I never see local TV ratings published any more. It would be interesting to compare current ratings for local TV news in various time-slots with ratings from the 80s, or even early 90s. I suspect current ratings would be considerably lower.
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UHF-TV band will end at Channel 29, per FCC
- Thread starter KeithE4
- Start date
I never see local TV ratings published any more. It would be interesting to compare current ratings for local TV news in various time-slots with ratings from the 80s, or even early 90s. I suspect current ratings would be considerably lower.
Then we should help someone we know conquer their "crackberry"-addiction with all that Facebooking, Instagramming, and what-not before they run over somebody. Remember those teenagers who severely injured another motorist while they were trying to max out their speedometer filter for their Instagram post last month? Cellphones and now smartphones have created too many problems in society. First it was talking while driving--laws were passed to curtail it--and then texting while driving--laws were passed to curtail it. The first person each of us can help is ourselves, especially broadcasters who want to protest the bandwidth reductions. Our immediate family members are the second group we can influence and then friends and extended family.
Plus all that wasted money on the cell companies' overpriced service, mostly on the data charges. Gee is it no wonder why everyone is deep in their eyeballs in debt; will they be enslaved for the rest of their lives to paying an "annuity" to a company? How about the COL steadily increasing because people have to be paid enough to cover cell phones for a family of 4 (which need to be replaced every few years and rack up high monthly service charges in the interim) and their cable TV, internet, Netflix, Hulu, et al.? No wonder people need to be paid at least $15/hour these days!!!
Do people really like being bothered at any possible moment while they step out of the house now? It must account for the increased high blood pressure, anxiety and other health problems that have been increasing among Americans. Personally, I'm going to go landline (actually VOIP)-only once my cell phone expires at the beginning of next month for these reasons.
We might just save FREE broadcast TV from those evil Pay TV guys if we do cut out cable TV and wireless phones from our diet and the diets of everyone around us!
I'm doing my part. Cut the pay TV cord many years ago and use my mobile phone as a phone only (and that will go away once the wifey retires from her job but right now it is the only way I can reach her during her workday).
Please note that the word "Crackberry" is now obsolete because nobody buys Blackberries any more. "CrackiPhone?" "Crackgalaxy?" Cell phone technology is like anything else - it has its upside and its downside. I'm not much of a phone-talker - cell or landline -never have been. I do text some. I use my phone primarily for its many other features - checking the news and weather, streaming, music in my car via blue-tooth, podcasts while I'm working out at the gym, alarm clock and timer, flashlight in the dark, camera, notes in my Notes app where I store the many passwords one needs these days, other notes for shopping lists, recipes, other lists I want to refer to, apps I use from time to time like Uber, Pay to Park for parking meters, a Reminder app I use so I don't forget appointments and things I need to do, and I often stream films and TV shows on my phone. I have an iPhone 6+, and find that with the large screen the viewing experience (if you hold it about 10 inches from you face) is the same as streaming on a laptop or tablet. I haven't gotten my iPad out of its drawer for months now.
I could go on - but the point is - my cell "phone" is such a convenience and allows me to do so many things, that it doesn't add to my stress level, it minimizes my stress level. As to the cost for my 3 person family plan...yeah, it's substantial, but not too much higher than my landline phone bill used to be with all the long-distance charges we'd rack up. If my wife didn't need the landline for her home business (fax), I would have cut THAT cord 5 years ago.
So get used to having wireless phones - really pocket sized computers - in everybody's lives. They ain't going anywhere.
Unless you have some very secure note app on your phone you might want to take advantage of the several password managers available nowdays. They are about as secure as an app can be, most have a free version and do protect your sensitive apps reasonably well.
In the interest of saving even more money (always important to a resident of S.F.) let me suggest a PC-resident fax program. As long as you already have a scanner this is a low or no-cost addition and there are a variety of apps to choose from.
As for long distance - suggest using Google Voice. It allows you to dial free to anywhere in North America (not sure about Mexico) from your mobile or landline phone. The voice quality is virtually the same as with a landline to landline connection. International calls are pretty cheap as well.
