How do the distant locals work?

[aznxrice]

Im in Dallas, Tx and i want to get distant locals to get the NFL games i dont get here which locals can i get?

 

[chaddux]

None. If you want locals, you'd have to get the locals from your DMA. Since Dallas locals are on DISH, you would have to get those. (To be noted: KTVT is a CBS O&O so you could get CBS-HD if you wanted.)

 

[bcshields]

Distant locals are only legally available (per FCC, so grip to them) to consumers who do not have that service available in their area. For instance, in my area, Salisbury, MD DMA, I have a CBS and an ABC station broadcast off air. That's it.

Now I can get Fox, NBC, WB, UPN and PBS a la carte from either NY, Atlanta.. or other cities out of my time zone. These are the distant locals.

 

[garn9173]

why is that the case, cann't receive out of market locals? I would think that as mobile of a society as we are, Dish Network could be sitting on a gold mine, espically this time of the year with the snow birds going south wanting to stay up to date on what's happening back home.

 

[chaddux]

why is that the case, cann't receive out of market locals? I would think that as mobile of a society as we are, Dish Network could be sitting on a gold mine, espically this time of the year with the snow birds going south wanting to stay up to date on what's happening back home.

DISH has no control over it. Those are the FCCs rules. If you have a vacation home, you can receive locals from that market there. You can't take your locals with you as you go.

 

[Neutron]

Since KXAS is also O&O by NBC once DISH gets NBC-HD you can get that one too.

You can't blame DISH for not allowing you to get out of market locals. The FCC sets those rules.

 

[carload]

Now I can get Fox, NBC, WB, UPN and PBS a la carte from either NY, Atlanta.. or other cities out of my time zone. These are the distant locals.

(sigh) The rules are a little more complicated than that.

Fox & NBC: You're about right. The other distant networks come from Los Angeles and Chicago.

WB & UPN: Almost everyone qualifies for the Superstations package, which includes 3 WBs and 2 UPNs. Only folks who live in cities where a local station has chosen to enforce its syndication rights are ineligible.

PBS: If you qualify to get any local PBS station from Dish, you are ineligible for the PBS National feed. So even if you live in a "white area" with no over-the-air reception, if you're within a DMA where Dish offers the local PBS station, you're out of luck.

And the whole set of distant network rules could change January 1, when the current Congressional authorization ends. They're working now on bills that would extend Superstation availability and probably tinker with some other rules.

 

[carload]

why is that the case, cann't receive out of market locals?

Local broadcasters fear losing their monopoly on network programming, and they had the clout through their trade group to get the feds to pass rules preventing viewers from watching distant network stations.