# Why can't we choose our locals



## Guest (May 25, 2002)

If you can't get your hometown you should be able to choose the closes one to ya.... I live less than 100 miles from Charlotte or Greenville and can't get them.... It just doesn't make sense.... We can get cell phones anywhere or Internet from any company (I know we use local phone for internet but we can use long distance if we choose... bottom line we have the option), but no TV locals outside of your viewing area.... Kinda stupid in my opinion.... I say if I want charlotte or greenville locals, they should charge me a little more (pay for my local affiliates) and let me have them.... The satellite is suppose to have some perks......


----------



## jrjcd (Apr 23, 2002)

once again, it all boils down to pretty much three things:
propriatary contracts between nets and local affiliates
local advertising
antiquated FCC regs and area determinations(who should get what where)


----------



## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

The Satellite providers would love to sell you whatever they have, but the law don't allow them to do what you want.


----------



## Guest (May 25, 2002)

I see but still hate it.....


----------



## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

Copyright. Station owners (and the networks they buy content from) have the right to determine who can see it.


----------



## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Keith4USC _
> *no TV locals outside of your viewing area.... Kinda stupid in my opinion....The satellite is suppose to have some perks...... *


The Canadian systems certainly take a different approach. Every ExpressVu & StarChoice sub can have two sets of US nets(East+ West) plus over 30 Canadian locals.....

....It's kinda cool to be able to check out local evening newscasts from Buffalo, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, St.John's Nfld etc....


----------



## BrettR (Apr 24, 2002)

If there is a demand for out of market newscasts,

What about if Viacom created a digital channel with newscasts from all its O&O stations. Thats plenty of citites there, and one could get news from across the country. A news cast from a city, maybe once a week, so each city gets shown. That could seem likely maybe. Then some classic filler programming. I know Viacom and NBC have libraries of classic stuff they dont show on TV Land for example after seeing NBC 75th anniversary special.

Viacom owns CBS in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit (without news?), Green Bay, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Francisco.

G.E/NBC owns 
San Diego, CA KNSD www.NBCSandiego.com 
Los Angeles, CA KNBC www.NBC4.TV 
New York, NY WNBC www.WNBC.com 
Dallas, TX KXAS www.NBC5i.com 
Philadelphia, PA WCAU www.NBC10.com 
Columbus, OH WCMH www.WCMH4.com 
Providence, RI WJAR www.turnto10.com 
Chicago, IL WMAQ www.NBC5.com 
Raleigh, NC WNCN www.NBC17.com 
Washington, D.C. WRC www.NBC4.com 
Hartford, CT WVIT www.NBC30.com 
Miami, FL WTVJ www.NBC6.net 
Birmingham, AL

Plus NBC will be owning WNJU 47 (TMO) plus some other owned Telemundo stations that have newscasts.

Maybe Disney, Hearst, FOX all could do similar? I dont think they know if there is a demand for such thing.


----------



## jrjcd (Apr 23, 2002)

well,i'm looking into getting an expressvue system thru a broker before next fall OR buying a burnt out RV shell for it's title...


----------



## timf (Apr 21, 2002)

The Detroit CBS station has had news since April 2001, when they moved their operations in with the UPN station.


----------



## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

Why is satellite supposed to have perks?


I too wish I could order other cities. But I can't. The law is clear.


----------



## Adam Richey (Mar 25, 2002)

If the merger goes through, I wish I could get the Lafayette, IN CBS too. I get it perfectly fine OTA, but I know how uptight some people are with the retrans rights and all of that bullcrap. I just don't see why my other CBS would care since I ALREADY get WLFI 18 OTA.


----------



## BrettR (Apr 24, 2002)

Since you get it good OTA, its likely its significantly viewed in your area. I think significantly viewed may be revised into SHVIA especially for the small markets where they lack a network if these DMAs are to ever get LIL via DBS. Maybe there will be SHVIA II.

In some areas, significantly viewed is complicated.
Chester and Berks county, PA is significantly viewed for Lancaster NBC WGAL 8, but not WHP 21 CBS or the ABC from that market.

In Hunterdon and Somerset Counties in NJ, only half of the Philly locals are significantly viewed. Same with Monmouth.

Half of Monmouth County, NJ is significantly viewed for Philly, the other half is not. Comcast in Northern Monmouth Co. carries only NBC 10 from Philly, but Cablevision in Southern Monmouth and Jackson Twp. Ocean County is significantly viewed for 6,10,29 plus carries WB17 and WYBE 35 from Philly. KYW 3(CBS) is not carried there.

Couple miles west in Plumstead Township, the cable system is the same Comcast that services my area (Burlington/Camden Counties), and no NY locals are carried, but Plumstead is considered NY DMA because Nielsen decided to make the whole county (Ocean) part of NY market.

so with DBS, the customer in Plumsted NJ gets only NY,
with cable, the customer in Plumsted NJ gets only philly.

