TVP3 Katowice

TVP3 Katowice is the regional television service of Telewizja Polska serving Katowice, Upper Silesia and the wider Silesian region. It is one of TVP’s regional branches and is associated with the TVP3 network, whose stations provide locally focused news, public-affairs programming, cultural coverage and community information alongside national public-service content. The service is commonly known as TV Katowice or Television Katowice. The station began broadcasting on 3 December 1957, initially covering a broad area of southern Poland. Because of signal overspill, its early broadcasts could also be received in parts of what was then Czechoslovakia. Over time, its principal editorial and transmission focus became the Silesian Voivodeship, with particular attention to Katowice and the cities and municipalities associated with the GZM Metropolis. The station also maintains regional editorial operations in Rybnik, Bielsko-Biała and Częstochowa. TVP3 Katowice generally broadcasts in Polish, while selected programs use regional or minority languages. Silesian-language programming has included formats such as “U nos w Bytkowie,” “Patefon ujka Ericha” and “Holy War.” The station has also carried German-language content, including “Schlesien Journal,” reflecting the region’s complex cultural and linguistic history. Its terrestrial footprint extends beyond the core Katowice metropolitan area. The service is generally available across the Silesian Voivodeship and Opole Voivodeship, as well as smaller portions of Lesser Poland, Łódź and Świętokrzyskie voivodeships. Reception also reaches limited areas of the Czech Republic’s Moravian-Silesian Region and Slovakia’s Žilina Region. The Katowice television center is supported by a principal tower, a major transmitter at Kosztowy in Mysłowice, and additional relay transmitters. The station has also been affected by changes in TVP’s technology and governance environment. It was among nine TVP3 regional stations converted to high-definition transmission on 15 December 2023. During the Polish public-media crisis in December 2023, TVP3 Katowice was temporarily suspended on 20 December, with TVP2 used in the interim. Regional broadcasting resumed on 26 December 2023. Its continuing role is that of a public regional broadcaster focused on local news, civic affairs, culture, identity and information for communities in and around Upper Silesia.

TVP3 Katowice traces its origins to the launch of Telewizja Katowice on 3 December 1957. The station was established as a regional television center serving southern Poland at a time when television infrastructure was expanding beyond the country’s largest national broadcasting facilities. Its early signal covered a substantial part of southern Poland and also crossed the border into parts of Czechoslovakia through terrestrial signal overspill. As broadcasting infrastructure and administrative boundaries developed, the station’s role became increasingly centered on Upper Silesia and the Katowice area. Its programming evolved around the needs of a densely populated and industrially important region, including local news, public affairs, cultural coverage and reports from municipalities beyond the main city. Katowice became the principal production and transmission center, while editorial offices were established in Rybnik, Bielsko-Biała and Częstochowa to provide broader regional coverage. The station operates as part of Telewizja Polska’s regional structure. In the TVP3 model, local stations combine their own regional output with network-level public-service programming. TVP3 Katowice’s editorial identity is therefore distinct from national TVP channels, with emphasis on events, institutions, communities and cultural life in the Silesian region. Its effective broadcast area includes the Silesian and Opole voivodeships, smaller portions of several neighboring Polish voivodeships, and limited cross-border reception in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Language and cultural programming have been significant aspects of the station’s regional remit. Most broadcasts are in Polish, but selected programs have used the Silesian language, including “U nos w Bytkowie,” “Patefon ujka Ericha” and “Holy War.” The station has also carried German-language content such as “Schlesien Journal,” reflecting the historical and contemporary cultural diversity of Upper Silesia. The physical broadcasting system consists of the Katowice television center, a principal tower approximately 90 meters high, the large transmission facility at Kosztowy in Mysłowice, and additional relay transmitters. The Kosztowy mast is approximately 355 meters high and is among Poland’s tallest radio masts. These facilities support the station’s regional terrestrial reach across a geographically varied area. A major recent technical milestone occurred on 15 December 2023, when TVP3 Katowice joined the other designated regional TVP3 stations in adopting high-definition transmission. Days later, the station was caught up in the Polish public-media crisis. Its broadcast was suspended on 20 December 2023, and TVP2 was used in the interim. TVP3 Katowice returned on 26 December 2023. The episode demonstrated the station’s dependence on the institutional and governance framework of Poland’s public broadcaster while leaving its long-term regional function intact.

• 2023

  Regional service moves to high definition

  [1]TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org

  TVP3 Katowice became one of nine TVP3 regional stations to adopt high-definition broadcasting on 15 December.

• 2023

  Temporary suspension and return to air

  [1]TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org

  The service was suspended on 20 December during Poland’s public-media crisis and resumed on 26 December after an interim period using TVP2.

• 1957

  Telewizja Katowice begins broadcasting

  [1]TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org

  The Katowice regional television service opened on 3 December 1957 at 4 p.m., initially serving much of southern Poland.

Local and regional public broadcaster for Upper Silesia and adjacent areas

• Regional television broadcasting · 1957

  TVP3 Katowice regional television service

  The station’s core offering is a public regional television service for Katowice, Upper Silesia and surrounding areas. Its output centers on local and regional news, public affairs, community information and cultural programming, supplemented by TVP3 network material. The service is primarily Polish-language but includes selected Silesian- and German-language programs. Its terrestrial distribution covers the Silesian and Opole voivodeships and smaller neighboring and cross-border areas.

• 2023

  Conversion to high-definition broadcastingGeneration change

  Background

  TVP expanded high-definition transmission across a group of regional TVP3 services.

  Action taken

  TVP3 Katowice switched to high-definition broadcasting on 15 December 2023.

  Aftermath

  The station joined the modernized technical platform used by the selected TVP3 regional channels.

  Source

• 2023

  Temporary suspension during the public-media crisisOther

  Background

  A wider institutional crisis affecting Poland’s public media led to interruptions in TVP services in December 2023.

  Action taken

  TVP3 Katowice was suspended on 20 December, with TVP2 used as an interim replacement.

  Aftermath

  The regional service resumed broadcasting on 26 December 2023.

  Source

• 2023

  TVP3 Katowice converted to high-definition broadcasting[1]TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  TVP3 Katowice was one of nine regional TVP3 stations to move to high-definition transmission on 15 December 2023.

• 2023

  TVP3 Katowice temporarily suspended during Poland’s public-media crisis[1]TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  The regional service was taken off air on 20 December 2023 amid the wider crisis surrounding Poland’s public media. TVP2 replaced it temporarily, and TVP3 Katowice resumed broadcasting on 26 December.

1. 1TVP3 Katowiceen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Telewizja Polska regional websitetvp.pl