http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2016/01/wral-out-at-cbs-wncn-in.html?ana=twt
With WNCN switching to CBS, it would form a regional network with MG's CBS affiliate in Greenville (WNCT). Here's their coverage map:
CBS, NBC switching affiliates in Raleigh-Durham
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http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/blog/techflash/2016/01/wral-out-at-cbs-wncn-in.html?ana=twt
With WNCN switching to CBS, it would form a regional network with MG's CBS affiliate in Greenville (WNCT). Here's their coverage map:
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/91581/wncn-wral-swap-affiliations-in-raleigh
Capitol Broadcasting's WRAL Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (DMA 25) and CBS are breaking up after failing to come to terms on renewing their 30-year affiliation.
WRAL has signed on with NBC, while CBS moves to Media General's WNCN.
The switch is effective Feb. 29.
"CBS's business model and our business model are not compatible with one another," said Steve Hammel, VP and GM of WRAL without getting into specifics.
After "many, many months" of negotiations, he said, "we needed to make a decision to go with a long-term partner that saw the value in a community-oriented broadcaster."
Hammel said the breakup is CBS's loss. WRAL has been CBS's No. 1 affiliate in the top 25 markets, he said. "I don't think one would want to make a change and lose its No. 1 station."
Capitol Broadcasting's WRAL Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (DMA 25) and CBS are breaking up after failing to come to terms on renewing their 30-year affiliation.
WRAL has signed on with NBC, while CBS moves to Media General's WNCN.
The switch is effective Feb. 29.
"CBS's business model and our business model are not compatible with one another," said Steve Hammel, VP and GM of WRAL without getting into specifics.
After "many, many months" of negotiations, he said, "we needed to make a decision to go with a long-term partner that saw the value in a community-oriented broadcaster."
Hammel said the breakup is CBS's loss. WRAL has been CBS's No. 1 affiliate in the top 25 markets, he said. "I don't think one would want to make a change and lose its No. 1 station."
WNCN isn't even a full power station. The TV Fool footprint os simply not correct. They have about 1/4 the power of WRAL. WFXR from Roanoke , VA wipes all the way to Person County. Before WFXR increased the height of their tower, I would occasionally get WNCN, but now WFXR wipes them out on the VA/NC border. This seems like a loss for CBS to me.
I wonder if WRAL will keep the ACC affiliation or will NBC get mad if they pre-empt too much programming for basketball (I know it will be end of season but the ACC Tourney is usually on local stations there)
WNCN is most definitely a full-power station. 291 kW definitely falls into "full power" and is less than 6 dB lower than WRAL. If it wasn't for WFXR, WNCN would be just fine in those areas, but that's an interference issue, not a power level issue.
If anything, this overall seems like an improvement. One of the complaints I always heard from that region (ejb1980 might have something to say here) was that WNCN was always crushed under interference, but WXII was too hard to receive due to its placement further west in the Greensboro region, so NBC was always a problem. Meanwhile, WFMY or WDBJ would always be usable in that area, along with WRAL. So viewers in that area will gain NBC via WRAL while still being able to see CBS on WFMY or WDBJ. Net positive overall, I suspect.
- Trip
It's like a big divorce......Major affiliates going from one station to another, stations switching affiliates, CW's moving to Gray Stations, CW and Tribune possibly breaking up.....Wonder what's next besides the big auction of the air waves in two months...
Sorry I should have said that they channel was "significantly less powerful than WRAL, WLFL, WRAZ and WRDC." So, the MyTv channel will even stronger then the NBC. I just think it is funny that MyTv will have a much larger footprint than NBC.
I always thought it was stupid for the FCC to have allowed Roanoke and Raleigh to have had a channel on the same frequency. Here is an email from WNCN from a few years back.
" You mention WFXR, but there should be no issue with them and our signal at all. The reason we are at reduced power as opposed to the other Raleigh stations is to protect WPDE in South Carolina. To make it more ridiculous, the interference would be to us, not them. The FCC was on the ball when they made those assignments, which proves lawyers make horrible engineers. "
Trip- If you know the area. The WFXR and WNCN issue reminds me of the 92.3 issue on the border; 2 stations that just slam into each other, making them both, at times, unusable.
it happens.....and will happen more and more.
Networks want more money from the affiliate
Affiliate says no
fight erupts
and either they settle or the network moves to another affiliate
I was thinking about this. NBC was troublesome in Alamance County all around. WXII Winston-Salem was too far away. WNCN came in ok, but if there was any atmospheric enhancement from Roanoke (I could tell because WDBJ would come in and 96.3 WROV would get some HD cut ins) WNCN was gone. However we also had two strong CBS, now they keep WRAL news but gain NBC programming reliably.
