• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

BOUNCE TV ADDS CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE (WEIGEL)

gregg75

gregg75

Weigel's full power station, WCIU-TV is already maxed-out with 5 channels (The U, U Too, Me TV, Me Too, and THIS), which is why 'Bounce' will instead be airing on co-owned, low-power WWME-LD Channel 23-2.

Presently WWME-LD is airing 'Me TV' on 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3 (same programing an all 3 channels).

By the way, another co-owned low-power WMEU-LD Channel 48-1 recently signed on airing 'Me Too'. Analog low-power WMEU-CA has gone silent, but analog low-power WWME-CA remains on the air with 'U Too' for the benefit of viewers without converter boxes/digital TV's.
 
Geez it's hard enough to get full power stations without an outdoor antenna. Bounce is gonna have to do better than a low power station that's next to impossible to receive without an outdoor antenna. Especially since the city is where a lot of their target audience lives. And Chicago is not known as a place where you can throw up an outside antenna easily, due to the dense buildings.

But I guess we'll see
 
Geez it's hard enough to get full power stations without an outdoor antenna. Bounce is gonna have to do better than a low power station that's next to impossible to receive without an outdoor antenna.
Click to expand...


I wonder where you get your information? I'm 30 miles from WWME-LD's transmitter, in the next county and the TV station comes in very well with rabbit ears. My indoor antenna is on the first floor of a building, with only a window facing west (I don't have any windows facing south, which is the direction of the station). And of course Chicago's full power stations also come in great.

WWME-LD (Display 23-1 thru 23-3, Actual 39) has a very good signal for a low power TV station. When Channel 23 was analog only, reception was snowy because of the full-power CBS affiliate from Freeport/Rockford, Illinois which occupied the same channel number since 1965.


http://maps.google.com/?q=http://ww...-LD&freq=0.0&contour=51&city=CHICAGO&state=IL
 
avtosalon said:
Geez it's hard enough to get full power stations without an outdoor antenna. Bounce is gonna have to do better than a low power station that's next to impossible to receive without an outdoor antenna.
Click to expand...


I wonder where you get your information? I'm 30 miles from WWME-LD's transmitter, in the next county and the TV station comes in very well with rabbit ears. My indoor antenna is on the first floor of a building, with only a window facing west (I don't have any windows facing south, which is the direction of the station). And of course Chicago's full power stations also come in great.

WWME-LD (Display 23-1 thru 23-3, Actual 39) has a very good signal for a low power TV station. When Channel 23 was analog only, reception was snowy because of the full-power CBS affiliate from Freeport/Rockford, Illinois which occupied the same channel number since 1965.


http://maps.google.com/?q=http://ww...-LD&freq=0.0&contour=51&city=CHICAGO&state=IL
Click to expand...

You don't live in the city of Chicago, & it's not as easy to get TV stations in the city limits as it is in the suburbs. Mark lives in Chicago, & it's densely populated. So the signals aren't as easy for him to get (especially in the immediate downtown area). I'm about 30 miles from Downtown Chicago, & I get some low power stations. WWME-LD only comes in for me if I have a pre-amp on my antenna. For me, their signal has a deep null toward Indiana, & not as strong as it is toward you. Whenever WCIU increases their power to 550kw, they'll also be on a new directional pattern, & WCIU will have a deep null toward Indiana in order to allow their low power station, WCWW-LD (also on 27) to transmit the full 15kw non-directional. WCIU however will send more of their signal your way when they increase their power. Right now, WCIU only shows going as far north as Kenosha, but will eventually make it as far north as Racine, but might be able to be picked up in far southern Milwaukee County Wisconsin. So you can't automatically say that Mark should have no problems getting Chicago stations if you don't actually live there yourself. Most people have cable or satellite (depending on what building a person lives in, & if a person has a southern view for satellite) in the city of Chicago.
 
You don't live in the city of Chicago, & it's not as easy to get TV stations in the city limits as it is in the suburbs. Mark lives in Chicago, & it's densely populated.
Click to expand...


For the most part, reception will be better when someone is located closer to the transmitters, not farther.

I have easily received WWME-LD in downtown Chicago using a portable digital TV. Plus, I've watched WWME-LD from a home on the northside of Chicago (the home had an analog TV hooked up to a converter box with rabbit ears, the room was on the first floor of a 2 story home, and the only window in the room faces north which is the opposite direction of the transmitter).

Here's a link that says: "Today, with it's signal transmitted from the top of the Sears Tower, WWME-TV is the most powerful low power television station in the nation."

I would think that some other low-powers exist across the country that go out just as far. But certainly this was not the case when WWME-CA was an analog only operation, using the same channel number as a full power CBS station from Freeport, Illinois.

http://chicagomediahub.com/broadcast/television/42-television/404-wwme-tv23.html
 
avtosalon said:
You don't live in the city of Chicago, & it's not as easy to get TV stations in the city limits as it is in the suburbs. Mark lives in Chicago, & it's densely populated.
Click to expand...


