C band sat/ network waivers

[barney5]

I want to get the rocky mountain 8 locals. i currently have dtv and get the birminghamn locals. I want to activate my c band receiver and get the rm8. Question: how do i get waivers from my local stations? I cannot get a signal with a outside antenna because of mountains. i called nps and they were no help.

Thanks,

Russell

 

[whitewolf8214]

Have you had the Denver channels before with the Big Dish? If so call John Ferguson at NPS at 1-800-444-3474 at ext 599 and he will try and help you get it.

 

[tdti1]

SRL may be more helpful.

 

[Diamond Jim]

You have to write a letter to each station requesting the waiver. Here is my experience in trying to obtain them. I tried to get waivers from all three of my local stations. The NBC and FOX stations said they didn't care. The CBS station said NO and listed a ton of legal reasons why. I thought it didn't matter because all I really wanted was ABC, since we didn't have or could pick up an ABC station in our area. Everything was fine until one Saturday I noticed that CBS was to broadcast the Notre Dame-Tennessee football game at 3:30pm. I turned on the CBS station and there was some funky movie on. I called the station and was told that the General Manager, the same person that denied my wavier, made the decision not to air the game. This is great, he doesn't want me to watch another CBS station, but he doesn't want to show me the CBS broadcast on his. Naturally the Notre Dame fans, myself included fired off letters to the editor of the local newspaper voicing our displeasure. The GMs answer was that it was a business decision because the game would run past 6pm and he didn't want to pre empt the local news for the game. Pretty lame , right. Well the next weekend CBS airs an SEC game starting at 3:30pm and pre empts the local news. We fired off more letters asking why he wouldn't air a game of local interest one Saturday but would air a game with no local interest (Alabama-LSU) next Saturday, we never got any answer this time. Just for the the record I did get to see Notre Dame upset Tennessee FTA on the Anchorage CBS station . There is always one idiot that screws it up for everybody.

 

[JerryK]

I had waivers with D* before I got my BUD. SRL has been very helpful getting me the networks after I cancelled D*.

I think their Denvers are cheaper (annually) too.

 

[raydio]

Jim you have to look at it from the station managers point of view. He is in charge of making sure the station makes money...it's a business just like any other. It's a policy that is dictated to him from above. The station may be owned by a chain or locally owned...does not matter. Local newscasts are a cash cow for any TV station. Affiliates do have the choice not to air certain programming if it will conflict with their local programming in certain markets. It's a balancing act...do I air this network program which will very likely run into my local news where I make tons of money or do I make tons of money...not a very hard choice for him anyway.

To answer why he would air a network game with no local interest and preempt the news...perhaps he had some local sponsors for that particular game, who knows. Undoubtedly, he had some way of making up the cash he lost for not airing the local news.

The viewing public usually does not agree with the stations policy, nor do they understand it. The only thing they know is the program they want to watch is not on.

 

[Diamond Jim]

I agree with what you say, but it's the principle of the matter. If he does not want to show network programing, which I know is his right, why keep me from watching it somewhere else?