THIS TV moved and FOX officially off UHF in Chattanooga Tennessee market

[andy_horton]

The other day, I noticed FOX 61was relabeled FOX Chattanooga after the transition to WTVC 9.2. It was scrolling channel assignments across the bottom. Also, My Network TV is off 61.2, as it has been duplicated on 53.2, its permanent home. THIS TV is now on 61.1, the only channel on 61 at this time.

 

[Mr Tony]

I figured with the changes Dish and Directv were making that FOX was leaving 61 at the beginning of the month

Dish uplinked a channel 62 a week ago and folks were wondering what was going on. Since now ThisTV is on the -1 it gets must carry. Dish is leaving FOX on channel 61 in the guide (their receivers can't do subchannel numbers) so ThisTV gets 62.

 

[andy_horton]

Ice, do you know what Comcast is doing? Or anyone else know, just out of curiosity.

 

[Mr Tony]

Ice, do you know what Comcast is doing? Or anyone else know, just out of curiosity.

I'm sure everything will stay the same channel wise. Cable usually carries subchannels whereas satellite really only carries subs if they are a big 4 network (like in your case). The only reason they carry ThisTV now is because its a -1 station and that qualifies for must carry.

Looking at the listings for Chattanooga they show WDSI (ThisTV) as channel 11 and FOX on 13

 

[NashGuy]

Surely whoever owns the license for WDSI 61 (UHF 40) is planning to sell at the FCC's March spectrum auction next year. Why else give up Fox and have your high-power station broadcasting only This TV and Comet? Or perhaps rather than taking the station dark they will try to trade their current UHF license for a VHF license plus cash, after which Fox will move from 9.2 back to WDSI 11 (or 10 or 8 or 7).

 

[Mr Tony]

Surely whoever owns the license for WDSI 61 (UHF 40) is planning to sell at the FCC's March spectrum auction next year. Why else give up Fox and have your high-power station broadcasting only This TV and Comet? Or perhaps rather than taking the station dark they will try to trade their current UHF license for a VHF license plus cash, after which Fox will move from 9.2 back to WDSI 11 (or 10 or 8 or 7).

Sinclair bought the non license assets from the owner of WDSI and sister station WFLI 53 (42) for 1.25 million bucks. So Sinclair is kinda running the show for those 2 stations (and thats why CometTV is on a "non-Sinclair" station....as in they dont own it)

The reason they moved FOX to a sub is a few reasons
-61 only runs at 84,000 watts. Thats pretty paltry for a UHF considering 1 million watts is the max
-VHF tends to bend better in the mountains
-Sinclair figured they can get TWO stations on satellite by doing this. Now that ThisTV is on the -1 it qualifies for must carry on satellite. Satellite normally do not carry subs unless they are associated with a Big 4 Net. So ThisTV is now on Dish and Directv.
-Sinclair owns the FOX programming now so I'm sure they wanted it on a station they OWN versus one they RUN. Next year the whole JSA/LMA thing is ending (where one station owns one stations and runs another in smaller markets)

 

[NashGuy]

Yep, all that makes sense. I also wonder if Sinclair is uncertain as to what New Age Media, which still owns the license for 61, plans to do come FCC auction time. Since they hold the license, they're free to participate in the auction without Sinclair's consent, right? And since Sinclair owns all the non-license assets, including the right to carry Fox, it made sense for them to move Fox to a station that they own completely (along with all the other reasons you listed).

At any rate, as it sits now, 61 seems very under-utilized as a full-power station carrying only This TV and Comet. Would make more sense to me if they moved My Network TV to 61-1 so that it could air in HD (as it does in lots of markets) and also get satellite carriage. Even carrying Me-TV on 61-1 rather than 53-2 would make more sense to me than carrying the less popular This TV on 61-1.

 

[jegrant]

Some stations are creating a "MyThis TV" or a "MyMeTV" by airing the two hours of My Network and filling the remainder of the day with This or Me. That might be a good idea for this station.

 

[Mr Tony]

Yep, all that makes sense. I also wonder if Sinclair is uncertain as to what New Age Media, which still owns the license for 61, plans to do come FCC auction time. Since they hold the license, they're free to participate in the auction without Sinclair's consent, right?

correct

At any rate, as it sits now, 61 seems very under-utilized as a full-power station carrying only This TV and Comet. Would make more sense to me if they moved My Network TV to 61-1 so that it could air in HD (as it does in lots of markets) and also get satellite carriage.

I agree to a point. If they dont have the ability to do syndicated shows in HD it doesnt pay to have a HD station for 2 hours a day 5 days a week.

 

[Mr Tony]

Some stations are creating a "MyThis TV" or a "MyMeTV" by airing the two hours of My Network and filling the remainder of the day with This or Me. That might be a good idea for this station.