As for stress....well, that's an individual thing. I can only say that everyone in my family has lost or damaged their mobile phone at least once and some more than that - except me. And that is because I frequently don't take mine along for the ride. If all the charges for lost/damaged phones were combined I am guessing, without too much error, we would be well into the two thousands by now. While having a phone at your fingertips is indeed convenient I cannot even come close to monitizing that benefit based upon my usage. It is simply a luxury and I make no bones about that.
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Thanks for the thoughtful post, Tuna. I use abbreviations and mnemonics for the passwords I store in my phone notes, so it's extremely unlikely anybody could figure them out. My remark about the expense of long-distance related to the past. I make long-distance calls on my cell phone these days, so there is no charge. I think I've had to make an international call only once or twice in the past decade.
I take my cell phone everywhere, but have yet to lose it. I'd feel stupid if my car broke down or I was in some other emergency situation, and didn't have my phone with me to get help. It's not like you can find a pay-phone anymore.
I drop my phone from time to time, but the new smart phones are amazingly sturdy - I've never done any harm. I'm always amazed when friends tell me they've broken their screen. I would think you'd have to either slam the phone to the ground really hard, or drop it from a second story balcony.
Back in the day, I busted the antenna off my old flip-phone, but a dollop of super-glue solved the problem.
I'll check out your PC resident fax program suggestion for my wife. I'd love to get rid of my landline. Thanks for the suggestion.
I take my cell phone everywhere, but have yet to lose it. I'd feel stupid if my car broke down or I was in some other emergency situation, and didn't have my phone with me to get help. It's not like you can find a pay-phone anymore.
I drop my phone from time to time, but the new smart phones are amazingly sturdy - I've never done any harm. I'm always amazed when friends tell me they've broken their screen. I would think you'd have to either slam the phone to the ground really hard, or drop it from a second story balcony.
Back in the day, I busted the antenna off my old flip-phone, but a dollop of super-glue solved the problem.
I'll check out your PC resident fax program suggestion for my wife. I'd love to get rid of my landline. Thanks for the suggestion.
Amazingly, most of the broken (cracked) screens I've seen have been because the phone was packed into a tight back pocket. From observations made at my local high school this seems to be the preferred carrying position.
Yeah, that back pocket thing is a killer. My daughter ruined her first iPhone when she was...uh...preparing to sit on the commode. It flipped out of her back pocket right into the toilet. Personally, I can't stand to have anything in my back pocket I end up having to sit on. My wallet is in the front left, phone in the front right. Anything thicker than a folded 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper in a back pocket makes me want to scream.
We sure have gotten off topic...
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kenrayc
Guest
In Fresno it would probably hurt Gary Cocola broadcasting as he has one full power station KGMC 43 which would survive as he has FOX Spanish as main and ME-TV and Antenna TV on sub channels, but he has several LPTV stations ,including Home Shopping, Local, other classic tv and Ethnic stations, but I guess he could consolidate more sub channel on less main channels, funny thing KFSN ABC 30 was originally given channel 9, but wanted to go to 30 after the analog era ended, now can they get channel 9 back or settle for a low VHF channel? My biggest question is how much would it cost to change channels again ? Can transmitters be converted to a different channel without major cost?
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JeeperOne
Banned
Those few that WILL be missed by people (Which you didn't mention) are those who affiliate with the diginets (IE MeTV, AntennaTV, Movies!, ThisTV, Justice Network, etc) on a primary basis either because a big stick broadcaster with cable penetration got outbid for the affiliation or there's just simply no other place for them to go BUT to an LPTV[/quote]UHF/microwave ham bands are shared with the military and/or ISM, which have priority. The only way that those bands will be vulnerable will be if the government decides they're no longer necessary. Prime example: The 3300-3500 MHz band, which could be worth $Multiple_Billions to the cellphone companies, but is a military band first, controlled by the NTIA. There's little to no ham use, but it's in no danger as long as the Feds control it.[/QUOTE]The reason why there's little to no Ham use is due to a lack of available equipment (Minus Ham Satellites of course - But even those are cross-banded down to frequencies which we Hams here on Earth have radio equipment to work them on)
There's also a lot of ATV (Amateur Television - IE Hams transmitting audio and/or video like TV stations do, only with graphics & such which often look more like a PEG channel on cable) on those satellites too
Don't underestimate & downplay the usage of the microwave bands by us Hams. We do A LOT more than some of you think (Right peeps
)Cheers & 73
It isn't so much about making up their minds, but not thinking it through from the planning stages of the DTV conversion. The plan all along was to make it possible for stations to transition to the lesser-used at the time, UHF band, freeing up all that lovely VHF spectrum. What the government didn't account for at the time, was the UHF spectrum would be the valuable, sought after real estate. VHF? Not so much. Now here we are seven years later, and the Commission is trying to call for a redux.
