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PBS SoCal Expands Over-the-Air Channel Offering to San Luis Obispo and Surrounding Regions

Seven PBS SoCal Digital Channels on Channel 16 Now Available to the Greater San Luis Obispo AreaIncremental Channels Include NHK WORLD-JAPAN, WORLD and CREATE.
July 10, 2026

Press Contact

Chelsea Grosbeck
cgrosbeck@pbssocal.org
747.201.5202

SanLuisObispoChannelRestructure.png
Pictured: Coverage map for Channel 16 showing broadcast areas in the greater San Luis Obispo region.

pbssocal.org/WhereToWatch
pbssocal.org/rescan

Los Angeles, Calif. – July 13, 2026 – PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS organization, relaunched the local broadcast stations in the San Luis Obispo region — Channel 16 — expanding the over-the-air channel offerings for communities across the Central Coast and into the inland region, from Santa Maria to Coalinga, including Paso Robles, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande and Nipomo. Viewers will now be able to see in the full channel lineup 16.1 – 16.7, NHK WORLD-JAPAN, WORLD and Create.

  • NHK WORLD-JAPAN – The international service of Japan's public broadcaster NHK. It provides the latest information on Japan and Asia through television, radio and online to a global audience.
  • WORLD – The best of public television's nonfiction, news and documentary programming.
  • Create – Access to lifestyle-oriented programming 24-hours a day with plenty of great cooking, crafts and travel content with shows like Rick Steves, America's Test Kitchen and This Old House.

Viewers who use satellite or cable services in the area to watch PBS SoCal programming will be unaffected. Streaming services are always available at pbssocal.org and on the free PBS App.

To access all of the new content options, viewers may need to rescan their TV. Learn how to rescan at pbssocal.org/rescan. A channel scan is a way to update channel information stored in the receiver of your television.

For more information, follow us on social at @pbssocal

About PBS SoCal

PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 22M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.

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