What should be done with Ion?

[zeebre12]

What should Ion do with the main Ion channel? Apart from a few Canadian shows like Saving Hope and Private Eyes to be broadcast next year all it shows is repeats of US crime series all day. They tried original programming before but it didn't really work out. Why don't they try some original factual type programming to differ themselves from the other main networks or acquire more Canadian content? Will they be airing these same few shows in 5+ years. Why did the Cloo channel shut down when Ion airs a lot of the same crime shows?
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2018)
Blue Bloods (2014)
Burn Notice (2013)
Criminal Minds (2009)
Law & Order (2015)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2012)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2015)
NCIS: Los Angeles (2017)
Saving Hope (2014)
Psych (2011)
CSI seems to have replaced Numbers.

 

[TheBigA]

It should be sold to a company that will invest in its own unique programming. That's the only way this channel can survive. At some point, all of those network reruns will be on Hulu or some other internet channel. The only cable channels getting a lot of eyeballs are the ones creating their own new content. If they can't do that with their current owner, then they should sell the channel to someone who will.

 

[Channel 83]

You guys are assuming that ION actually cares about putting some real effort into programming its main channel. To me, it looks like they only care about getting that main channel programmed with the least amount of effort imaginable. I'm willing to bet most of ION's revenue is generated from its shopping sub-channels.

For me, ION hardly even exists, since I'm unable to get a reliable OTA signal (yes, I'm a cord-cutter)....from my local ION station.....and I'm only 29 air-miles from their transmitting site.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Wait a few months ago the Fox Television Stations division considered a contract with Ion to move their Fox affiliations away from Sinclair and Tribune owned stations with Fox affiliations some cities like Sacramento, Baltimore, San Diego and Seattle as a threat over the Sinclair/Tribune deal.

But I don't know what happened after that given the ongoing Disney/20th Century Fox studios deal at play here.

 

[zeebre12]

Why does Ion air a full time schedule like cable channels? Where as the other main broadcast networks including MyNetwork TV only air shows in primetime along with some shows in the morning? Why do MyNetwork TV/CW only air shows in primetime whereas Ion has a full time schedule?

 

[TheBigA]

Why does Ion air a full time schedule like cable channels? Where as the other main broadcast networks including MyNetwork TV only air shows in primetime along with some shows in the morning? Why do MyNetwork TV/CW only air shows in primetime whereas Ion has a full time schedule?

It's possible that if they don't, cable companies will drop them from their line-up. That's the difference between a cable network like Ion and a broadcast network like CW. Broadcast stations carry the original CW programming, and fill the rest of their day with other stuff. That's not how a cable network works. A cable channel has to program 24/7.

 

[zeebre12]

It's possible that if they don't, cable companies will drop them from their line-up. That's the difference between a cable network like Ion and a broadcast network like CW. Broadcast stations carry the original CW programming, and fill the rest of their day with other stuff. That's not how a cable network works. A cable channel has to program 24/7.

But isn't Ion primarily a broadcast network that is also available on cable?

 

[semoochie]

It's possible that if they don't, cable companies will drop them from their line-up. That's the difference between a cable network like Ion and a broadcast network like CW. Broadcast stations carry the original CW programming, and fill the rest of their day with other stuff. That's not how a cable network works. A cable channel has to program 24/7.

Well you learn something new everyday. I had no idea that ION was a cable network. I live in one of those places where they've always owned a station.

 

[TheBigA]

Well you learn something new everyday. I had no idea that ION was a cable network. I live in one of those places where they've always owned a station.

It's both. The stations that run it need 24/7 programming the way a cable network operates. It's different from the way Fox or CW works.

 

[Kelly A]

As with many networks, Ion is considered an O&O (Owned and Operated) group. When you are a licensee of a Full Power or Class A TV station in any market, the local cable companies "must carry" your programming and pay you "subscriber fees". All the programming comes to the local stations via satellite from their headquarters in Florida. Sub fees are a big portion of their revenue.

 

[fybush]

As with many networks, Ion is considered an O&O (Owned and Operated) group. When you are a licensee of a Full Power or Class A TV station in any market, the local cable companies "must carry" your programming and pay you "subscriber fees". All the programming comes to the local stations via satellite from their headquarters in Florida. Sub fees are a big portion of their revenue.

Er, no. Or at least, not exactly.

Class A stations don't get must-carry, period, except in special cases where they are the only station in an area that otherwise has no full-power TV.

Full-power stations get to choose between "must-carry" (entitled to an automatic spot on the cable or satellite system, on the over-the-air virtual channel number or a lower channel number) OR "retransmission consent," in which they negotiate with the cable or satellite system for those subscriber fees, at the risk of being shut off if they can't come to mutually-agreeable terms. They don't get both.

It's my understanding that Ion's stations are generally must-carry. Most cable/satellite providers wouldn't pay for Ion's roster of reruns, and they know pulling Ion stations off the system in a carriage dispute wouldn't rile their customer base the way losing CBS or Fox would. I don't know the terms under which Ion shows up as a basic cable network in a market like mine where it hasn't historically been carried OTA. (It recently appeared as a subchannel on our Hubbard-owned NBC affiliate, but cable takes the cable feed anyway.)

Ion's model seems to be based more on ad revenue (low-dollar, high-volume) and on whatever it gets to carry the shopping networks on its subchannels. Lately it appears they're also banking on some revenue from their digital spectrum, either through channel-shares or eventual ATSC3 deployment.

 

[philosofy]

Wait a few months ago the Fox Television Stations division considered a contract with Ion to move their Fox affiliations away from Sinclair and Tribune owned stations with Fox affiliations some cities like Sacramento, Baltimore, San Diego and Seattle as a threat over the Sinclair/Tribune deal.

San Diego doesn't have an ION station in our area so I have no idea how this swap would have worked out. The only option would likely be KUSI if anyone was looking to pick up an affiliate.

 

[Kelly A]

Er, no. Or at least, not exactly.

Class A stations don't get must-carry, period, except in special cases where they are the only station in an area that otherwise has no full-power TV.

Then how do you explain the company I worked for having two Class A stations, one in Bakersfield and one in Fresno with both being considered "must carries"? The station in Bakersfield was the FOX affiliated station and the Fresno eventually became Ion (formerly one of Bud Paxon's station, which later became Ion). There were/are plenty of full power stations in both those communities. Cable companies have tried to lump Class A's with LPTV's to get out of retrans agreements, but it hasn't worked. Especially if the Class A has some major network affiliation. I can give you other examples in places like Pocatello, Idaho, where Class A's are carried on the local cable systems.

Ion's model seems to be based more on ad revenue (low-dollar, high-volume) and on whatever it gets to carry the shopping networks on its subchannels. Lately it appears they're also banking on some revenue from their digital spectrum, either through channel-shares or eventual ATSC3 deployment.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything comes from ATSC-3. Besides mainly affecting OTA viewers and cable companies that take local stations OTA, and unlike the mandated DTV conversion in 2009, there is no compelling reason for most consumers to replace their existing TV's for a while. Cable companies in larger markets get their local stations via direct fiber connections anyway, so ATSC-3 really won't be a factor. Granted, OTA viewership is only something like 19% of the total audience, I don't know of many station groups that would be interested in dumping 19% of their audience for the latest shiny object. Maybe Sinclair, since they've been pushing ATSC-3.

 

[fybush]

Then how do you explain the company I worked for having two Class A stations, one in Bakersfield and one in Fresno with both being considered "must carries"? The station in Bakersfield was the FOX affiliated station and the Fresno eventually became Ion (formerly one of Bud Paxon's station, which later became Ion). There were/are plenty of full power stations in both those communities. Cable companies have tried to lump Class A's with LPTV's to get out of retrans agreements, but it hasn't worked. Especially if the Class A has some major network affiliation. I can give you other examples in places like Pocatello, Idaho, where Class A's are carried on the local cable systems.

I can't speak to whatever may have happened in Bakersfield or Fresno. But "must carry" has a specific legal meaning: the station can go to the cable system and say "you are required to carry us for free" and be carried. And that's not in the rules for class As, except in certain rural areas where they are the only station serving a county that lacks full-power TV. That doesn't mean class As don't get carried on cable sometimes - but it's not under "must carry." Instead, it's through negotiations between the station and the system, often as part of larger nationwide or regional deals between station groups and cable companies, or as part of retrans-consent negotiations with sister full-power stations. If the class A carries a major network affiliation, it might even be able to swing some retrans-consent money.

 

[MarcB]

I can't speak to whatever may have happened in Bakersfield or Fresno. But "must carry" has a specific legal meaning: the station can go to the cable system and say "you are required to carry us for free" and be carried. And that's not in the rules for class As, except in certain rural areas where they are the only station serving a county that lacks full-power TV. That doesn't mean class As don't get carried on cable sometimes - but it's not under "must carry." Instead, it's through negotiations between the station and the system, often as part of larger nationwide or regional deals between station groups and cable companies, or as part of retrans-consent negotiations with sister full-power stations. If the class A carries a major network affiliation, it might even be able to swing some retrans-consent money.

In Connecticut COMCAST and COX carry 2 Class A Stations (both affiliated with Hispanic networks) - The Telemundo station WRDM and the UniMas Station WUTH Channel 47, though it's possible they don't really carry Channel 47 and they are carrying it via WUVN 18.3 Meanwhile, DirecTV only carries WUTH and not WRDM. DISH Network doesn't carry either. At one time they carried WHCT-LP Channel 38 which ran Azteca, but it was completely unwatchable most of the time. DirecTV no longer carries WHPX Channel 26 the local ION station licensed to New London. They placed a duplicate feed of the National ION Feed on Channel 26. When we first got DirecTV in April 2016 they did carry WHPX.

 

[Megatron]

ION has always been must carry since the PAX days I remember when PAX had to share with QVC mainly in primetime for a couple of weeks in 98 moved it to TV Guide Channel where they just showed the what was on the channels way before it became a general entertainment channel. I think it wasn't until fall of 99 when they finally got their own channel and didn't have to share mainly because WZPX had The WB on a 22 hour delay only they showed when programmed was Kid WB until The WB merged with UPN in the fall of 06. I don't watch ION nothing on that channel interest me at all.

 

[Prescott Joe]

There are many, many offerings from Australia, New Zealand, England and
of course, Canada that would be different from what we see in the U.S.
TVNZ offers "Our first home," a clever, wonderful show how first time buyers
renovate homes with loved ones and/or friends.

 

[tripinva]

Then how do you explain the company I worked for having two Class A stations, one in Bakersfield and one in Fresno with both being considered "must carries"? The station in Bakersfield was the FOX affiliated station and the Fresno eventually became Ion (formerly one of Bud Paxon's station, which later became Ion).

KBFX-CD is the Fox affiliate. I can't imagine cable turning down carriage of Fox and would have been carried as a retrans station, not must-carry.

PAX in Fresno was carried by full-power KPXF, which is now Unimas KTFF. I'm not aware of a Class A that carried PAX programming after that.

- Trip

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/mobile/index/article/id/109592

Update.

 

[zeebre12]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/mobile/index/article/id/109592

Update.

Was just about to post this. They talk about acquiring 'A' quality syndicated shows and having morecently original content. They also state about building additional networks. What type of new networks could they create? Would these be on cable/OTA?