BIG 4 NETWORK STATIONS WITH SUB-CHANNELS OTHER THAN WEATHER/RADAR

[gregg75]

Now we all know they do not own the top 75 market affiliates. You're talking about the top 10
or so markets............not the other 65.

 

[dave73]

In Chicago, only WCIU (Independent) & WTTW (PBS) have made the best use for their subchannels. WCIU used to have FBT (brokered ethnic programming), but they replaced it with U Too, which is an extension of the programming on WCIU The U on 26.2 (also on WWME-CA analog 23) , MeTV on 26.3 (also available on WWME-LD 23.1) & that used to be comedy only, but since going nationwide, it's comedy & drama from CBS & 20th Century Fox libraries. MeToo on 26.4 (also available on WMEU-CA analog 48) & used to be drama only, but now is the local MeTV, & that includes the Sony library. Lastly, they have This TV on 26.5. Both MeTV & This TV are run by WCIU's parent company Weigel Broadcasting, & MGM markets both channels. For WTTW, since they have lots of programming that can't fit into their regular schedule on WTTW 11.1 (HD), they created WTTW Prime 2 years ago to show all the programming that would be considered primetime programming, & have a 24 hour primetime channel. That's on 11.2, & I watch that more than 11.1. 11.3 has Create, & 11.4 is V-Me (while not owned by PBS, it's basically PBS en español).

To go even further, here's other stations that have or don't have subchannels:

WGN-TV 9.1 (CW) - 9.2 Antenna TV

WYCC 20.1 (PBS) (HD) - 20.2 SD simulcast of WYCC - 20.3 Mhz Worldview

WCPX 38.1 (Ion) (HD) - 38.2 Qubo - 38.3 Ion Life

WSNS 44.1 (Telemundo) (HD, except for local news & non HD programming) - 44.2 Inmigrante TV

WPWR-TV 50.1 (MNT) (HD) No subchannels that I know of, but they have bandwidth set aside for mobile TV

WXFT 60.1 (Telefutura) (HD) - 60.2 SD simulcast of WXFT

WJYS 62.1 (Independent) (infomercials & brokered religious programming) - 62.2 simulcast of WEDE-CA analog 34 - 62.4 same programming as 62.1, but in different time slots.

WGBO-DT 66.1 (Univision) no subchannels

I did not include WWTO due to that station barely covering the western suburbs (unless they increased their power to 80kw recently)the low power stations that mainly air foreign language programming for the spanish, chinese, korean, & polish speaking viewers. You can go to rabbitears.info to see the entire list of stations that have or don't have subchannels. Note not all of the stations cover the entire market (that even includes the low power stations & suburban signal full power stations).

 

[Jazz_Kat]

Here in my area, WJKT, Fox 16.2 in Jackson, Tennessee added The Cool TV which plays music videos.

Jackson TN

WJKT 16.1 Main Fox Programming
WJKT 16.2 The Cool Tv

I just discovered that in the last week or so. Meanwhile WBBJ is still doing nothing but weather radar.

I was hoping something would be put on 7.2, but I doubt it.

 

[Darth_vader]

Vancouver/Portland area--

02-02 KATU THIS TV (KATU/ABC affiliates)

08-03 KGW Estrellas TV

Until 2007 (I think) KOIN had on 06-02 an SD simulcast of its main widescreen programming, plus some additional programming, but that has since been discontinued.

I don't believe KPDX or KPTV (both are/have been FOX affiliates at some point or another) have ever run subchannels; at least they haven't for as long as I've been paying attention. Supposedly one of these two channels will be running "Dot 2 Network" if it ever gets off the ground, but I'll believe it when I see it.

KRCW (WB/CW; either one of the "big 4" or not, depending on your definition) currently has Antenna TV.

 

[grey_dan]

Cincinnati is a so-so market on subchannels:

WLWT: 5.1 NBC; 5.2 presently weather, but the station recently announced they'll be flipping to MeTV by August
WCPO: 9.1 ABC; 9.2 weather
WKRC: 12.1 CBS; 12.2 CW (as I recall, Cincy is the largest market not to have the CW on a primary channel)
WXIX: 19.1 Fox; 19.2 ThisTV
WSTR: 64.1 MyTV; 64.2 TheCoolTV

Plus we have an LP/CA (WBQC) with RTV and Universal Sports on their subs, a TBN (WKOI) with the TBN suite of subs, and a handful of PBS stations with public and educational subs.