Other areas like Newark, DE get WJZ 13 very good OTA and WJZ would be significantly viewed, but CBS which owns WJZ and KYW, wants KYW to be the only CBS on that cable system. Otherwise, WJZ could get mustcarry there as Ch.13 comes in better to equally good as Ch.3. What FOX does when they have 2 O&O is they want both O&O carried in the border area(where Grade B's overlap) but will via retransmission make the cable company place the in market FOX on the lower channel number. Comcast Trenton had to move WTXF 29 to Channel 5 on cable, but WNYW was kept but moved to a higher number. Same thing in Allentown. But WTXF is still available on NY market cable systems in Ocean, Hunterdon, Somerset and Monmouth Counties but carried on higher channel number. 

Echostar is only saying they want to do all 210 markets for merger approval. Other than that, they wouldnt make such promise. Neither Echostar or Directv went out of their way to carry more than ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, 1 RSN per market/sports channel. The smaller stations went out of their way in most cases via mustcarry.


----------



## RichW (Mar 29, 2002)

"If the merger goes through, I wish I could get the Lafayette, IN CBS too."

Is there news in Lafayette??? 

(Boilermaker alumnus)


----------



## Adam Richey (Mar 25, 2002)

There is a pretty good news team for the Lafayette CBS.


----------



## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

> _Originally posted by jrjcd _
> *well,i'm looking into getting an expressvue system *


Hmm....Keep in mind that ExpressVu doesn't offer subs a choice of US nets...everyone gets Seattle+Boston.

...StarChoice offers subs a choice of US nets from Seattle or Spokane + Detroit or Buffalo....U pick the combo.

There are other differences between the two systems....StarChoice uses two sats & has it's HD & French channels on the medium power Anik E2, while ExpressVu has everything on Nimiq.

No MSNBC on ExpressVu....and 50 fewer audio channels on ExpressVu vs StarChoice....

....I guess that you have to go with the system that has the programming U want.

Cheers!


----------



## Guest (May 31, 2002)

The providers are losing money doing locals in Philly with mustcarry, and without Comcast SportsNet.

Atleast if the Philly Locals were available in Central NJ particularly Ocean County, like how they are with cable, it could increase satellite penetration in that area. A customer in Toms River NJ gets both NY and Philly locals on cable, and the Philly locals are "significantly viewed" They are significantly viewed, because people watch them! Oh, and also... they are on the low channel numbers on cable and carry network programming.

Channel 6 (WPVI) is available everywhere in Ocean County NJ on Comcast and Cablevision. Local advertisers like Boscov's Department stores advertise on Channel 6 and have stores, one in Ocean and one in Monmouth expecting people on that area to have access to Ch.6 ads. Its way too expensive for Boscov's to also advertise on Channel 7 (WABC) when they have only 2 stores in Central East NJ (NY market).

I plan on writing to Channel 6, asking why the Disney company which demands SoapNet to be carried, which can charge high advertising rates on their 6ABC station telling retailers like Boscov's that viewers will see their ads, when they can't work a deal with Echostar and Directv, to allow both Channel 6 and Channel 7 both network owned to be available to all subscribers in Ocean County. I'll ask in a curteous way of course. I'm wondering if this could start to significantly viewed on satellite for the DMA border areas. If the Philly stations continue giving weather reports and thunderstorm warnings for Ocean County, I think its only fair people in Ocean County to have access to watch the Philly locals that are giving these reports.

Of course, be careful what you wish:
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/100601/bus_fcctvrule.shtml

http://enquirer.com/columns/kiese/1999/11/10/jki_butler_county_faces.html

Already broadcasters feel pinched when their viewers have access to another network affiliate, especially owned by another broadcast group.

Southern Ocean County is Grade B for Philly locals, not NY. Its Nielsen that decided, well to make it simple lets make the whole county one DMA so its NY DMA making it illegal for a customer to take Philly locals.

I know KYW 3 wants to be pretty much the only CBS available to most of Philly market and takes approach that they dont want WCBS distributed much even though CBS owns both. Back at them, KYW isnt distributed in many northern NJ homes and WTXF 29/Philadelphia (a UHF station) reaches more homes via cable than Ch.3, since Ch.3's cable coverage pretty much ends right at the end of Philly market.

NBC 10 might not want a significantly viewed, although Channel 6 might consider it. I read, Chester County was one of the richest PA (philly DMA) counties. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/3363930.htm
In Chester County, WGAL 8 from Lancaster is carried on cable. I wonder if NBC plans on doing anything about this, as its a significant county for both broadcasters, WGAL(Hearst owned) and WCAU(NBC owned). Hearst WGAL 8/Lancaster (46th DMA) gets carried on cable there via significantly viewed. Thats less a rating share for NBC 10 in that county. I think NBC is trying to figure out what to do on their borders. There is WNBC 4 carried in Trenton, WMGM 40 in Atlantic City (carried on Ch.4 on cable), WGAL 8 all carried on lower channel numbers than Ch.10.

They are still doing OK though, as more people are watching NBC Network programs in the market now than ABC Network shows. CBS primetime is doing better, but KYW loses a lot of lead in for their news.


----------



## BrettR (Apr 24, 2002)

That was me up there, dont know why I lost my login.


----------