Looking at the schedule the My affiliate has alot of syndicated shows. Judge shows, Steve, Maury, some talk shows. Damn it has a better variety than the Minneapolis My affiliate has

The examples you gave above are basically when there is no syndicated shows so they just put the 2 hours of My into an existing stations (which usually pisses people off when MeTV or AntennaTV is pre-empted).

 

[Mr Tony]

I know its old news but from the Sinclair 3Q financial results

In September, the Company closed on the acquisition
of certain non-license assets of WDSI (FOX) and
WFLI (CW) in Chattanooga, TN from New Age Media for
$15.5 million. The Company will provide
services to WFLI under agreements which it assumed
in the acquisition. New Age Media will continue to
own and operate WDSI. The FOX programming that previously aired on WDSI was moved to a multicast
channel of WTVC, which is owned and operated by the
Company, and the My Network programming that
previously aired on a multicast channel of WDSI, was moved to a multicast channel of WFLI.

 

[NashGuy]

correct

I agree to a point. If they dont have the ability to do syndicated shows in HD it doesnt pay to have a HD station for 2 hours a day 5 days a week.

Here in Nashville, My Network TV on 30.1 airs pretty much everything in HD. Well, Andy Griffith re-runs are just upscaled SD but Seinfeld re-runs are widescreen HD remasters. All the other talk shows, game shows, movies and syndicated series are HD. When down at my parents in the Chattanooga area, I always thought it a little odd that their My Network TV channel is only SD, but then it's a smaller market. I didn't realize until now that My Network TV is actually only supplying two hours five nights a week -- so apparently all other hours of programming are just filled by the local affiliate. Kinda makes you wonder how My Network TV even continues to survive nationally -- no original content, just 10 hours of second-run content per week!

 

[Mr Tony]

I didn't realize until now that My Network TV is actually only supplying two hours five nights a week -- so apparently all other hours of programming are just filled by the local affiliate. Kinda makes you wonder how My Network TV even continues to survive nationally -- no original content, just 10 hours of second-run content per week!

well it depends on the market and how much syndicated programming they (the owner) will pay for.
I've posted before that in Minneapolis the My affiliate (WFTC My29) has 4 or 5 shows that are normally on co-owned FOX but is rerun on My too daily.

Since your My affiliate is owned by Sinclair dont you get the ASN broadcasts on there (instead of a sub)?

 

[andy_horton]

Mynet in Chattanooga carries a lot of good programming in the evening. Law and Order CI, bones, The Walking Dead, SVU, The Closer, it shows local high school football, etc. It has a very wide and good selection of programming.

 

[Mr Tony]

Law and Order CI, bones, The Walking Dead, SVU, The Closer

that right there is the actual My Network programming

The rest of the programming is syndicated

 

[NashGuy]

Since your My affiliate is owned by Sinclair dont you get the ASN broadcasts on there (instead of a sub)?

Not sure. MyTV30 here isn't listed as an ASN affiliate although it does carry college sports. This Sat. they are carrying a game each from the ACC and the Ohio Valley Conference. The OVC is carried by ASN but the ACC is not.

 

[Mr Tony]

Not sure. MyTV30 here isn't listed as an ASN affiliate although it does carry college sports. This Sat. they are carrying a game each from the ACC and the Ohio Valley Conference. The OVC is carried by ASN but the ACC is not.

Theres a few markets like that. Here in Minneapolis the ACC game of the week is on Sinclair's CW (WUCW) but the ASN stuff is now on the -3 (Grit)...use to be on the -2 (GetTV) which wasn't dropped for Comet....yet

 

[bobvick]

MyNetworkTV as of 2009 is no longer technically a "television network" but a "syndication service" like the old Primetime Entertainment Network of 1993-94.

 

[Mr Tony]

and like Ion

 

[NashGuy]

MyNetworkTV as of 2009 is no longer technically a "television network" but a "syndication service" like the old Primetime Entertainment Network of 1993-94.

Yeah, I agree that "syndication service" much better describes what they're doing now as opposed to "TV network" -- it's been years since they were a true network providing original primetime series to affiliates. I guess I see the value that a syndication service like MyNetworkTV offers small station groups and independent stations -- essentially giving them greater scale to perhaps obtain better rates for a few syndicated shows (The Walking Dead, The Closer, etc.) -- but I wonder why large groups, like Sinclair, continue their affiliation. Sinclair syndicates a lot of popular shows on their own (Seinfeld, Friends, Big Bang Theory, etc.) and is big enough that they're actually starting to carry their own original content on their stations (Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson). Doesn't seem like they need MyNetworkTV at all. And while ION may also be a syndication service rather than a network, it's MUCH more comprehensive solution for affiliates -- ION pretty much provides full-time programming for three subchannels (ION on -1, Qubo on -2, and ION Life on -3); MyNetworkTV is just offering a couple hours of programming per day. So again, I'm left wondering how MyNetworkTV continues to exist at the scale it does. They're sorta like "the walking dead" of broadcast TV networks!