 

[Louis_009]

*Update* Thomasville Ga/Tallahassee Florida WTLH-DT (FOX 49) sign on Me-TV late this afternoon after the technical issue with the MeTV equipment on May 2nd 2011. on WTLH-DT 49-3

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Columbia-Jefferson City, MO

KOMU: 8.1 NBC, 8.2 Universal Sports, 8.3 CW+
KMIZ: 17.1 ABC, 17.2 Weather, 17.3 MNTV
KRCG: 13.1 CBS
KQFX-LD: 22.1 Fox
KMOS: 6.1 PBS, 6.2 PBS Create, 6.3 PBS Worldview

 

[Mainedude2007]

The State of Maine has virtually NO new network subchannels (No Antenna, RTV, This TV, Universal Sports, etc.)

Portland's ABC & NBC both have Weather on their subchannels

CBS (a Sinclair station) just started carrying TheCool TV

Fox & CW: no subchannels

My Network (co-owned with the CW affiliate) carries a visitor information channel geared toward Motels & Hotels but isn't carried on cable anywhere

Bangor Market:

NBC has Weather, CBS has the CW and ABC carries their LP Fox/My affilliate

Presque Isle has only one commercial outlet, .1 is Fox and .2 is CBS

Maine Public Broadcasting the statewide PBS network only recently added PBS World to it's subchannel line up (it carries an HD and SD feed as well and carries Create and a 3 hour delayed feed on cable statewide)

 

[tripinva]

Fox & CW: no subchannels

You may want to rechceck WPXT. MeTV is now on 51-2.

- Trip

 

[anotherguyTN]

Here in my area, WJKT, Fox 16.2 in Jackson, Tennessee added The Cool TV which plays music videos.

Jackson TN

WJKT 16.1 Main Fox Programming
WJKT 16.2 The Cool Tv

I just discovered that in the last week or so. Meanwhile WBBJ is still doing nothing but weather radar.

I was hoping something would be put on 7.2, but I doubt it.

WBBJ has the same programming as 7.1 on 7.2 with SAP audio if it's available (Which most of the time it isn't) Otherwise they just have a message saying tune to 7.1. That's definitely a waste of a subchannel. Since Bahakel is one of the groups that ME-TV struck a deal with, I keep hoping that WBBJ will eventually get it, but that may be a while, if ever.

 

[tripinva]

WBBJ has the same programming as 7.1 on 7.2 with SAP audio if it's available (Which most of the time it isn't) Otherwise they just have a message saying tune to 7.1. That's definitely a waste of a subchannel.

Since it requires approximately zero additional bandwidth to do that, it's not a waste of anything really.

- Trip

 

[anotherguyTN]

WBBJ has the same programming as 7.1 on 7.2 with SAP audio if it's available (Which most of the time it isn't) Otherwise they just have a message saying tune to 7.1. That's definitely a waste of a subchannel.

Since it requires approximately zero additional bandwidth to do that, it's not a waste of anything really.

- Trip

But they could at least have something different on the channel. Bring on ME-TV!!!

 

[dhett]

Tucson AZ:

KGUN - 9.1 ABC, 9.2 Mexicanal, 9.3 The Cool TV
KMSB - 11.1 Fox, 11.2 This TV

Yuma AZ/El Centro CA:

KECY - 9.1 Fox, 9.2 ABC, 9.3 CW, 9.4 Telemundo
KYMA - 11.1 NBC, 11.2 This TV
KSWT - 13.1 CBS, 13.2 Universal Sports, 13.3 Estrella TV

Las Vegas NV:

KSNV - 3.1 NBC, 3.2 Untamed Sports, 3.3 Universal Sports
KLAS - 8.1 CBS, 8.2 LATV
KTNV - 13.1 ABC, 13.2 Mexicanal, 13.3 The Cool TV

 

[Iowan]

Quad Cities:

WHBF TV 4
4.1: CBS
4.2: RTV (previously CBS SD)

WQAD TV 8
8.1: ABC
8.2: Antenna TV (previously AccuWeather)
8.3: My Network TV 16

KLJB-18
18.1: Fox

KGCW-26
26.1: The CW (repeats on 18.2)
26.2: This TV (repeats on 18.3)

Did someone say something about a 'waste of a subchannel'? Personally, I think KLJB's subchannels should be something else. Here's an idea: Instead of This TV (again), how about ME-TV on 18.3? And .2 could be an independent channel with additional programming!

 

[gregg75]

This goes with what I was saying earlier. Quad Cities has better subs than Atlanta has.
We have RTV but no Antenna TV or Me-TV. It's like the big markets don't know what to
do with subs or see them as too risky..............while the smaller ones have a WHATTA
WE HAVE TO LOSE mentality. I think the smaller markets have the better attitude.

