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Post-FCC Spectrum Auction/Repack Questions

M

MikeyBos

A summary of open questions based on information I've been able to find online:

• What will WGBH do with WFXZ-CD?
• Will WLNE-TV’s increased signal, for which it has applied, more readily reach the city of Boston? Looks like it will pretty well.
• What will NBC do with WBTS-LD? Especially if WNEU does move its transmitter to 128?
• What will NBC do with WYCN-LD? Especially if WNEU does move its transmitter to 128?
• Will WWDP apply to move its transmitter closer to Boston or boost its signal at all?
• Will WYDN find a channel-sharing partner?
• What will Univision do with WBIN-TV?
• WDPX-TV has applied to move its city of license to Woburn and will be channel sharing with WBPX-TV. Currently, it maps to channel 58 over-the air, but so does WCEA-LD in Boston. Will one of the two change PSIP channel numbers? What will Ion do with WDPX-TV? If Providence is any indication, perhaps make WDPX-TV Ion Life?
 
Excellent questions, MikeyBos! The spectrum auction results will lead to many changes - and in my opinion, more for the better in most cases it seems. From what I've seen on internet message boards:
A lot of people would like to see Univision continue Antenna TV on WBIN (the signal reaches Rhode Island now, too).

WLNE and WJAR have applied to make their antenna in an elliptical pattern and nondirectional, so that means a lot more power directed to the Boston area and its northern suburbs, too (WLNE joining WJAR to the top of the tower, and increasing power to 465 KW vs 350 Kw now, with WJAR at 1000 kw); Smart movfe for those stations.

NBC Boston moving WYCN to a shared channel with WGBX, and later with WNEU moving to Needham will result in a greatly improved signal to the south;

WDPX is an interesting situation and I'm not sure why move the station from Barnstable - where it relays WBPX - to Woburn.

WYDN? I have not heard that they are channel sharing yet. The live stream is available over its website.

Also, I wonder how good the signal from WGBH and WSBE will be as they are moving to channels 5 and 2 - maps at rec.com site show an increased coverage area for WSBE.
 
WFXZ-CD has been running announcements that TV's will need to be rescanned on 12/3, but that programming won't change. The sharing on WGBH must be taking effect tomorrow. WGBH may be satisfied for now with the added income from Azteca, and the ownership of a commercial license for use with any future possibilities.

WYCN-LD won't be of much value, having sold their broadcast license, but WBTS-LD may have some value after the swaps, if they are able to get a free channel to use.

WWDP, on real channel 10, can't do a lot to improve their signal, since moving north, or boosting power, will create adjacent channel issues with WMUR on ch.9 and WENH on ch.11. Stations can be adjacent only if the transmitters are in the immediate area of each other, or widely separated.

WBIN has must-carry rights, and could stay as Antenna TV, or be used for most any function.

WYDN filed for an extension to remain on the air longer, claiming they are having problems arranging for channel sharing. Their analog translator on ch. 40 W40BO has stopped broadcasting WYDN, and for a month or so, has just had color bars and a Technical Difficulties message. I wonder what they will do with it or with WMPX-LP in Dennis, MA?

It's a reasonable guess that ION will use WDPX for must-carry of ION Life, as they did with WLWC in RI. They will have to use a virtual channel other than 58.

Considering the problems WHDH had during it's short time on ch. 7, before moving back to 42, WGBH and WSBE are going to have signal problems. And WPRI got the short end of a similar stick in Providence. They did not voluntarily give up anything, but are being moved from ch. 12 to ch. 7, a much worse channel.
 
alg2468 said:
Thank you for the great update, channel 99, you're always coming in with a clear signal...
Click to expand...

Thank you...

WFXZ-CD's signal is gone today, and they are indeed sharing on the WGBH signal (Ch 24-1). It's still Azteca, in 480i 16x9, but for a while, at least, they have a full power signal covering the whole market,
 
channel99 said:
WWDP, on real channel 10, can't do a lot to improve their signal, since moving north, or boosting power, will create adjacent channel issues with WMUR on ch.9 and WENH on ch.11. Stations can be adjacent only if the transmitters are in the immediate area of each other, or widely separated.
Click to expand...
I'm not a broadcast engineer.....I don't even play one on TV;)

However.....having taken a fairly close look at the post-repack allocation maps on another site.....it appears that there may be room for WWDP to move to VHF-Lo Channel 6....IF....they were to place a slight null in the signal to the west, to avoid any interference from a station using Channel 6 in upstate New York.

