Import Distant Networks?

[dishcomm]

The real reason to have out of area networks is to have a source of network programming when your local decides to pre-emt the network to show the local high school/collage "name the sport" game.

yes. However that would apply only to locals owned by the network.
For example, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox locals out of NYC are all owed by the respective parent company.

 

[harshness]

And the word I used, was involved.

"Involved" and "involved in rewriting the regs" could easily describe being involved at entirely different levels. There's no evidence thus far that the FCC is actively engaged in (or has been directed to engage in) a rewrite (or revision) of its LIL retransmission its policies.

What you implied was a "revision" but what's being done is a "review".

 

[harshness]

I'd pay for the locals of my choice. I live in NC...I am from NJ. I'd like to have the NYC locals....

Do you also want access to your local news or do you prefer to be mostly disengaged from your local goings-on?

 

[RONZ]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...hake-boston/ZtdmbRyk22jycRoHY8IUDI/story.html

Not quite sure where this goes but it does play into this thread's discussion. A retired grip who worked in New England, I believe for NECN and ESPN told me a while back that NBC was considering going Cable only, in some markets. No OTA. I knew he was mixing up information. Sometimes we don't know.
What a surprise to find the article above.

Local broadcast has to be available over the air for Civil Defense issues. Since most stations are carried on spot beams a channel going cable only would fall under different rules that NBC would not accept including Nielsen Surveys

 

[ChadT41]

"Involved" and "involved in rewriting the regs" could easily describe being involved at entirely different levels. There's no evidence thus far that the FCC is actively engaged in (or has been directed to engage in) a rewrite (or revision) of its LIL retransmission its policies.

What you implied was a "revision" but what's being done is a "review".

You don't think reviewing the pros and cons of the regulation, is not them actively trying to revise it to better suit the times, considering what it was written for is no longer a priority.

 

[Tampa8]

Local broadcast has to be available over the air for Civil Defense issues. Since most stations are carried on spot beams a channel going cable only would fall under different rules that NBC would not accept including Nielsen Surveys

Why don't you think NBC wouldn't be ready to leave OTA and be cable only and as importantly online only, like AMC, TNT, etc etc. CBS has already threatened this, and while it is only a threat it shows it is something being discussed. I'm in no way predicting this right now, but how long have many here said the current OTA model needs to be looked out. Right now it isn't easy getting locals live streaming online for programming, maybe NBC wants to enter that arena. Imagine their glee at the consumer not being able to skip commercials.

 

[RONZ]

Why don't you think NBC wouldn't be ready to leave OTA and be cable only and as importantly online only, like AMC, TNT, etc etc. CBS has already threatened this, and while it is only a threat it shows it is something being discussed. I'm in no way predicting this right now, but how long have many here said the current OTA model needs to be looked out. Right now it isn't easy getting locals live streaming online for programming, maybe NBC wants to enter that arena. Imagine their glee at the consumer not being able to skip commercials.

The problem for CBS was the NFL. In this example the games are broken up by region. As a cable station this profile would not work. Though the networks are currently set up be time zones, leaving fee to air would greatly impact there ratings. Today there are several people cutting the cord for OTL. If a network would leave OTL then the ratings along with localism would decline.

 

[harshness]

You don't think reviewing the pros and cons of the regulation, is not them actively trying to revise it to better suit the times, considering what it was written for is no longer a priority.

I do not consider reviewing equivalent to revising. Ultimately, it is Congress that decides whether or not revision is needed.

 

[sam_gordon]

Why don't you think NBC wouldn't be ready to leave OTA and be cable only and as importantly online only, like AMC, TNT, etc etc.

Simple... a lack of programming. The "Big 4" only program about 12 hours a day (M-F).

 

[Tampa8]

Now, yes. First, I don't know if that is a deterrent or not. With on demand streaming available 24hrs and the amount of content over the many years the model could become new shows are not just shown at night, but are announced by date and time when they first become available, or they could keep a schedule similar to now where the first airing is at a specific time and day at night.
Second, maybe they act like a local, they have daytime programming often seen on local channels, with their (expanded) morning news programs and some syndicated. We can think of what the mold is now but what it could become.

I also would discount the possibility of regional streaming, if you want news more local to your region you pick that online stream. Could be the New England stream as an example. That already exists by the way on some cable systems where they have separate news for different areas they cover.

