NBC Boston channel speculation.

[TVCOOL]

End result will be for NBC to just buy WHDH and WLVI and keep NBC on channel 7.1 and move Telemundo to 56.1 since its more likely either the CW dies or moves over to WSBK 38

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Court Paves Way for NBC Boston - Dismisses Lawsuit in WHDH vs. NBC

The United States District Court in the District of Massachusetts has dismissed the lawsuit in WHDH-TV v. Comcast Corp.

The lawsuit, filed in March, followed the complaints that WHDH owner Edmund Ansin laid out in January 2016 when NBC officially announced that they were launching NBC Boston.

At the time, sources inside WHDH told New England One that management there was convinced that they would win the lawsuit, and that they would still be the NBC affiliate after January 2017. We were told plans to operate the station without NBC, other than adding additional newscasts, weren't really being discussed because of this belief. Those thoughts will have to change now, unless WHDH decides to appeal the court's decision and drag this lawsuit out.

After hearing arguments from both sides last week, Judge Richard G. Stearns quickly ruled in Comcast’s favor.

“WHDH’s loss of the NBC affiliation is no doubt a blow to the station’s profitability. But absent any actionable harm attributable to Comcast, it is simply an indurate consequence of doing business in a competitive and unsentimental market place. For the foregoing reasons, defendant’s motion to dismiss is allowed.” Stearns said in his ruling.

http://www.newenglandone.com/news/l...-boston-dismisses-lawsuit-in-whdh-vs-nbc.html

Full ruling: http://www.newenglandone.com/images/files/whdhvsnbcopinion.pdf

 

[Jimmy128]

Here's the latest:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/05/judge_to_whdh_that_s_just_business

 

[justgladtobehere]

Could/would any of the other three networks switch their affiliation to channel 7?

Also, is this whole thing brinkmanship? Is NBC really going to switch to a signal in Manchester, NH?

 

[CTListener]

Could/would any of the other three networks switch their affiliation to channel 7?

Also, is this whole thing brinkmanship? Is NBC really going to switch to a signal in Manchester, NH?

Why wouldn't it? Comcast owns NBC and is the dominant cable operator in the Boston market. Losing the OTA audience (elderly or poor or both -- or technophobes) won't hurt it in terms of the audience demos it can sell to advertisers, and if anything, the move to a flea-powered rimshot OTA signal will get a bunch of cable shunners to finally give in and start paying that $80-100 a month -- to Comcast, and therefore to NBC! I don't like it, but it's all apparently legal in areas of commerce involving mega-corporations. Hey, corporations are people too, right, Supreme Court?

 

[dhoule]

I'd love to see NBC buy Fox 25. 7 could then get Fox.

 

[Uncle Kaimbridge]

Isnʼt the more likely scenario that “NBCBoston” intends to exercise the “Channel Sharing” option in the upcoming spectrum shuffle?

 

[newsbot2]

According to the Gayle Fee of the Boston Herald, NBC is in talks to buy WBPX from Ion. If it doesn't entirely replicate WHDH's signal, it covers the core of the market reasonably well.
http://www.bostonherald.com/enterta...16/05/whdh_nbc_scramble_in_wake_of_ugly_split

 

[KML0224]

I wonder if this will impact anybody who may get their NBC signals from New Britain (30), Springfield (22), Providence (10), White River Junction (31) and Portland (6) at the fringes of the Boston/Worcester DMA? Also, will anything change with hotel "cable" systems? Any place I've stayed in Brattleboro, VT carried Boston's "Big 4" and little else.

Also, if they end up on WBPX-TV channel 68 of Boston, would it include the simulcast on channel 21 of Concord, NH?

 

[KeithE4]

According to the Gayle Fee of the Boston Herald, NBC is in talks to buy WBPX from Ion. If it doesn't entirely replicate WHDH's signal, it covers the core of the market reasonably well.
http://www.bostonherald.com/enterta...16/05/whdh_nbc_scramble_in_wake_of_ugly_split

What RF channel does WBPX transmit on? I can't believe they'll put NBC in a major market on PSIP Channel 68. That would be deja vu CBS Detroit (not to mention its affiliates in Atlanta and Milwaukee) all over again.

Edit: WBPX transmits on Channel 32, which would be much better as a PSIP than 68.

 

[CTListener]

I wonder if this will impact anybody who may get their NBC signals from New Britain (30), Springfield (22), Providence (10), White River Junction (31) and Portland (6) at the fringes of the Boston/Worcester DMA? Also, will anything change with hotel "cable" systems? Any place I've stayed in Brattleboro, VT carried Boston's "Big 4" and little else.

Also, if they end up on WBPX-TV channel 68 of Boston, would it include the simulcast on channel 21 of Concord, NH?

My mom and dad live in the White River Junction area -- on the NH side of the river -- now after being in the Boston area most of their lives. They still watch WBZ-TV news every evening, never the local news. Comcast there carries both the Vermont (and channel 9 from NH) and Boston network affiliates, including Channel 7. I'm also wondering what will happen if 7 is forced to become an indie and little 62 (which, of course, is not carried on Comcast in the Upper Valley) becomes the NBC affiliate.

