Dish Network needs to add WYMT. CBS Hazard, KY

[KG4KBU]

WYMT wins first Emmy in station history. Please add WYMT in Hazard to the lineup. They are the local news source for all of southeast and eastern Kentucky. We need them on their bad. If you all would add them imagine all the new subscribers you would get. http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/WYMT-wins-first-Emmy-in-station-history-216324861.html


Folks if you have never seen a newscast from WYMT you should tune in sometime. I can't and many can't because of not having fast internet.

Here is another link to why we NEED WYMT as our station: http://www.hazard-herald.com/news/h...res/2337822/WYMT-scores-first-ever-Emmy-award

 

[Mr Tony]

Gray has asked for it to be carried but legally the satco's only need to carry one affiliate in the market and that is sister station WKYT as its in the Lexington market. Also they would need to get a signal from WYMT over to the POP in Lexington and right now they don't. Ironically WKYT IS carried as a subchannel on WYMT (57-2)

article from 2 years ago on same subject
http://dailyindependent.com/local/x1295786317/Satellite-TV-putting-the-squeeze-on-WYMT-TV

But everytime I hear WYMT I think of 2 things
-the hillbilly announcers that do the high school football and basketball games that they show (I seen those on the FTA setup when I had it)
-their previous incarnation as WKYH

 

[dishrich]

Well evidently Sinclair DOES have the power to get this done, at least with E*.
Even though WICS-20 ABC, Springfield is carried in ALL of our DMA on both sat providers, they recently got E* to ALSO carry WICD-15 ABC Champaign throughout our DMA as well - & in HD to boot!

 

[KG4KBU]

the reason I added this is so folks here in se ky and east ky can request WYMT to be put on satellite and to let the DIRT team know that requests are wanted. The more people that request the channel hopefully the better chance we can get it on here

 

[sam_gordon]

As Iceberg mentioned, one problem is getting the YMT signal to the pick up location in Lexington (the north part of Lexington IIRC). Dish relies on OTA to get the local stations. They wouldn't be able to receive YMT OTA, so other arrangements would need to be made.

I understand your desire to see YMT, but I don't see a simple solution for Dish.

 

[Mr Tony]

Well evidently Sinclair DOES have the power to get this done, at least with E*.
Even though WICS-20 ABC, Springfield is carried in ALL of our DMA on both sat providers, they recently got E* to ALSO carry WICD-15 ABC Champaign throughout our DMA as well - & in HD to boot!

I never said they CANT.....There are other markets where more than one affiliate is carried (Fargo/Grand Forks is another example...both WDAY and WDAZ ABC are carried)
The owner can REQUEST that both are carried but legally the satco's dont have to carry both.......unless they are licensed in different states

 

[dishrich]

I never said they CANT.....

Didn't mean to say you DID; I was just saying that evidently some station groups (ie: Sinclair) are able to get providers TO carry more than 1 of the same net affiliate, in the same (in-state) market.
I'm still surprised that it got done in our market...

 

[Mr Tony]

Honestly as long as the company can get a signal to the POP they (the satellite providers) should be able to carry it

Heck in the Minneapolis market alone there are FIVE PBS stations and Dish carries 3 of them
-KTCA 2 (Minneapolis main)
-KTCI 2-3 (in the analog days it was on 17 and has been carried for years)
-KAWB 22 in Bemidji/Brainerd (180 miles N of Mpls....they have a fibre connection)

and 2 that are not
Wisconsin PBS (part of Minneapolis market is in Wisconsin and there is a PBS station in Menominee....they decided not to offer it in MN)
Pioneer PBS (Appleton...about 140 miles NW of Minneapolis.....not on there because no way to get a signal there to Minneapolis)

So why not carry more than one of a Big 4 Network too?

 

[eacalhoun]

Honestly as long as the company can get a signal to the POP they (the satellite providers) should be able to carry it

Heck in the Minneapolis market alone there are FIVE PBS stations and Dish carries 3 of them
-KTCA 2 (Minneapolis main)
-KTCI 2-3 (in the analog days it was on 17 and has been carried for years)
-KAWB 22 in Bemidji/Brainerd (180 miles N of Mpls....they have a fibre connection)

and 2 that are not
Wisconsin PBS (part of Minneapolis market is in Wisconsin and there is a PBS station in Menominee....they decided not to offer it in MN)
Pioneer PBS (Appleton...about 140 miles NW of Minneapolis.....not on there because no way to get a signal there to Minneapolis)

So why not carry more than one of a Big 4 Network too?

