Media

The 2001 Legislature established a state public affairs television and Internet broadcasting service “to provide Montana citizens with increased access to unbiased information about state government deliberations and public policy events through unedited television coverage and other communications technologies”. The Legislative Services Division administers a contract with MontanaPBS to provide production services for the channel formerly known as “TVMT”. The channel went through a re-branding process in 2018, and is now called the Montana Public Affairs Network “MPAN”. The Legislative Council assists the Division in monitoring the broadcasting service to ensure that broadcasts are in compliance with the principles of good conduct enumerated in law. There are also Programming Policy and Operating Guidelines in place that have been adopted by MontanaPBS and Legislative Services.

During the session, MPAN provides gavel-to-gavel daily coverage of the Senate and House floor sessions and several committee meetings. This C-Span style programming is distributed on closed circuit television within the Capitol and to cable television subscribers in many communities in Montana.