 

[CTListener]

What RF channel does WBPX transmit on? I can't believe they'll put NBC in a major market on PSIP Channel 68. That would be deja vu CBS Detroit (not to mention its affiliates in Atlanta and Milwaukee) all over again.

Edit: WBPX transmits on Channel 32, which would be much better as a PSIP than 68.

Just shows that over-the-air TV matters very little to NBC these days with Comcast suits calling the shots.

 

[KeithE4]

Just shows that over-the-air TV matters very little to NBC these days with Comcast suits calling the shots.

Comcast could put it on any low-numbered channel they wanted, on their cable system. DirecTV and (I think) Dish Network are another story. DirecTV always uses the PSIP channel number, and it uses the one for the full-powered transmitter if there is more than one.

For example: Here in Phoenix, our MundoMax affiliate is a Class A station on Channel 40, but it also has a full-powered transmitter in Kingman (NW Arizona, 150 miles away) on Channel 6. DirecTV puts it on 6 throughout the Phoenix market, which is most of the northern 2/3 of Arizona. . Because WBPX has a full-powered satellite in NH on Channel 21, they might be able to talk DirecTV into putting it there.

 

[VoiceofWayne]

End result will be for NBC to just buy WHDH and WLVI and keep NBC on channel 7.1 and move Telemundo to 56.1 since its more likely either the CW dies or moves over to WSBK 38

This scenario makes the most sense. CW was moving off of 56 to 38 anyway because of the relationship to CBS. Keeping NBC on 7 lessens viewer confusion and makes the transition easier. WNEU in Merrimack NH (PSIP 60 RF 34) could then be used as a full-time satellite with NBC on 60.1 and Telemundo on 60.2. MyTV could stay on 38 as a subchannel or move to a different station completely.
Now that the judge has ruled, Ansin and NBC should light up a couple of fatboys and sit down at the table and work things out. Think "keep NBC where it is" has more value.....

 

[VoiceofWayne]

I wonder if this will impact anybody who may get their NBC signals from New Britain (30), Springfield (22), Providence (10), White River Junction (31) and Portland (6) at the fringes of the Boston/Worcester DMA? Also, will anything change with hotel "cable" systems? Any place I've stayed in Brattleboro, VT carried Boston's "Big 4" and little else.

Also, if they end up on WBPX-TV channel 68 of Boston, would it include the simulcast on channel 21 of Concord, NH?

If you're getting NBC OTA or on cable from another station then I don't see any concerns. WJAR Providence is an interesting case here. They have a huge signal that already covers a large portion of the Boston DMA. NBC needs to provide the Boston market a free OTA signal. A combination of WJAR and WNEU would cover the entire market and then some.....
Hotel cable systems are pretty dicey and who knows what they will do.
If they were to buy WBPX then the satellite in Concord could happen. NBC would have full market OTA coverage in Boston and New Hampshire. I used to live in New Hampshire, and it would be good to have a full-power satellite of NBC in Manchester, Concord, and points north (maybe even local newscasts hint hint). In this scenario, Telemundo stays where it is on WNEU Merrimack and the translator in Boston.

 

[VoiceofWayne]

What about channel 62, which is licensed to Lawrence? Were they mentioned either?

I see this as scenario #3. WMFP (PSID 62 RF 18) has a monster signal as good as if not better than WHDH.

Scenario #2 NBC buys WBPX (PSID 68 RF 32) and gets a satellite in New Hampshire and translators down on Cape Cod.

Scenario #1 try and work with Ansin to sell WHDH (and possibly WLVI) and keep NBC where it is on 7 (and put Telemundo on 56). Use the current NBC O&O in Manch as a satellite for both..

Looming in the background of all this is the spectrum auction and the fact that NBC has to provide a free OTA signal to the Boston market as part of the Comcast deal.

 

[chitchatjf]

It doesn't seem to be final yet about NBC Boston moving to 60.
I could see it go to 62 changing it to retransmission consent and the carrying of 62.2 (an infomercial free feed of Cozi TV) ,62.3 (The Works),and 62.4(Comet TV) a condition of consent.
If they were to do 68 have cable import Ch 21.

 

[dhoule]

Whdh-tv

Noticed that WHDH TV has a new look on their web site. They include a logo that has 7, News, and Boston in it, however their is no peacock to represent NBC, like they have in the past. Just interesting. Also, the CBS Boston web site has a new look as well.

 

[Ccook55]

Sounds like WHDH is consigned to losing NBC at the end of the year or they ditched the peacock as a means to flip NBC off.

 

[dhoule]

NBC Boston On-Air News Team

Best I can tell, here's the team so far:
Pete Bouchard, evening meteorologist
Jonathan Choe, reporter
Jason Frazer, investigative reporter
Chris Gloninger, weekend evening meteorologist
Karen Hensel, investigative reporter
Jackie Layer, weekend morning meteorologist
Joy Lim Nakrin, anchor
Raul Martinez, sports director
Abbey Niezgoda, reporter
Melody Mendez, anchor
Shannon Mulaire, anchor

...and maybe Phil Lipof by Jan. 1 as his contact with WCVB expires.