths and wall-mount device locations, as well as managing the on-site installation of new equipment and the migration of existing systems.

MONTREAL, ONTARIO, CANADA — The News 12 team evaluated all the options on the market for upgrading studio automation and went with the latest Grass Valley Ignite Automated Production System with the Kayenne K-Frame Video Production Center.

“We were the first station in the country to use the automation system that preceded Ignite, so Grass Valley has been an important part of our success over the years,” noted Milan Krainchich, vice president of operations for News 12 Networks, the regional cable-only news networks comprising a Cablevision subsidiary. “The Ignite system is capable of cutting live news as well as freeform breaking news for an extended period of time, which is extremely important to us. Our operators value that they can tailor the workflow in a way that works best for them.”

Ignite is designed as a complete link between the control room and the newsroom with single-operator capabilities. It allows one operator to manage control room devices used to produce live newscasts and event programming, making it possible to control on-air timing, accommodate last-minute show changes and direct any type of production on the fly. It also assists in repurposing content for digital multicasting and webcasts, increasing overall production value.

News 12 uses Ignite to control six cameras in its studio connected through a Kayenne K-Frame switcher. The Ignite Katalyst control panel was considered a critical component of the workflow for its purpose-built, tactile surface that enables live productions using Ignite. Another important new component was the Media Object Portal Gateway newsroom control system portal, which provides visibility from Ignite into the control system that details what has changed, where that change is in the rundown, and alerts the director if there are conflicts that require attention.

“The way the whole system comes together, including integration with ENPS and other devices, is one of the biggest benefits for us,” Krainchich added. “Also, we appreciate having choices over control surfaces while being able to operate the system on air with a standard keyboard or with the Katalyst dedicated control panel, but not requiring a full switcher control panel and audio mixing console. It’s the right solution for us.”

Providing 24-hour news coverage to cable viewers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, News 12 operates seven distinct local channels as well as an interactive network of websites and mobile applications. The demands for productivity in a 24-hour news environment are intense, so the group leverages automation solutions to maximize its operation and improve efficiency. Launched more than 30 years ago, News 12 has been using automation solutions from Belden&#&8217;sGrass Valley, from inception.