Cincinnati HD Local Info

[BearcatScott]

I saw this post on the AVSF Cincy HD Forum:

Dear Viewer,

Thank you for your inquiry about the availability of the CW network on Dish Network. We have not at this time reached an agreement with Dish to carry our signal. WKRC-TV 12.2 will be available over the air to digital ready homes and customers of DirecTV and Insight Communication beginning September 18, 2006. We are continuing to negotiate with Time Warner Cable and Dish Network in an effort to resolve outstanding issues and provide the entire Cincinnati TV market with the CinCW. I hope this information helps and if I can be of any further assistance please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Rick Wagar
Dir. of Local Content & Distribution
Local 12 WKRC-TV & CinCW 12.2
1906 Highland Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45219

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=306883&goto=newpost

Looks like DirecTV will get Cincy HD locals before Dish. Hopefully they will work things out soon.

 

[Hall]

I recall that Cincinnati was on the "better" part of the list than Dayton.... Well, that's based on DMA size, of course. I'm close enough to the broadcast towers to get OTA digital so it doesn't concern me too much.

Can you not get them OTA ??

 

[mecro]

Isn't CW launching as its own channel? I know the horrors of having too many subchannels, so do you think that WKRC will get extra bandwidth to broadcast CW in HD, as well as their full CBS lineup? How is that going to work?

 

[Bill R]

Isn't CW launching as its own channel? I know the horrors of having too many subchannels, so do you think that WKRC will get extra bandwidth to broadcast CW in HD, as well as their full CBS lineup? How is that going to work?

If you mean as a different channel other than a subchannel of WKRC-DT the answer is no. All digital channel assignments have the same bandwidth and it is up to the broadcastor how to use that. In the case of WKRC-DT they have decided to broadcast CBS-HD at 1080i on 12.1 and CW at 480i on 12.2. You will never see CW broadcast (OTA) in HD in Cincinnati as long as it is a subchannel on WKRC-DT.

 

[mecro]

So, no matter what happens, we'll never see CW in HD here in Cincinnati? Why doesn't WBQC take over the franchise? UPN 38 is already on Timewarner and DirecTV around here, what's going to happen to them?

 

[osu1991]

Tulsa has the same problem. Our local wb station has only been on the air for 5 years and does not have a digital channel assignment from the FCC. They were recently bought by the local company that owns our cbs station. They have put the wb(cw) on a digital subchannel of the cbs station just to increase the wb stations coverage area and said not to expect a separate OTA digital channel or CW HD until the 2009 analog cutoff.The only good part of this is the digital subchannel is clear where as the analog is barely watchable because its transmitter is 40 miles farther out and in another direction from the rest of the citys stations.

 

[Bill R]

So, no matter what happens, we'll never see CW in HD here in Cincinnati? Why doesn't WBQC take over the franchise? UPN 38 is already on Timewarner and DirecTV around here, what's going to happen to them?

If we get lucky maybe one (or both) of the satellite providers will carry the national HD feed of the CW.

WBQC can't just "take over" the CW franchise. CW is owned by CBS (the "C" in CW) and Time-Warner (the "W" in CW) and it looks like the CBS franchise stations got "first choice". I was told that the gods at CW and CBS decided that it would be better to put it on a subchannel of one of their digital channels than it would be to put it on the analog feed of of a low power station (WBQC). I know, to us, that does not seem like the best choice but there is likely a lot of politics that we are not privy to.

I don't know what is going to happen to WBQC on Time-Warner. My cable system, Insight, is replacing WBQC with the CW.

As for DirecTV, WKRC management says that DirecTV is going to carry the CW on channel 25. I assume that WBQC will remain on DirecTV, channel 38. DISH network has not reached a deal with WKRC to carry the CW yet and I have heard rumors that they may carry the national SD feed of the CW instead of the local feeds of the CW (hopefully they will carry the national HD feed too).