DMAs are so dumb.
It's exactly that. I would be driving on NC 87, 54, 100, or 62 and even the interstate and 92.3 Roanoke's "HD" info would display on my car radio but I would be hearing 92.3 Asheboro with Roanoke mixed in. Classic rock with top 40 kicking in... And displayed... And occasionally strong enough HD to fully interrupt Asheboro. It's simply unbelievable that they're allowed to do it!
I was also thinking about this. ACC Network is key programming in that area. Let's hope it goes to wherever it will be HD! WRAL ALWAYS had the ACC Network game. If the game was local (which many are) it would be on WRAL 5-1. If the game didn't have local schools and it was a primetime game, they would air it on WRAL 5-2. The football games were either on WRAL CBS or WRAZ Fox 50 (both Capital). I assume the deal with ACC Network is with the owners so Capitol will probably keep them. CBS affiliates everywhere seem to have varied schedules, at least more than other networks. I had WDBJ and WFMY on Directv and WRAL OTA and each of them had noticeable schedule variances of network programming. (WCAX and WBZ do, too, now in New England, for what it's worth.) NBC is probably not going to allow that. The only variance market-to-market I know of with NBC is when they air all the hours of Today. Does anyone know how NBC affiliates that air ACC programming handle games? I hope it's not subchannels...Will NBC allow the Tom Suitor high school football show during the HSF season to pre-empt Jimmy Fallon and push the Tonight Show to begin after midnight? I also think not. On the same note, WRAZ MeTV 50-2 carried many of the Durham Bulls baseball games. Will they still? Since I left NC, TWC Sportschannel Carolinas took over the Bulls games (and other local minor league teams) so I am not sure about that arrangement now.
Looking at this weeks ACC games (2 during the week....2 today) there are usually 3 NBC stations that carry the games (2 are usually WHAG Hagerstown, MD and WVIR Charlottesville, VA). Today there were 5 but 2 were in NY (Syracuse was playing)
I'm sure you are right and the ACC games are by specific station and not affiliation (its a syndicated package) so that probably wont change. I'm sure NBC will allow X amount of hours of pre-emptions a year.
I'm sure you are right and the ACC games are by specific station and not affiliation (its a syndicated package) so that probably wont change. I'm sure NBC will allow X amount of hours of pre-emptions a year.
I wouldn't call less than 6 dB "significantly less powerful." In the absence of interference, I suspect most people wouldn't notice a difference.
Yes, I agree, it shouldn't have been allowed. I'm not 100% sure what channel they should have used instead, though.
As to that e-mail, that's wrong. And their FCC filings concur with that being wrong. The power limit is, indeed, because of interference WNCN would cause INTO WPDE (not from WPDE into WNCN). But that does not mean that WFXR does not CAUSE interference to WNCN in its northwestern region--it does. The FCC's own predictions show 5.88% interference caused by WFXR.
FM has a lot of screwball short-spacing. Before 1964, there really weren't very many concrete rules about FM. So if two stations happened to exist in an interference relationship like WKRR and WXLK do, they were allowed to continue since they were acceptable under the previous and far less restrictive rules. Pre-1964 grandfathering is also why WSLQ is able to operate at 200 kW--twice the FCC limit.
- Trip
Off topic: Do you have any insight as to why WNMR 107.1 Dannemora, NY was allowed to come on the air several years ago, but certainly well after 1964. WORK (at the time, now WRFK) 107.1 Barre/Montpelier, VT has existed for a long time. WRFK was not clear in NW VT but it was far from an empty frequency. WRFK has always come in in NE NY and the Lake Champlain Islands because they have LOS. It still does come in up there, cutting in and taking over WNMR's signal pretty far north, and into Canada. If memory serves, there was even still a fight into Canada approaching SJSR before both finally fully died off together, thanks to CITE 107.3 and distance.
WNMR has a simulcast on 100.7, WPLB Plattsburgh, NY. CBFX 100.7 Montreal overpowers it most places this side of the lake, it is unlistenable in the entire VT side of Champlain Valley. Ici-Musique will even appear on the RDS on my car radio in Franklin Co VT where Montreal stations are the clearest anyway. Why why why was any of this allowed to happen?
http://www.rabbitears.info/contour....3008&cir=&circen=44.1583333333,-72.4794444444
On topic: In the Directv forum, it is posted that Capitol Broadcasting channels are off Directv. There is more info there if anyone didn't see it.
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The minimum distance requirement between two co-channel Class A FM stations is 115 km. The two stations meet that requirement.
- Trip
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