In the heyday of Superstations there were 3 that dominated the cable scene. Of course almost all systems had WTBS, while WGN and WWOR were less common but still widely available. But what about Superstations like KTVU Oakland or WPIX New York? What systems carried them in your region? And why weren't any popular enough to join or replace the Big Three?
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Non-Big Three Superstations
- Thread starter installLSC
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When WTCG rebranded as WTBS in 1979 it lost most of its local Atlanta flavor, while WGN and WOR retained theirs for quite a while longer.
Always enjoyed seeing the “local” commercials from all three when they were independent broadcast stations. My cable system at the time carried all three; always slightly amusing to have two of them identifying as “Channel 9”.
Always enjoyed seeing the “local” commercials from all three when they were independent broadcast stations. My cable system at the time carried all three; always slightly amusing to have two of them identifying as “Channel 9”.
KTLA Los Angeles under Gene Autry and Tribune was at one point a regional "Superstation" when it was independent. It was even the default superstation WB affiliate along with WPIX New York to serve parts of the country that didn't have a local WB affiliate.
KTTV Los Angeles and WNYW New York were at one point superstations because it was under a satellite service called FoxNet. KTTV and WNYW served not just their local DMA's but also areas that didn't even have a local Fox Affiliate when that happened.
KTTV Los Angeles and WNYW New York were at one point superstations because it was under a satellite service called FoxNet. KTTV and WNYW served not just their local DMA's but also areas that didn't even have a local Fox Affiliate when that happened.
KTLA and KTTV were distributed by microwave links across the southwest U.S. half a century ago, before the advent of satellite carriage. I remember visiting my grandparents in Prescott, Arizona in 1974 and both stations were available on the local cable system. During the 70s I also saw both stations in the Albuquerque cable TV listings.
The Prescott cable system also had an odd arrangement at the time as it carried two NBC affiliates: The then KTAR/12 out of Phoenix as well as the then KOAI/2 from Flagstaff.
Which have been the same station (KNAZ/2 being a satellite of KPNX/12) for many years. Flagstaff was never a viable standalone market. Everything north of I-8 is Phoenix, as far as TV is concerned, with the exception of a few spots that have translators of SLC, Vegas, or Albuquerque stations along their respective state lines.
Yeah always preferred WGN and WWOR for that reason. Plus seeing Joe Franklin and Crazy Eddie commercials on WWOR made those SNL skits easier to understand..
Going back to the original question in my local newspaper listings one and only one cable system in eastern Oregon carried WPIX New York. This surprised me, you think more systems would carry it just for the Yankees games
Looked it up and in Tri-cities WA one system also carried KTVT Dallas.
Fromm a western US perspective, KWGN 2 Denver was considered by many of us to be the "local" superstation. Carried local Denver spots but also a lot of national/agency type ads too. Not sure they were trying to chase after TBS really, or were content cvoering much of the west and Canada.
Speaking of canada, there were a couple of regional superstations for them as well. KTNT/KSTW Tacoma-Seattle was carried throughout western Canada, and was all over Alaska for a while as well. So was the Seattle market PBS station, KCTS 9. KCTS was "assigned" channel 10 on many of the cable systems of the era in Canada, so much so that KCTS sometimes would say "Channel 9 in Seattle/Western WA and Channel 10 in Canada."
Speaking of canada, there were a couple of regional superstations for them as well. KTNT/KSTW Tacoma-Seattle was carried throughout western Canada, and was all over Alaska for a while as well. So was the Seattle market PBS station, KCTS 9. KCTS was "assigned" channel 10 on many of the cable systems of the era in Canada, so much so that KCTS sometimes would say "Channel 9 in Seattle/Western WA and Channel 10 in Canada."
KTVU is local in the Bay Area however they were also carried in places like Redding, Chico and Eureka at one point before those cities got their own local Fox affiliate. This was when Cox owned KTVU.
en.wikipedia.org
Interestingly there's a claim that KTVU was at one point carried in Guam before they gotten own Fox Affiliate. Its like when Fox O&O KTTV Los Angeles at one point was automatically carried in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara because those two markets didn't have a local Fox affiliate at the time the Fox Network was formed.