For the most part, reception will be better when someone is located closer to the transmitters, not farther.

I have easily received WWME-LD in downtown Chicago using a portable digital TV. Plus, I've watched WWME-LD from a home on the northside of Chicago (the home had an analog TV hooked up to a converter box with rabbit ears, the room was on the first floor of a 2 story home, and the only window in the room faces north which is the opposite direction of the transmitter).

Here's a link that says: "Today, with it's signal transmitted from the top of the Sears Tower, WWME-TV is the most powerful low power television station in the nation."

I would think that some other low-powers exist across the country that go out just as far. But certainly this was not the case when WWME-CA was an analog only operation, using the same channel number as a full power CBS station from Freeport, Illinois.

http://chicagomediahub.com/broadcast/television/42-television/404-wwme-tv23.html
Click to expand...

I remember WWME-CA 23. I got that one with no problems with the outdoor antenna, but WMEU-CA 48 was another story. I got it, but the signal was weak. Just before Weigel shut down 48, I couldn't receive that station anymore in Gary. If it weren't for both 48 in Milwaukee (licensed to Racine) & 46 in South Bend (WHME-TV was on 48, but recently went back to 46), WMEU might have been able to flash-cut 48. They did not need to be on 46 (original companion channel) as I remember WOCH-LP on 28 in the analog days, & I had the video of WOCH-LP, but the audio of WSJV Elkhart/South Bend. For digital, I probably wouldn't get WMEU-LD if they were on 46, since South Bend full power stations have stray coverage over Gary. With WMEU-CA now off the air, Weigel should get Class A status for their digital station.

As for getting a good signal in the city of Chicago, that depends on what part of Chicago a person lives in. Areas with lots of tall buildings & lots of buildings close together can be a challenge (metal is most problematic for radio & TV signals, regardless of location). Someone I met at a business a few months ago tells me that he can't get CBS with rabbit ears, but gets everything else, including most low power digital stations. This business was in the 4800 block of North Clark Street, which is far enough from downtown, but at the same time, has enough of a view of the downtown skyline to get the stations.

For the original topic, I still stand firm that it would have been better for Bounce TV to be on a WCIU subchannel instead of WWME-LD. If The U Too is still important to Weigel, then move it to a low power subchannel. Most of the programming is the same, but there are some programs only seen on The U Too.
 
I am 3 miles NW of Willis Tower and I can have a clear shot and point a silver sensor antenna at the tower and not pick up half the full power stations. I never can get low power stations. I don't know anyone in Chicago that can get any low power stations without an outdoor antenna.

My neighbor has an a four story building with an outside antenna and can pull in everything except channel 12 (WBBM) and NO low power stations. He even has an VHF/UHF antenna and can't pull it in. He also has cable so he doesn't worry too much and uses OTA on his extra sets.

My friends on the South Side, and North Side have the same problem. I can't tell you when I was working at the computer store over the holidays how we had people come in and didn't understand why they can't pull in TV signals when they live so close to Willis Tower. The answer was always, an indoor antenna does not cut it in Chicago.

The buildings are really dense. Many have no separation. It's common in my area for houses to have less than ten feet between them. HOUSES not flats.

The issue is Bounce is going trying to grab an African American market that is more likely to rent. Renters are less likely to have outdoor antennas. I have asked my landlord to put up an outdoor antenna. He flatly says, "No, get cable."

That is my choice, no TV or cable. He won't allow a dish and there's no area to put one.

Another odd thing I never understood is drop out. If I go to Lincoln Park library with my laptop at 9am I can pull in all full power stations without issue. By 3pm channels 7, 26 and 9 are not coming in. By 6pm only 32 and 5 can be received, and after dark no TV stations can be received.

Same laptop, same antenna, same location. Why does the nightfall effect portable antennas in the city? I don't know.

In a nutshell, Bounce is trying to appeal to a community, African Americans, which are less likely to have cable. But these people are also unlikely to be able to pull in the low power Channel 23. Everyone I know watches ME-TV on Channel 26.3

I guess it's better than nothing, but it's like having RTV on the low power from the NW Suburbs.
 
Don't say it about RTV. That's what we have in Atlanta now. Their new low power station
is so low I doubt they have enough power to fry an egg. Whoever invented low power TV,
what were they thinking? Seems like some of these stations are SUPER LOW POWER.
They should give those stations a few extra watts......at least enough to make a pancake
or waffle. :D
 
Bounce now has a website with a slow loading video on it.
http://bouncetv.com/
It's probably just me, but their logo looks like it would make a great beer bottle opener.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom