A digital possibility

[Matt]

Since, as we surmise in a thread below this one, it is likely that no station is mapping digital receivers to channel 37, do you think it would be likely that some upstart organization might try to start a new, digital-only nationwide network called (for the sake of argument) "Network-37" and require its affiliate stations to map to that number in order to coordinate marketing and promotion?

If that happened, would the lemming theory of network organization tend to draw the affiliates of existing networks to common mapping numbers to do the same thing?

Are the possibilities of such a thing worth considering?

Matt Smith, Station Manager
WGSR-TV "Star-39"
Reidsville, NC

 

[Markxxx]

> Since, as we surmise in a thread below this one, it is
> likely that no station is mapping digital receivers to
> channel 37, do you think it would be likely that some
> upstart organization might try to start a new, digital-only
> nationwide network called (for the sake of argument)
> "Network-37" and require its affiliate stations to map to
> that number in order to coordinate marketing and promotion?
>
> If that happened, would the lemming theory of network
> organization tend to draw the affiliates of existing
> networks to common mapping numbers to do the same thing?
>
> Are the possibilities of such a thing worth considering?
>
> Matt Smith, Station Manager
> WGSR-TV "Star-39"
> Reidsville, NC
>
Interestingly enough you touch on another idea sort of. For instance the WB (backed by Tribune) wanted all their affilites to map to Channel 75. That way anyone in the US knows to simply to turn to Channel 75 to get their local WB station.

The station would map to both their channel and channel 75.

Since the new tuners (but not the old ones) can map more than one channel 2. This is do-able.

<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>

 

[ngriffin]

> Interestingly enough you touch on another idea sort of. For
> instance the WB (backed by Tribune) wanted all their
> affilites to map to Channel 75. That way anyone in the US
> knows to simply to turn to Channel 75 to get their local WB
> station.
>
> The station would map to both their channel and channel 75.
>
> Since the new tuners (but not the old ones) can map more
> than one channel 2. This is do-able.

PBS was doing that for awhile with their early HDTV feed. It was set up a as turnkey operation for stations without any HD switching equipment. It could be received by satellite at the transmitter site and fed directly to the transmitter. The PSIP was set up to map to channel 80. I don't think this is done anymore.

The FCC does have some regulations on PSIP channel numbers. Maybe someone can quote them or post a link. I'm pretty certain that the original analog channel and actual digital channels are the only one allowed. Otherwise stations would try to use low channel numbers for better positioning. If it was legal to use any channel, I think you'd see the Palm Springs and Ft. Myers stations using their cable positions for virtual channel numbers, as they do for all of their promotion.