KEQI-LD - Wikipedia
Interestingly there's a claim that KTVU was at one point carried in Guam before they gotten own Fox Affiliate. Its like when Fox O&O KTTV Los Angeles at one point was automatically carried in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara because those two markets didn't have a local Fox affiliate at the time the Fox Network was formed.
KTLA and KTTV were also on the Flagstaff cable system into the 90s. KPNX was also carried as a secondary NBC affiliate (its signal was skewed when KNAZ had the same NBC programming). KUSK-7 (now KAZT) from Prescott was added when it went on the air in the mid 80s. There was for a brief while in the 90s an independent station in Flagstaff. KKTM-13, which was briefly a fledgling WB affiliate until KASW (WB 6/61) built a translator in the Flagstaff area.
Dickinson, ND had WTBS and WGN as the main superstations since 1977/78. We had WWOR for a short time in that same time period when we had MSG, they must have used it to fill in programming when MSG had none? I was too young to remember too much about it but I remember seeing the ID and my dad talking about being able to watch a New York station. When they switched to USA network that went away. Eastern North Dakota had towns with KMSP from Minneapolis, enough that it was in the North Dakota TV Guide. I wish it would have made its way farther west, they could have had a nice market if they had gone satellite. Especially starting in 1987, I believe they had the local package of Twins games and they would have had a lot of people in the area watching that era's Twins that won two World Series.
You've just answered something I always wondered about, which is how one of my relatives who lived near there became a Braves fan.
WTBS aired local commercials on channel 17 in Atlanta, played national sopts over the satellite.
That was true for the WTBS incarnation, which was first and foremost a national cable channel. However local spots aired over the satellite feed during the WTCG days, along with a “Super 17” bug in the lower right corner of the screen…a “local” independent station with huge coverage.
WGN, KTLA, WPIX and WSBK are still carried nationally on satellite in Canada. As for PBS, there are four stations in various packages, including Spokane's KSPS, which identifies as "Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Calgary" on air. WTBS was also carried when a local channel, as was for a while successor WPCH.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
KTTV was on cable in those two markets for decades pre-Fox when Metromedia owned it.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
WWOR was on satellite, but relatively few cable systems carried it. One that did was Time Warner Cable's system in the west San Fernando Valley, but once the SYNDEX rules went into place in 1989 the only actual WWOR programming the satellite feed had was the news, baseball, and Joe Franklin; the rest of the time was filled with older off-network shows that did not have market exclusivity protection.
That ended on New Year's Day 1997, when Discovery bought the transponder and moved Animal Planet there.
Here is one where KHJ-TV Was also seen in Guam at one point in the early 1980's. See Guam Cable TV on the first second on the clip.
In this KTVU Aircheck from 1986 Barbara Simpson had to specify Pacific Standard Time for "2 At Noon" Now known as KTVU Fox 2 News at Noon due to national carriage at the time KTVU was a Superstation.
Heres our Previous Thread on Superstations.
Here is another one WPCH-TV (Formerly the Atlanta local feed for WTBS) was for a time even seen in Canada for some time until Gray Television the owners of WANF-TV and WPCH-TV ended carriage contracts in Canada.
Charleston never had anything other than WGN and WTBS except for WWOR airing on a couple of the smaller cable systems around the region. Back when WTAT started as a FOX affiliate around 1986, a few of the systems around Myrtle Beach picked them up on their own, as they were the only FOX affiliate in the region and did not carry other Charleston stations.
WTTG Washington was also a superstation for many years until the late 1980s. It was carried as far S as Columbia, SC on microwave. For a while it served as the de-facto FOX affiliate as Columbia's independent at the time, Channel 57 was running more religious programs. WTTG held on in Columbia until the end of 1988.
WTTG Washington was also a superstation for many years until the late 1980s. It was carried as far S as Columbia, SC on microwave. For a while it served as the de-facto FOX affiliate as Columbia's independent at the time, Channel 57 was running more religious programs. WTTG held on in Columbia until the end of 1988.