Worst Stations and Markets for Local TV

[mvcg66b3r]

Here's a post from leavellebrett on tvnewstalk.net about Johnstown-Altoona:

Going back to my DMA thing (sorry for chiming in late)

I just think the whole market needs to be cut back. Johnstown and Altoona-State College used to be separate markets. The whole DMA is just so damn big. DuBois, PA is in the very extreme northwestern part of the DMA. It takes me about 2 and a half hours to drive to DuBois. DuBois would fit will in the Erie, Pittsburgh or Buffalo DMA.

That's just one example.

There are so many weird things about the Altoona-Johnstown-State College-DuBois-Bedford DMA. I call it that because that is literally WJAC's ID. The Altoona DMA could be split up. If Hagerstown would be made a DMA (which it needs to be; I can tell you that no one in Hagerstown or McConnellsburg, PA cares about Washington, DC news) then you could throw most of southern PA in that DMA. Altoona and State College could be together. Johnstown and the surrounding counties could be its own market.

WTAJ and WJAC/WWCP/WATM's newscasts are so jumbled because there's just too much to cover. Each area needs its own specific WFMZ-like station.

:rant:

Back to the topic at hand...

If Sinclair would have gotten their hands on WWCP, then they would've shut it down and launched a Fox sub channel. They would have tried to get WATM, too. It's not cost-effective to run the news departments of three stations. WATM and WWCP share a building. I believe that WJAC sends employees to WWCP/WATM to do the 10:00 newscast and then they come back to WJAC to do the 11:00 newscast. It just doesn't make sense. WJAC has a great system of satellites set up throughout the area. I think that if Sinclair could've gotten their hands on WWCP (and eventually WATM) WJAC would be showing MeTV, ABC, NBC and Fox.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Do you think we should add KHAS to the cursed stations list since it's now off the air? Or how about KXJB?

 

[crainbebo]

Very sad to see KHAS off the air. I bet you that when they return, it will be either a TBN or a Daystar station, just like what they did to KDTN in Denton, TX - PBS to religion.

-crainbebo

 

[Mr Tony]

Do you think we should add KHAS to the cursed stations list since it's now off the air? Or how about KXJB?

why? Just because the FCC is cracking down on companies owning 2 stations in the market so the owners have to get creative?
Being on the air for over 50 years doesnt say its "cursed"

 

[nomadcowatbk]

nt

 

[ftballfan]

Very sad to see KHAS off the air. I bet you that when they return, it will be either a TBN or a Daystar station, just like what they did to KDTN in Denton, TX - PBS to religion.

-crainbebo

And likely with a different set of call letters (surprisingly, KSNB hasn't swapped call signs with KHAS)

 

[newsmark]

Being pulled from the air is about as cursed as you can get!

 

[mvcg66b3r]

I should've also mentioned that most of Equity's stations, even those that launched after 2002 didn't bother to build out digital facilities even though it would've made common sense just to do that rather than build out analog plants that would be useless at the end of the decade and made their debt look even more absurd. Even ION built out their station in Wausau as digital-only even if it made them pretty much a cable-only option until coupon boxes and DTV's became more common.

Raycom's NBC affiliate WMBF in Myrtle Beach SC signed on as a digital-only station (no analog signal).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMBF-TV

 

[mvcg66b3r]

From CircleSeven on tvnewstalk.net:

It appears that Tallahassee's WTLF has been off the air since May 29 due to power failure, and have filed a silent STA. Here's the description of why they filed the STA:

REASON FOR STA

AS EXPLAIEND IN ITS NOTIFICATION OF SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONS, WTLF WS FORCED TO SUSPEND OPERATIONS ON MAY 29, 2014 DUE TO A POWER FAILURE. LICENSEE BELIEVES THAT IS HAS IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, AND HAS HIRED A TECHNICIAN TO REPAIR THE FAILED EQUIPMENT. THOSE REPAIRS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF THE STATION SUSPENDING OPERATIONS AND, AS A RESULT, LICENSEE NOW REQUESTS STA TO REMAIN SILENT.

The reason that it has some significance is that WTLF was proposed to be assigned by Deerfield Media, part of the Sinclair/New Age deal, which is still pending, and since they'd made the deal on 9/25/13, the outside date would be after September 24. Now the CW's programming is multiplexed on WTLH's 49.2 subchannel and has done so in coincide with WTLF. I don't know if this just happened in the "spur of the moment" or not, but the timing of the cease of operations coincides with the rest of the station shutdowns after the FCC made that rule to ban JSAs.

It would be interesting to see what they're going to do with the plans in Florida to get that New Age deal greenlighted.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTLF
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...=0.0&contour=41&city=TALLAHASSEE&state=FL.kml

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Think we should add Yuma/El Centro to the cursed markets list?

NPG Takes Over Yuma/El Centro Stations
http://ftvlive.com/todays-news/2014/7/2/npg-takes-over-yumael-centro-stations

Or how about Palm Springs?

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Here's more on Yuma-El Centro from Raymie on tvnewstalk.net:

Consolidation has truly hit the fan in Yuma.

