Why no Augusta, GA HD Locals?

[DISHGAGUY]

I just wondered if anyone had any idea why Dish adds HD locals to markets that have fewer eyeballs at times than those higher on the DMA list? Albany, Georgia, while a fine town, is 148 on the DMA list while Augusta, Georgia is 115. I can understand Savannah, or Atlanta being first, but Albany before Augusta?

 

[Derwin0]

I just wondered if anyone had any idea why Dish adds HD locals to markets that have fewer eyeballs at times than those higher on the DMA list? Albany, Georgia, while a fine town, is 148 on the DMA list while Augusta, Georgia is 115. I can understand Savannah, or Atlanta being first, but Albany before Augusta?

There was room on the spotbeam that hits South Georgia and Northern Florida, therefore Albany was added. There is probably no room on any spotbeams that hit Augusta.

DMA # has nothing to do with the order that Dish is adding HD Locals, spotbeam capability does.

 

[madailey]

I also have that question

I also have that same question and if its a spotbeam issue then they need to MAKE some room somewhere. Augusta is the second largest city in Georgia behind of course only Atlanta and Dish need to be pumping some local HDs out for it.

 

[Laddyboy]

There are quite a few DMAs for which E* hasn't listed any tentative date. Only E* knows for sure what the deal is. Common problems include: (1) lack of carriage agreement with the local stations, (2) equipment installation at the PoP to receive the local transmission, (3) lack of fiber to an available uplink center, (4) lack of transponder space, (5) lack of spotbeam coverage. With 129 available, items 4 and 5 probably aren't in play. Places like Gainesville, FL aren't up yet either but will be by late Spring or even sooner. There wasn't space and spotbeams on EA for many SE DMAs. E1 is coming over from 148 to help out so they may use that for adding some more locals if they don't put you on 129.

 

[Derwin0]

I also have that same question and if its a spotbeam issue then they need to MAKE some room somewhere. Augusta is the second largest city in Georgia behind of course only Atlanta and Dish need to be pumping some local HDs out for it.

If the beams are full, then there is nothing that can be done.

The spotbeam in NorthEast Georgia was used for Atlanta.
The spotbeam in SouthWest Georgia was used for Savannah (which is has a bigger market size than Augusta, 96 vs. 115) and Charleston, SC (DMA 99).
To make room on either beam means kicking off a city with a larger market size than Augusta.

Albany was able to be added because there was room for it on the Tallahassee beam, a beam that reaches nowhere near Augusta.

Things could be worse, Columbus still doesn't even have SD locals yet.

 

[DISHGAGUY]

If the beams are full, then there is nothing that can be done.

The spotbeam in NorthEast Georgia was used for Atlanta.
The spotbeam in SouthWest Georgia was used for Savannah (which is has a bigger market size than Augusta, 96 vs. 115) and Charleston, SC (DMA 99).
To make room on either beam means kicking off a city with a larger market size than Augusta.

Albany was able to be added because there was room for it on the Tallahassee beam, a beam that reaches nowhere near Augusta.

Things could be worse, Columbus still doesn't even have SD locals yet.

Ok, I appreciate the information. I didn't even know Columbus had no locals at all. Still, Directv has the 4 networks in HD for Augusta, GA customers and I see a lot of new Directv dishes going up in my neighborhood in place a dish network dishes so dish had better step it up.

 

[dadrad99]

Does anybody know why Columbus, GA has no locals at all? Not Dish nor Directv! This is very frustrating!