Sharing complete in SF Bay Area

[larrykenney]

As of 10 am this morning, 7/20, the last station of the eight that agreed to go off the air in the San Francisco Bay Area turned off their transmitter. The sharing deals are complete for seven stations; the eighth station decided not to share.

Many viewers are not happy with the changes. While the seven stations are still on the air via their sharing partners, many viewers have lost their signals. They're sharing with low power stations with 15 kw signals or with stations with transmitters located away from where they were originally transmitting from. One station that was transmitting with 1 megawatt is now available on a station with 15 kw that's 65 miles away.

Have other areas had the same problem or is this unique to the SF Bay Area?

Larry

 

[Trip]

In most cases, sharing has had limited impact on viewers. That said, there are definitely cases that have involved large shifts in coverage areas. Aside from San Francisco, WKBN going off the air to share on WYTV involved a large reduction in coverage (that they're going to try to recover in their maximization for the repack), LA's KAZA is sharing on a Class A, WTVE in Philly is sharing on a Class A (both with limited impact), and WUVN in Hartford sharing on Class A station WUTH-CD with far more limited coverage are the big ones I know of.

Bigger impact is coming from stations that are either going off the air or otherwise cutting programming. As an example, WNVC/WNVT in the DC area are technically sharing, but on signals nobody can see in DC and without the programming that made them notable.

- Trip

 

[FTA4PA]

As of 10 am this morning, 7/20, the last station of the eight that agreed to go off the air in the San Francisco Bay Area turned off their transmitter. The sharing deals are complete for seven stations; the eighth station decided not to share.

Many viewers are not happy with the changes. While the seven stations are still on the air via their sharing partners, many viewers have lost their signals. They're sharing with low power stations with 15 kw signals or with stations with transmitters located away from where they were originally transmitting from. One station that was transmitting with 1 megawatt is now available on a station with 15 kw that's 65 miles away.

Have other areas had the same problem or is this unique to the SF Bay Area?

Larry

When WVIA PBS sold and shared with WNEP we had a lot of reception problems here at 40+ miles from the transmitter for a week or so. Seems to have been addressed now though.

 

[harshness]

In most cases, sharing has had limited impact on viewers.

Wouldn't you agree that losing seven or eight stations is a huge impact compared to one or two stations here and there that didn't suffer?

What's going to happen when they have to cram in some Next-Gen stations in the larger markets along with all of the DTV stations that are already all shared up? Even if they manage a three for one ratio, that's still a significant number of new channels crowding in with little of the whiz-bang that Next-Gen is selling.

 

[Trip]

Wouldn't you agree that losing seven or eight stations is a huge impact compared to one or two stations here and there that didn't suffer?

I have no idea what you're talking about. You're going to have to clarify. The question was about stations that were sharing, most of which have had limited impact on viewers. I further commented on stations that dropped programming or went off the air.

- Trip

 

[Peter Parker]

In most cases, sharing has had limited impact on viewers. That said, there are definitely cases that have involved large shifts in coverage areas. Aside from San Francisco, WKBN going off the air to share on WYTV involved a large reduction in coverage (that they're going to try to recover in their maximization for the repack), LA's KAZA is sharing on a Class A, WTVE in Philly is sharing on a Class A (both with limited impact), and WUVN in Hartford sharing on Class A station WUTH-CD with far more limited coverage are the big ones I know of.

Bigger impact is coming from stations that are either going off the air or otherwise cutting programming. As an example, WNVC/WNVT in the DC area are technically sharing, but on signals nobody can see in DC and without the programming that made them notable.

- Trip

I suspect that WNVC/WNVT had so few viewers that the impact is not all that grat.

 

[harshness]

The question was about stations that were sharing, most of which have had limited impact on viewers.

My point is that your few examples of relatative non-losses doesn't make up for the "damage" in the Bay Area. I submit that it isn't reasonable to assert that on the whole, the setbacks are no big deal.

 

[Trip]

My point is that your few examples of relatative non-losses doesn't make up for the "damage" in the Bay Area. I submit that it isn't reasonable to assert that on the whole, the setbacks are no big deal.

I actually cited relatively few examples of damage. I noted KAZA and WTVE being of limited impact because their programming was of little interest; KAZA ran Azteca which is now on another station, and Me-TV which replaced it is mirrored on another station, while WTVE runs mostly infomercials.

I can cite other cases where the changes in service were minimal or service improved. Telemundo in DC, Hartford, Providence, and Raleigh got big increases in coverage, for example.

- Trip