Yeah, if anyone wants to argue TV monopolies - look no further than PBS. There are 4 full-power PBS stations in my market (Charlotte) and DISH carries them all - albeit one of them moved one of their sub-channels to its primary so that unique channel would get carried by DISH. Assuming WYMT has unique programming (Me, THIS, Antenna, etc) on one of its sub-channels, could it not try this "loophole" approach - move the sub-channel programming to the main channel and run its local news on THAT channel - would unique programming on a main channel not force DISH to carry it? This way, SE Kentucky DISH subs would still get CBS from WKYT and they could get local news on WYMT which now carries "sub-channel" programming on their main. OTA viewers in SE Kentucky would simply watch CBS on WYMT's sub-channel - and I'm assuming from a technical stance that a station can broadcast HD on ANY sub-channel.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yeah, if anyone wants to argue TV monopolies - look no further than PBS. There are 4 full-power PBS stations in my market (Charlotte) and DISH carries them all - albeit one of them moved one of their sub-channels to its primary so that unique channel would get carried by DISH. Assuming WYMT has unique programming (Me, THIS, Antenna, etc) on one of its sub-channels, could it not try this "loophole" approach - move the sub-channel programming to the main channel and run its local news on THAT channel. This way, SE Kentucky DISH subs would still get CBS from WKYT and they could get local news on WYMT which now carries "sub-channel" programming on their main. OTA viewers in SE Kentucky would simply watch CBS on WYMT's sub-channel - and I'm assuming from a technical stance that a station can broadcast HD on ANY sub-channel.

You still haven't solved how to get YMT's signal to Dish. Any conversation of multiple affiliates is moot until transmission to Dish is solved.

 

[Mr Tony]

YAssuming WYMT has unique programming (Me, THIS, Antenna, etc) on one of its sub-channels

they don't
WYMT has a subchannel and its the SD version of sister station WKYT (for cable reasons)

WYMT does have some programming that is different to KYT and its usually high school sports and small college sports on there during prime time. Since WKYT is carried on most cable systems where WYMT is too the folks dont lose the prime time CBS programming

 

[KG4KBU]

Could they broadcast their signal to the lexington POP via ku or c band satellite ? If only they had a repeater tower up where WLJC's tower is. Heck I can pick that thing up without even using a antenna. Talk about good coverage WLJC has it. Also I am wondering why WYMT doesn't boost their power and/ or move their tower ?

 

[sam_gordon]

Could they broadcast their signal to the lexington POP via ku or c band satellite ? If only they had a repeater tower up where WLJC's tower is. Heck I can pick that thing up without even using a antenna. Talk about good coverage WLJC has it. Also I am wondering why WYMT doesn't boost their power and/ or move their tower ?

Uplinking the signal via satellite IS an option, but if they go that option, there's no reason to downlink in Lexington. They could just downlink in Colorado. However, a 24/7/365 carrier is expensive. I did some research on it earlier this year and I think it was over $10K/month for the satellite time. I can't find my notes though. I do remember thinking it was a lot of money though.

Boosting power & moving a tower is also technically possible, but comes at a cost. I don't know if they can boost power without adding more hardware, and at least would need to get FCC approval. Moving a tower would open up a BIG can of worms. It's doable, but does it make financial sense?

IIRC, there's a direct microwave link between WYMT & WKYT. But someone from those stations would need to decide if they want to dedicate that link 24/7/365. Then you still need to get the signal to North Lexington (POP location).

There are a number of technical ways to do it. But what WYMT (or Dish/Direct) would do is consider whether they'd get enough added viewers to justify the cost (whether one time or continuing).

 

[Mr Tony]

Could they broadcast their signal to the lexington POP via ku or c band satellite ?

sure they could...but wonder how spendy that would be and would Gray want to spend that kind of money.

Also I am wondering why WYMT doesn't boost their power and/ or move their tower ?

they are already at 50kw on VHF HI which is pretty good. I guess as long as WYMT covers their local area they must think they are doing OK.

 

[KG4KBU]

how hard would it be to put a POP at WYMT station in Hazard ?

 

[Mr Tony]

Its not that. Its the point that they have to get the signal to Lexington where the rest of the stations are.
a POP is "point of presence" where all the signals are gathered for a market and then Dish and Direct get the signal from there.

And until Dish/Directv agree to carry it I'm sure Gray wont put any effort into getting it there (to Lexington)

 

[Mr Tony]

as example for Directv the POP (facilities) are in the WLEX building
1065 Russell Cave Road
Lexington, KY 40505
So that is where the signals are "harvested" and then Directv gets them via (I assume) fibre

 

[sam_gordon]

as example for Directv the POP (facilities) are in the WLEX building 1065 Russell Cave Road Lexington, KY 40505 So that is where the signals are "harvested" and then Directv gets them via (I assume) fibre

Your assumption is correct. I believe the Dish POP is a mile or so north of the Directv POP.

 

[Mr Tony]

the directv site helped me out