Most of your larger markets are part of station groups. Maybe that is where the problem
is..........cracking those groups must be harder than getting into Fort Knox.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Quincy, IL/Hannibal, MO: the digital age has finally given this market the full "Big 4" lineup on a consistent basis for the first time in TV history (not counting the short-lived WJJY-14 Jacksonville, IL and KTVO-3 Kirksville, MO's ill-fated 2000-foot tower to try to serve Quincy during 1987-88 as past attempts to bring full-time ABC affiliation to that market). Except for My, that is--but no big loss there (most of the Quincy market has never had coverage, not even on cable, of any My or UPN programming--other than KHQA-7 running Smackdown late night Saturdays from 1999 to about 2004).

KHQA-7: 7.1 CBS, 7.2 ABC
WGEM-10: 10.1 NBC, 10.2 CW, 10.3 Fox (formerly cable-only "CGEM" from 1993-2009)
WTJR-16: 16.1 Christian Television Network, 16.2 (unknown--shown on Silicon Dust, Wikipedia article on WTJR makes no mention of a WTJR subchannel)

PBS (Network Knowledge repeaters of WSEC-14 Jacksonville/Springfield, IL--whose studios are actually in Chatham, IL outside Springfield) (WMEC-22 Macomb, WQEC-27 Quincy)
22.1/27.1 PBS, 22.2/27.2 World, 22.3/27.3 Create

 

[tripinva]

This goes with what I was saying earlier. Quad Cities has better subs than Atlanta has.
We have RTV but no Antenna TV or Me-TV.

Seriously? You're getting MeTV, which most of the country doesn't have right now, sometime during the summer, you have This TV on WANN-LD, and when RTV moves off of WSB it's almost a shoe-in for WTBS-LD or WANN-LD. So Quad Cities will have three of the four classics networks (missing MeTV) and so will Atlanta (missing Antenna TV).

Atlanta, of course, has all these networks that Quad Cities does not have: Universal Sports, ION/qubo/ION Life, Tuff TV, TCN, France24, Biz TV, Untamed Sports.

So I'm not sure I follow your logic here.

- Trip

 

[avtosalon]

This goes with what I was saying earlier. Quad Cities has better subs than Atlanta has.
We have RTV but no Antenna TV or Me-TV. It's like the big markets don't know what to
do with subs or see them as too risky..............while the smaller ones have a WHATTA
WE HAVE TO LOSE mentality. I think the smaller markets have the better attitude

A primary reason why smaller markets sometimes have better subs than large markets is that TV stations in big cities are Owned & Operated by the big networks. Therefore, stations in large markets are forced to carry only sub-channels that are produced/co-owned by the networks. Or, they are forced to follow the corporate mandate of having no channels at all.

ABC O&O (Disney) - stations must carry Live Well on a sub-channel
CBS O&O - no sub-channels allowed (for now)
Fox O&O (News Corp.) - no sub-channels allowed (in most cases)
Ion O&O - stations must carry Qubo and Ion Life on sub-channels
NBC O&O (NBC Universal) - stations must carry Universal Sports and Nonstop (where available) on sub-channels


Stations that are not owned by the big networks have more freedom to pick-up other sub-channels like RTV, Me TV, Antenna TV, TheCoolTV, The Country Channel, etc.

 

[gregg75]

Trip, the way I look at it, Quad cities has RTV and Antenna TV. Atlanta has RTV (right now) all those
other subs in Atlanta are mostly just junk.

avtosalon.......I agree that the O&O's are holding back as far as subs are concerned, but once you get
past the top 5 markets that theory doesn't hold. Atlanta has zero O&Os, and the only major station with a decent sub is WSB with RTV.

 

[cd637299]

I have Antenna TV, and in theory it's good, but they have not tweaked the programming at all since their start Jan 1. Classic TV stations need to put on "new classics"/drop some shows every few months or so. I'm not even sure they have the rights to any other shows. We may be stuck with the same shows for a long long time.

As to RTV, my local LPTV is too weak to receive it. (Actually WHDT DT44 just *may* have reduced power, as I used to see it more often, and now with an improved antenna of mine, I can't see it at all!) I have read that RTV has issues about getting the "entire runs" of series...you'll see the same episodes of series way too often. Is that still the case?

Would love to see Me-TV.

Doesn't WANN have oodles of subchannels, some audio-only, for music?

cd