Last year KYMA bought KSWT. Now KECY is "operating" BOTH of them. NPG is set to form the only English-language television empire in the Imperial Valley via a resource sharing agreement—and every news employee goes with them. All of the employees will be moving to the KECY building in Yuma, which is being remodeled to accommodate the operation, and all of the stations will continue to produce the newscasts that they are currently providing. NPG says this arrangement will mirror that of KCOY.

NPG in Yuma will now include all of the Big Four networks, The CW and Telemundo. The only other major media owner on the US side of the market is Entravision, with its Spanish-language station combo of KVYE and KAJB providing Univisión, UniMás and MundoFox. On the other side of the border, in Mexicali, there's the "of course" Televisa combo of four stations, Azteca with two, the Sonora state network Telemax in San Luis del Río Colorado, and XHILA Mexicali, effectively an independent. The entire media market (both sides of the border) basically comes down to four owners, plus the Sonora state network and an independent in Mexicali. It's the only time Televisa and Azteca have ever made a multiple ownership situation look good.

NPG now owns virtual duopolies in quite a few markets: Idaho Falls, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Mid-Missouri and Bend, Oregon.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Some defunct stations in Michigan (from another thread):

More defunct TV stations (some of these probably never made it to air):
12 WJMS Ironwood (allocation moved to Rhinelander, WI)
23 WMCM Grand Rapids
26 WUOM Ann Arbor
28 WCTV Flint
34 WHLS Port Huron
35 WTVM Muskegon
36 WKMI Kalamazoo
41 WWWU Battle Creek
42 WHFB Benton Harbor
48 WIBM Jackson
50 WBID Detroit
50 WJLB Detroit
51 WSBM Saginaw
54 WMKG Muskegon
54 WTOM Lansing
58 WBCK Battle Creek
64 WBKZ Battle Creek
66 WHAX Flint

The now-WMYD license was originally for Channel 62, but moved to Channel 20 when WJMY went silent

 

[crainbebo]

Just like what WSTM did to WTVH a few years ago. 20 years ago WTVH was #1 in Syracuse, now, it's a shell of its own self.
Ditto KIDK Idaho Falls. Used to be KID-TV in the 1960s and 70s, was well known all over Eastern Idaho, now all being controlled by the ABC station KIFI.

-crainbebo

 

[K.M. Richards]

The now-WMYD license was originally for Channel 62, but moved to Channel 20 when WJMY went silent

Not completely true, and if I knew where that quote originated I'd post this there as well.

I researched and rewrote the section of Clarke Ingram's DuMont Network History site that deals with failed UHF stations, both those that operated for a while and then went dark and those who never went on the air at all.

Here's what I wrote about Detroit on channels 20 and 62, combining my notes:
WJMY operated briefly (from 10/11/62 to 6/10/63) on channel 62, then went dark and filed to move to channel 20 (FCC approved, 9/11/65) but it remained dark other than some brief periods of broadcasting only a station-ID slide on 20.

WXON then operated on channel 62 from 9/15/68 to 12/9/72, and purchased the WJMY CP in order to move to channel 20.

So technically, the WMYD license on 20 was the WJMY construction permit, relicensed to WXON, who relinquished the license for 62 in the process.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Suppose we could add Bay Area noncom KCSM to the list? Here are two posts from the AVS Forum:

On Tuesday, July 15th, KCSM will change its program line up. All MHZ programming, including the International Mystery series, will be discontinued. KCSM will broadcast a mix of programming made available from American Public Television, National Educational Television Association, and other program providers. Thank you for watching KCSM TV. MHz programming is available at their website http://www.mhznetworks.org/mhz-worldview/live

KCSM is in a death spiral. The last stage may be a slide saying "Welcome to KCSM, we have NO programming" . (24/7/366) BTY, they have already been sold.

Every $1 they spend on KCSM is a $1 less to spend on their students education, their main purpose and why they put KCSM on the air originally.

MHZ on their page says the cost to KCSM for MHz programs was zero ($0). KMTP may be the only alternate, but they are a lost cause.

It might be that they are taking out and selling the great $$$$$ master control which the maker was so proud of the sale. Right when the maker announced the sale KCSM announced that they needed $2M in two months or they were going off the air. Everything may be on tape / DVD. I.E. nothing live from Satellite.

SHF

 

[dave73]

I'm surprised I didn't add this one sooner.