It looks as thought they could even use one of the Needham/Newton sites if they wanted.

However....I could be wrong:rolleyes:
 
channel99 said:
WFXZ-CD's signal is gone today, and they are indeed sharing on the WGBH signal (Ch 24-1). It's still Azteca, in 480i 16x9, but for a while, at least, they have a full power signal covering the whole market,
Click to expand...
Just to clarify, WFXZ-CD:24 (ex—RF Ch.24) is sharing WGBH:02ʼs RF Ch.19, they havenʼt moved to RF Ch.5 yet.
 
Channel 83 said:
I'm not a broadcast engineer.....I don't even play one on TV;)

However.....having taken a fairly close look at the post-repack allocation maps on another site.....it appears that there may be room for WWDP to move to VHF-Lo Channel 6....IF....they were to place a slight null in the signal to the west, to avoid any interference from a station using Channel 6 in upstate New York.

It looks as thought they could even use one of the Needham/Newton sites if they wanted.

However....I could be wrong:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Ch. 6 use would probably not be possible in Boston due to the full power FM stations in the bottom 4 MHZ of the FM range (just above Ch 6's 82-88 MHz).

That was a limitation with analog TV - it might not be with DTV.
 
Last edited:
channel99 said:
Ch. 6 use would probably not be possible in Boston due to the full power FM stations in the bottom 4 MHZ of the FM range (just above Ch 6's 82-88 MHz).

That was a limitation with analog TV - it might not be with DTV.
Click to expand...
You've just brought back a memory of ancient analog days.

In one particular section of Providence, the signal of WTEV/WLNE was thoroughly destroyed by the close-by full-power signal of WPRO-FM 92.3, forcing WTEV/WLNE in the 1980's to apply for (and got) a translator in Providence on UHF Channel 48.

But...as you said....those were analog days, and perhaps digital has mitigated....or perhaps even eliminated that issue.
 
MikeyBos said:
A summary of open questions based on information I've been able to find online:

• What will WGBH do with WFXZ-CD?
• Will WLNE-TV’s increased signal, for which it has applied, more readily reach the city of Boston? Looks like it will pretty well.
• What will NBC do with WBTS-LD? Especially if WNEU does move its transmitter to 128?
• What will NBC do with WYCN-LD? Especially if WNEU does move its transmitter to 128?
• Will WWDP apply to move its transmitter closer to Boston or boost its signal at all?
• Will WYDN find a channel-sharing partner?
• What will Univision do with WBIN-TV?
• WDPX-TV has applied to move its city of license to Woburn and will be channel sharing with WBPX-TV. Currently, it maps to channel 58 over-the air, but so does WCEA-LD in Boston. Will one of the two change PSIP channel numbers? What will Ion do with WDPX-TV? If Providence is any indication, perhaps make WDPX-TV Ion Life?
Click to expand...
Looks like there is now an answer to the WYDN question.

From what I understand, WYDN will be sharing with ION owned WPXG, licensed to Concord, NH. Since the signal foot-print of the current (and future) WPXG will not reach Worcester, Daystar has also applied for a City Of License change to Lowell.

Perhaps this is just a stop-gap measure? If not, then this seems like a less than adequate solution for Daystar.
 
Channel 83 said:
Looks like there is now an answer to the WYDN question.

From what I understand, WYDN will be sharing with ION owned WPXG, licensed to Concord, NH. Since the signal foot-print of the current (and future) WPXG will not reach Worcester, Daystar has also applied for a City Of License change to Lowell.

Perhaps this is just a stop-gap measure? If not, then this seems like a less than adequate solution for Daystar.
Click to expand...

WYDN probably is most interested in keeping must-carry in the Boston market, and being on WPXG will cover that.
 
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