 

[TNGTony]

I don't know the real reason why WBQC isn't picking up the CW, but the possible answers are:
1) The CW didn't want to be on a low power (CA) channel that doesn't have the distribution on cable nor the clout to get full distribution (It's still not on Dish! and Warner Cable only carries it from 5pm-11pm daily)

2) Elliott Block can't or wont spring for the network. The CW demands a pretty hefty programming fee from affiliates unlike UPN and before that WB.

3) Elliott thinks he can do better by going it alone. His syndicated programming and sports programs and UK sports get great ratings for this type of station.

In any case, anyone north of the Mill Creek Valley with an outdoor antenna should have no problem picking up WBDT TV from Dayton. That station is going CW in September. The tower is at the Montgomery/Butler county line in Centerville. I live 10 miles north of downtown and I can get it on clear days with rabbit ears. This is channel 26 NTSC or 18 ATSC.

If you do not have an HD TV or HD is not a concern, remember that Dish offers "superstation". $1.50 will get you CW affiliates -WPIX New York, KWGN Denver or KTLA Los Angeles. $5.99 will get you those three stations plus WSBK (independent Boston) and WWOR (My Network TV) from New York.

If you have an HD set, I highly recommend an outdoor antenna and a rotor. I can get the following using rabbit ears.

18 - WBDT-DT (on good days) (maps to 26
30 - WRGT-DT -- FOX (Maps to 45)
41 - WHIO-DT -- CBS (marginal signal) (no map on my tuner)
50 - WDTN-DT -- NBC (strong signal) (Maps to 2.1)
50.2 - WDTN-DT -- NBC (SD mirror of 50.1) (Maps to 2.2
51 - WKEF-DT -- ABC (only the presence of the signal. No usable signal)

I do not get signal from 58 - WPTD-DT -- PBS

----
The I can easily get all the local digital stations and their sub-channels

10 - WCPO-DT -- ABC (Maps to 9.1) Weather radar (same thing as on Warner Cable channel 12 without the commercials) on 9.2

28 - WPTO-DT -- PBS (Maps to channel 14
14-2 -- Think 14 WPTO (SD/4:3)
14-3 -- Think Prime 14 (SD/4:3)
14-4 -- Think Learn 14 (SD/4x3)
14-5 -- Thinkk World 14 (SD/4:3)
14-6 -- Think 14 HD (HD/16:9) (the HD feed is Black when no HD programming available -- Learn and Prime go dark when HD is used

29 - WXIX-DT -- FOX (Maps to 19.1 -- 19.2 has "The Tube")

31 - WKRC-DT -- CBS (Maps to 12.1 -- 12.2 has Weater radar)

33 - WSTR-DT -- MyTV (Maps to 64. No sub channels)

34 - WCET-DT -- PBS (Maps to 48.)
48-1 -- CET HD (this is really a direct feed of PBS HD)
48-2 -- CrEaTe
48-3 -- CET Kids (SD)
48-4 -- CET Plus (SD) (I haven't seen this one lately.
----Interesting note, the DT signal of WCET has no content in common with analog OTA channel 48.

39 - WKOI-DT -- TBN (Maps to channel 43)
43-1 -- TBN
43-2 -- The Church Channel
43-3 -- JCTV
43-4 -- Enlace USA
43-5 -- Smile of a Child TV

Unfortunately I cannot get signal from channel 54 WCVN in Covington (ATSC channel 24). It has 6 subchannels only 5 are active at a time
24-1 -- KET1 (SD/4:3)
24-2 -- KET2 (SD/4:3)
24-3 -- KET3 + Kentucky SchoolNet Ch.703 (on some cable systems)
24-4 -- KET4/KET-HD (16:9)
24-5 -- KET5 (KY House of Representatives)
24-6 -- KET6 (Kentucky Senate)

See ya
Tony

 

[mecro]

heh, I guess I forgot the "C" in CW was for CBS... and i do pull WB 26 from dayton, no problems, with my Yagi pointed at Mount Adams with my 811. Its a much stronger signal than WBQC. Since DISH doesn't carry WBQC anyways, i'm not surprised, but the national feed will do me just fine. Not like WBQC has tons of local programming... thanks for all your help guys