Americom unit to launch Pentagon TV channel

Americom Government Services Inc. of Princeton, N.J., will launch a new Pentagon TV channel that is broadcast to military and federal personnel and interested consumers in the United States, the company announced Aug. 23.

AGS, a wholly owned subsidiary of SES Americom Inc., will launch the Pentagon Channel under a five-year, multimillion-dollar contract with the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

AGS will deliver Armed Forces Radio and Television Service content via the new channel. Programming will be broadcast from the Pentagon to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where the signal will be uplinked and delivered via AGS' terrestrial satellite communication service facilities and SES Americom's satellite capacity.

The contract was awarded through AGS' General Services Administration schedule.

The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service was created to communicate Defense Department policies, programs and goals, as well as U.S. television and radio news, sports, information and entertainment programming to DOD service members, civilians and their families overseas and onboard U.S. Navy ships.