JeeperOne
Banned
But considering it's an ABC O&O, it wouldn't surprise me if ABC dropped PSIP & went with channel 9 for BOTH RF & the TV box display (Think ABC 9 Action News (Okay, that's probably a little generic & that might force them to switch to the Eyewitness News instead but you get the idea
)But speaking of Fresno, another one that would be impacted would be KGPE 47 (Sister of KMPH 26). Where this one ends up will be REAL interesting.....
Cheers & 73
K
kenrayc
Guest
Actually KGPE CBS 47 is KSEE 24 NBC sister station, KMPH 26 sister station is KFRE CW 59, who would be impacted as well, good thing KAIL MY 7 moved from 53 to 7 before, oh and KGPE is already using "Eyewitness news".But considering it's an ABC O&O, it wouldn't surprise me if ABC dropped PSIP & went with channel 9 for BOTH RF & the TV box display (Think ABC 9 Action News (Okay, that's probably a little generic & that might force them to switch to the Eyewitness News instead but you get the idea
But speaking of Fresno, another one that would be impacted would be KGPE 47 (Sister of KMPH 26). Where this one ends up will be REAL interesting.....
Cheers & 73
It be funny if we go back again to the Golden Age of TV
VHF Ch. 2-13 ..But 14-29 on UHF
VHF Ch. 2-13 ..But 14-29 on UHF
K
kenrayc
Guest
That would be great, I remember my grandparents tv from the 50's with a VHF tuner only, but in Fresno TVs were sold with "UHF strips" For 47 KJEO ABC was on 3 and KMJ 24NBCwas on 6, with VHF KFRE CBS ch 12, but in 1961 everybody needed UHF converters as KFRE switched from 12 to 30 to make room for KCOY CBS 12 in Santa Maria. sound like history repeats itself, but in reverse order go figure!!!
BTW I was born in 1961 and I remember as a kid viewing The VHF and the UHF converter channels as they had it hooked up to view both.
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I hope the number of stations on 2 through 6 will be as rare as real silver quarters in change, channel 2 particularly. Even in the analog days those stations on 54 - 60 MHz were at a disadvantage. Rabbit ears wouldn't stretch out long enough, you had to graft on some aluminum foil extensions. Then there was summertime. Atmospherics, static crashes from lightning, E-skip all combined to make channel 2 seem less desirable than 14 or 15.
I can't stand to have my wallet in my back pocket either. In fact, I usually carry my money, driver's license and credit cards in a shirt pocket. It was so hard to get stuff out of my wallet back when I did that frequently.Yeah, that back pocket thing is a killer. My daughter ruined her first iPhone when she was...uh...preparing to sit on the commode. It flipped out of her back pocket right into the toilet. Personally, I can't stand to have anything in my back pocket I end up having to sit on. My wallet is in the front left, phone in the front right. Anything thicker than a folded 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper in a back pocket makes me want to scream.
We sure have gotten off topic...
I probably should get a phone for emergencies, especially long trips. I'm waiting until I qualify for an Obamaphone.
And now back on topic ... WGHP High Point NC COULD go back to 8, but they were fortunate to have 34 or whatever it was to go back to when they got too many complaints. They're not on my cable system but the indoor antenna works okay. WXLV is the best station for reception with the antenna and it's on 29, and co-owned with WMYV which could easily share. But then what about WFMY whose channel was 2? I threw out a TV in 2002 where the signal on 2 was perfect with rabbit ears, better than any other station. A newer TV didn't get the same results. In 2009 when it moved to 51, it was the best station I had. Now, not that great. For now, at least, it's on cable.
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