I would like to add WYIN Gary Indiana to the list of cursed stations. This station didn’t come on the air until 11/15/1987, & it was only after Metrowest Corporation (now Newsweb) acquired the WCAE license for channel 50, & had the channel 50 licensed reallocated for commercial, & made the former WGMI license for 56 non-commercial from commercial. In the early days, WYIN had limited broadcasting hours, along with an inferior signal that most people couldn’t clearly get. For me living in Gary, I could not easily get this station, even after pointing my antenna toward Cedar Lake Indiana, where their transmitter & tower’s located. It would not be until 1995 (I believe), that WYIN would be on from 7am – midnight everyday, & 24 hours by 2008. Their finances prevented a move to a Chicago skyscraper, which would have allowed them to reach their NW Indiana residents, even though the FCC did approve their request to locate on the Sears Tower back in 2002 or 2003, over the objections of WTTW & WYCC (their direct competitors for PBS). WYIN was forced to convert to digital from their tower near Cedar Lake Indiana, due to the cost of the lease being too high after the first year. Over the years, they’ve lost some funding, that they were recently forced to cancel their low budget newscast (news serving NW Indiana, coming from the NW Indiana Times newspaper), & laying off some workers. I don’t know how much longer this station will remain on the air, as it has a signal that only reaches the southern portion of the Chicago market (again, money kept them from being able to locate on a Chicago skyscraper, but the RF 17 allocation allows for full market penetration). With them being PBS, they’re overlapping on a lot of programming that can be seen on WTTW & WYCC. Unlike WTTW & WYCC, they air pledge drive programming every night in the overnight hours, just to be on 24 hours, or they’d sign off every night at midnight or 1am. WCAE 50 met a similar fate back in 1983, when the station couldn’t afford to stay on the air, due to being financially supported by the Lake Central School System of St John Indiana. I vaguely remember that station trying really hard to serve NW Indiana the same way that WYIN is today, though I don’t believe they did NW Indiana news. They did air a lot of high school sports along side PBS programming. Had the people at WYIN acquired the channel 50 license instead of the people at WPWR-TV, WYIN would have signed on channel 50 (remaining non-commercial), while channel 56 would not have seen the light of day, due to 56 in the early days being kept from locating in Chicago. Not only was 4th adjacent channel 60 transmitting from Chicago, but also, there was a channel 55 allocation for Kenosha Wisconsin that hadn’t signed on until 1988, that the FCC wanted to protect.

While WYIN is on a better RF channel, 17, the fact that the dying NW Indiana region is hurting their chances for survival. If they’re forced off the air for financial reasons, I wonder if they’ll just turn in their license, or if Daystar might try to acquire their license, so they can be on a full market signal, & they’d have the money to locate the station’s transmitter in Chicago (Daystar’s current LPTV station, WDCI-LD, is located on the AON Center).

While this station isn’t currently cursed, it was in the early days. It started out as WFBN 66 Joliet/Chicago, then as WGBO. WFBN started out with the Spectrum Pay TV service, & only lasted 2 or 3 years. After Spectrum went off the air, they tried to compete as an independent, along side WGN-TV, WFLD, & WPWR-TV (both when they were on 60, then on 50 in 1987). Since the other 3 independents grabbed the best programming, WGBO was at a disadvantage with the bottom of the barrel programming. They even went as far as carrying the Hoosier Lottery & Lotto America/Powerball drawings that other stations passed up. It wasn’t until the sale of WGBO to Univision that the station actually became profitable. Univision bought it, after learning it was for sale, & WCIU refused to be a full-time Univision affiliate. Univision has owned it since 1994, & being a Univision network station since 1/01/1995.

 

[crainbebo]

What KCSM needs to do is be a 24-7 instructional television station. Remember back in the 1970s when PBS stations aired ITV programming every weekday between 9-2PM? It may prove a purpose in classrooms. Many PBS/EDU stations started like this - low budget with only classroom programming and a few NET shows. Maybe provide some revenue for KCSM and the San Mateo-Foster City School District.

-crainbebo

 

[ContinuousWave]

Very sad to see KHAS off the air. I bet you that when they return, it will be either a TBN or a Daystar station, just like what they did to KDTN in Denton, TX - PBS to religion.

-crainbebo

KDTN 2 was a move in to the DFW area from the north....KERA 13 was already PBS for Dallas...then they were able to move KDTN to the Cedar Hill farm just like 106.1 KHKS did (they were able to move it because of the claims the city grade still covers the COL due to the terrain)...however, the DTV build of KERA on 14 cost them plenty, especially the filter for LMR protection....so they sold KDTN and Daystar who had 29 as a LP was chomping at the bit wanting it (and the callsign fit Daystar also)...29 KMPX was in turn sold to Liberman (which is a curse in itself)

 

[mvcg66b3r]

WSWG Valdosta GA (Tallahassee DMA) - serves as the CBS affiliate for Albany despite its signal just missing the city. This station began as ABC affiliate WVGA, which closed after a plane crashed through its transmitter tower in 1992. It returned in 1995 as WB station WVGP, then switched to UPN in 1997. In 2001 its call sign was changed to WVAG. It was sold in 2004 to Gray TV, who renamed it WSWG and merged its operations with WCTV. It became a CBS station and a WCTV semi-satellite in 2006. Ironically, it's not carried on cable in its own city of license!

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSWG
Coverage Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...req=0.0&contour=41&city=VALDOSTA&state=GA.kml

 

[ftballfan]

WNWO in Toledo. Low-rated for years and has a long-running dispute with the major cable company in Toledo. I'm somewhat surprised NBC hasn't yanked their affiliation from them.