 

[harshness]

Simple... a lack of programming. The "Big 4" only program about 12 hours a day (M-F).

It is closer to half that. There's the morning show, the evening news and prime time. IIRC, Fox offers neither a morning show nor evening news.

Much of the other time slots are occupied by syndicated or paid programming that is separate and apart from the national network offering.

 

[harshness]

One of the disadvantages of running everything on demand is that mature audience programming gets broader exposure outside the fixed late night time schedule.

 

[RONZ]

Copy rights can not handled by streaming. You are faced with syndicate show with out of market steaming. If NBC was to go cable only they would not be allowed to keep their syndication copy rights since it is restricted to cable

 

[sam_gordon]

It is closer to half that. There's the morning show, the evening news and prime time. IIRC, Fox offers neither a morning show nor evening news.

Much of the other time slots are occupied by syndicated or paid programming that is separate and apart from the national network offering.

I was counting from 11:30pm - ~ 4am. I thought that was mostly Network. That 4 1/2 + 2 hour morning + 1 hour soap opera + 3 hour prime = 10 hours. OK, I was off a little.

 

[harshness]

I was counting from 11:30pm - ~ 4am. I thought that was mostly Network.

That depends on the network and the affiliate.

My local ABC goes to infomercials at 1:07am (after Nightline).
The CBS affiliate plays CBS news from 2:07am to 4:30am when the local news starts in.
The NBC affiliate goes to non-network programming at 2:36.
The Fox affiliate does network programming from 8-10pm and has around 9-1/2 hours of local news per weekday.

The complexion changes entirely on Saturdays and to a lesser extent on Sunday but there is not much left if you just watch the network feeds. As was pointed out, the networks wouldn't be allowed to stream the more significant sports programming as it would violate league agreements.

 

[ChadT41]

Unless the leagues agreed to it, and charged more... That is a possibility, although unlikely. Look at TBS and TNT. It would really all just depend on who wants to pay what for what, and how is it going to be offered in totality. None of us can say "it cannot happen" or "it will happen", because we all know there is more to it than any of us will know, and there are teams built to handle these situations in full.

 

[Tampa8]

The movie industry will never allow media that lets you watch movies at home. Buy any song digitally you want without buying the Album? Preposterous. Skip commercials, you wish. My baseball team not shown on free TV? Not in a million years. HBO available without a Cable/Sat subscription can't happen the providers would never allow it. Listen to virtually any radio station wherever you are, I only wish.
Networks broadcasting online? Forget about it will never happen.

 

[sam_gordon]

The movie industry will never allow media that lets you watch movies at home. Buy any song digitally you want without buying the Album? Preposterous. Skip commercials, you wish. My baseball team not shown on free TV? Not in a million years. HBO available without a Cable/Sat subscription can't happen the providers would never allow it. Listen to virtually any radio station wherever you are, I only wish.
Networks broadcasting online? Forget about it will never happen.

I thought we were talking about networks ditching the affiliate model and becoming their own channel? How did we get to networks online?

Obviously "never say never" but solutions generally aren't as easy as people make them sound. Personally, I don't remember any of the claims you quote. Maybe that's because I'm too young.

 

[Tampa8]

I thought we were talking about networks ditching the affiliate model and becoming their own channel? How did we get to networks online?

Obviously "never say never" but solutions generally aren't as easy as people make them sound. Personally, I don't remember any of the claims you quote. Maybe that's because I'm too young.

The form of how at least NBC could not use an affiliate is in the link I gave that says NBC would consider going to Cable only transmissions and not OTA in one very big market. It would be on NECN which contrary to the possible roadblocks being posted would seem to mean news all day, NBC programming at night along the lines of what I feel is a possible future scenario even if not right now. If they are going to go that route they certainly will be available online for streaming a La HBO. And it fulfills something I have posted going back years ago - the network would become more regional for news, not so local. NECN would be to me a perfect match to get NBC programming at night, and regional news in this case New England during the day I'm sure with feature programs thrown in like locals do now.
With the talk of ending exclusivity, CBS throwing out there leaving OTA, and now the report of NBC I don't see how we can discount that change is a real possibility. My comparisons are of all the ways we now get media that were thought to never happen, right now leaving OTA is the flavor.

 

[JTBenson]

CW already had a cable only channel. They then rolled it out in short markets OTA. My local CW is just a national feed. I could see something like this for the Big 4 in smaller markets or short markets.