Free Speech TV

Free Speech TV (FSTV) is an American news and opinion network. It was launched in 1995 and is owned and operated by Public Communicators Incorporated, a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1974. Distributed principally by Dish Network, DirecTV, and the network’s live stream at freespeech.org and on Roku, Free Speech TV has run commercial free since 1995 with support from viewers and foundations. The network claims to “amplify underrepresented voices and those working on the front lines of social, economic and environmental justice,” bringing viewers an array of daily news programs, independent documentaries and special events coverage.

Free Speech TV is an outgrowth of three projects that attempted to establish wider dissemination of progressive perspectives on television: The 90’s, a landmark television series seen on public television and cable; The 90’s Channel, a network of seven full-time cable channels dedicated to independent media; and the part-time Free Speech TV Program Service, launched in 1995 as an innovative approach to curating and distributing independent media to a distribution network of community access cable stations. Public television stations carried some Free Speech TV’s special series, such as Just Solutions: Campaigning for Human Right. The network’s pioneering efforts in streaming media online won it accolades such as a 1998 Streamers Award and 1999 Webby Award.