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Four Sub-Channels for NH Public TV

G

Gregg

I was opening the NH cottage this past weekend, where we don't have cable. I wasn't there since last fall and I found four sub-channels for WENH 11 NH Public Television. I guess with their new affiliation with WGBH, they have quite a few offerings...

11.1 Main Channel - NH Public Television
11.2 NHPTV Explore
11.3 World
11.4 WGBH Kids
11.7 Create (Not sure why it shows up as 11.7. On my converter 11.5 and 11.6 are blank screens.)

Since digital TV started, WENH has had both a main channel and the channel they call Explore. I guess they chose Explore as an exciting name, although I don't think the shows on this channel do any extra exploring. They're simply spill over from the main channel or giving a NHPTV show a second airing at another time.

World, Kids and Create are the subchannels found on many, but certainly not all, PBS operations. It's pretty generous that they're giving over-the-air viewers five different choices. I don't know if WGBH Kids is any different than the Kids channels on some other PBS stations. I understand PBS doesn't directly operate these channels, even though they're found on many PBS affiliates.

I'm sure some viewers were wondering how it would work out for NHPTV to be coordinated with WGBH and whether local officials would be giving up control of a hometown operation. But I think having all these subchannels as well as the main channel and Explore is a plus!
 
Gregg said:
Since digital TV started, WENH has had both a main channel and the channel they call Explore. I guess they chose Explore as an exciting name, although I don't think the shows on this channel do any extra exploring. They're simply spill over from the main channel or giving a NHPTV show a second airing at another time.
Click to expand...

Here's the dirty little secret: NHPTV's main channel has the same schedule as WGBH 2, while Explore has the same schedule as WGBX 44. [Well, okay, I suppose Boston-specific shows don't appear on NHPTV.]

It wouldn't surprise me if World, Kids and Create are programmed in the same way.
 
Gregg said:
I'm sure some viewers were wondering how it would work out for NHPTV to be coordinated with WGBH and whether local officials would be giving up control of a hometown operation. But I think having all these subchannels as well as the main channel and Explore is a plus!
Click to expand...

I used to enjoy NHPTV's programming as an alternative to the monolithic WGBH collective. They offered enough of a difference to be refreshing. Since it has been assimilated, it is little more than a translator for WGBH/WGBX with a couple of local programs thrown in to appease the natives. I suppose in the world of Big Public Media, resistance is futile.
 
I understand that NHPTV used to sort of counter-program to WGBH/WGBX. If WGBH ran The Newshour at 7pm, NHPTV would run it at 6. On a Saturday evening, if WGBX had Fawlty Tours and To The Manor Born at a certain time, NHPTV would run Lawrence Welk.

But now with three subchannels it isn't really necessary. World runs The Newshour three times on weeknights. NHPTV kept all their local shows. No problem finding Ciao Italia or Granite State Challenge. They have numerous airings during the week.

The only drawback is with cable. If you live in NH, you're not going to see the Boston-area shows from WGBH and if you live in Mass, you won't see the NH shows, since the cable systems don't run both WGBH and WENH

By the way, are the local cable systems giving channels to all these PBS outlets? Can you see NHPTV, Explore, World, Kids and Create on all the area cable systems?
 
@ Marc B... Do you get an over-the-air signal from WGBY in Southington? Or the NBC or ABC stations from Springfield?

As NH Public Television demonstrates, all PBS stations or state networks should give their viewers subchannels for Create, World and Kids. And V Me in Latin communities. Is it really that expensive to add a subchannel?
 
Gregg said:
@ Marc B... Do you get an over-the-air signal from WGBY in Southington? Or the NBC or ABC stations from Springfield?
Click to expand...

No, but if you don't have a cable box from COX we get Springfield's ABC 40 on Channels 40.1 and 77.1 even though ABC 40 isn't part of the lineup on COX Meriden. Only COX Enfield is supposed to get ABC 40. (Watch someone from COX will see this and pull the plug on ABC 40. LOL). We get all the local programming from ABC 40. COX covers up the ABC programming with WTNH. Note: Sometimes there will be a problem when they switch ABC 40 back on. Sometimes the Video won't show up and there's just audio.

Also since I'm temporarily living with my mom the last time I hooked up a pair of rabbit ears she said "Don't let me catch you hooking up the antenna again."
 
Gregg said:
As NH Public Television demonstrates, all PBS stations or state networks should give their viewers subchannels for Create, World and Kids. And V Me in Latin communities. Is it really that expensive to add a subchannel?
Click to expand...

It's expensive to pay the fees for the programming. Or to buy the high-end encoding gear necessary to do that many channels without making them all look like garbage.

Why those channels and not MHz Worldview? If it was my ideal world, I would prefer an arrangement whereby the main HD channel ran non-children's programming 24/7 probably like World Channel is, then there a PBS Kids channel, V-Me if the audience demand was there for it, then Create or something Create-like (not impressed with it from what I've seen of it) and MHz Worldview across the board.

- Trip
 
Why can't WGBH and WGBX change their name to PBS Massachusetts or Massachusetts Public Broadcasting, or Boston Public Television?
 
In fact, Boston's Channel 44 is now beginning to call itself "WGBX/44" instead "'GBH/44". I think it was about time to give Channel 44 a unique identity compared to Channel 2. Some of the WGBX bumpers and ID's are rather cool to look at. Check it out.
 
E-Dawg said:
Why can't WGBH and WGBX change their name to PBS Massachusetts or Massachusetts Public Broadcasting, or Boston Public Television?
Click to expand...

Because WGBH is a very well-known brand name in Boston.

Additionally, WGBH also owns the PBS member station for Western Massachusetts, WGBY-57 Springfield, so a "PBS Massachusetts" or "Massachusetts Public Television" rebranding would also affect WGBY.
 
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