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Ch 7 news at 10 on Ch 7 ( Sept 2009 )?

Thank God I can get Leno at 10 from another Market. I never liked local affiliates tinkering with Network programming. If you agree to be part of a Network, than I think you should be responsible enough to hold up your end of the deal. That means airing all Network programming as intended by the network. If you are unable to agree to those terms than go be an Independent station and air whatever the hell you want. It sounds like HDH has a strained relationship coming up with NBC. I hope NBC takes their option to strip the NBC affiliation away from Channel 7. HDH seems to want to play the Network game on their own terms. Unfortunately for HDH it can't work that way. NBC will have the last laugh. I hope NBC teaches Channel 7 a lesson.
 
kms575 said:
Garrett said:
HDH is rufusing to run Leno:
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/channel_7_no_le.html

Can you say "NBC 5 Boston?"

I wonder what NBC means by "using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station." Could they buy out Ch 7? It sounds like WHDH is shooting itself in the foot to me.


I don't think they can buy out a station that simply refuses to sell. But if NBC terminates the contract with HDH that sure would put Channel 7 in a rough position. HDH would either have to cave in to NBC's demands or else they could lose an entire Network identity. NBC has the upper hand here. It's going to get interesting.
 
Skynet74 said:
kms575 said:
Garrett said:
HDH is rufusing to run Leno:
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/channel_7_no_le.html

Can you say "NBC 5 Boston?"

I wonder what NBC means by "using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station." Could they buy out Ch 7? It sounds like WHDH is shooting itself in the foot to me.


I don't think they can buy out a station that simply refuses to sell. But if NBC terminates the contract with HDH that sure would put Channel 7 in a rough position. HDH would either have to cave in to NBC's demands or else they could lose an entire Network identity. NBC has the upper hand here. It's going to get interesting.
This would not be the frist time Ed Ansin lost an NBC affilation. After NBC purchased then CBS affiliate WTVJ 4 in Miami, NBC had to operate it for more than a year as a CBS affiliate owned by NBC before flipping it to NBC because Ansin refused to end the affiliation agreement early.

That move by NBC caused 3 affilation switches with CBS buying WCIX 6 and moving to that weaker station (due to transmitter location) and Fox moving to WSVN 7 (and Ansin started a new 10 PM news in addition to the 11 PM). NBC later bought WCAU in Philadelphia and part of the deal gave CBS Channel 4 in Miami (now WFOR) and NBC got the weaker Channel 6 (WTVJ calls stayed with NBC with the move from 4 to 6).
 
Here's some Joseph Gallant-ish conjecture...

NBC strips WHDH of its NBC affiliation. Sunbeam moves the CW affiliation to Channel 7 and adds MyNetwork TV to WLVI. CW and My both upgrade to larger affiliations in a top ten market. WZMY continues as a MyNetwork TV affiliate, but Boston now gets an HD option as WZMY's HD is not offered (and there's doubt it is available over-the-air outside of Derry, NH).

NBC utilizes WNEU-60 or WWDP-46 as its NBC station. They contract NECN to produce news (5-7am, 6pm, 11pm). Comcast, which is in the midst of purchasing the 50% of NECN it does not own, is paid by NBC for a lower channel position for its new NBC affiliate and now has an additional revenue stream for news.

Wins all around??
 
Joseph Gallant... now there's a name I haven't seen on these boards in quite awhile! Great callback, BMG!

There's another discussion about this on the National TV subforum, and in that thread, someone actually suggested NBC might simulcast on both Channels 46 and 60; and someone predicted Channel 7 would become the new CW affiliate. Who knows, maybe Joe is alive and well after all, and using another handle on these boards!
 
MarcB said:
Here's an idea from out in left-field. What if NBC puts those two rimshotters (WWDP/Bridgewater and WNEU/Manchester) in Boston into a trust to be sold and then they buy WSBK from CBS and launch NBC-38? Selling WNEU doesn't seem like a problem to me since NBC is already LMAing it to ZGS. ZGS can just buy it outright.

Why would CBS sell WSBK?
 
You know, with the high cable penetration in the Boston DMA, the idea of NBC operating WNEU as an O&O affiliate isn't that far fetched anymore. And, most DT stations are on UHF - so you don't have the old channel position issue anymore. The station already has must-carry status throughout the market and is available on cable and dish throughout the market. NBC could operate WNEU as NBC (licensed to Merrimack, NH) and perhaps a subchannel as Telemundo or on one of the many independents that now waste juice with home shopping. Perhaps they could even cajole the FCC into permitting them an LPTV signal in Boston proper to fill in the dead OTA area in the city and nearby suburbs. The only negative I see here is that NBC has been cutting staff like mad at O&Os across the country in an attempt to stem the red tide. Doing a proper job with a new NBC affiliate in Boston will take a lot of money and investment in order to do it right to avoid what CBS has in Detroit with WWJ-62. Will they want to spend that kind of money to prove a point? I have my doubts, but it's possible.

Either way, NBC's threat is still legitimate and (by the way) I don't see an "NBC 5" in Boston's future. After all, why would Hearst-Argyle do that? ABC outperforms NBC in Boston and has for years. WCVB is doing just fine, thank you very much.

One wonders how wise Ansin is being about this. Do you really think that a My 7 or a CW 7 will garner as many viewers as it does with an NBC affiliation? Look at what happened with KRON in San Francisco. Granted, Young Broadcasting did not do a good job with the station when they lost NBC - but that station has suffered tremendously since losing the affiliation to KNTV. Ansin would certainly do the same at WHDH. Even his ofter-cited Miami station grabbed the Fox affiliation when they could. Not possible to do that in Boston.

So, though I am sympathetic with what he's saying about being stuck with the Leno lead-in, I think he should be cautious about biting off his nose despite his face. With cable and satellite penetration being what it is in Boston, NBC can certainly follow through on their threat.
 
DToTheJ said:
Joseph Gallant... now there's a name I haven't seen on these boards in quite awhile! Great callback, BMG!

He's still posting on the "other" board that came about a couple years ago when this site went through some changes.
 
1069_KIFR said:
According to this threads subject ...
You're saying that Channel 7 news is going to be on....Channel 7?

Rapking is not known for his spelling, punctuation or grammar :)
 
1069_KIFR said:
According to this threads subject ...
You're saying that Channel 7 news is going to be on....Channel 7?

That's as opposed to channel 56, which is where 7 News is currently seen at 10 p.m. Seriously though, I don't anticipate 56 showing news after its My Network rerun programming, instead showing racier fare like "Family Guy," "Sex And The City" and (should TV38 give it up) "South Park."
 
jlehmann said:
kms575 said:
Garrett said:
HDH is rufusing to run Leno:
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/channel_7_no_le.html

Can you say "NBC 5 Boston?"

I wonder what NBC means by "using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station." Could they buy out Ch 7? It sounds like WHDH is shooting itself in the foot to me.

They own WNEU-60 up in NH. Obviously that would be a joke if they decided to launch NBC on there.

They also own or LMA channel 46 in Norwell. Has anyone bothered to look at what a juggernaut that station is about to become? Their digital channel is TEN-one of the best channels for DTV! Their coverage is a circle roughly centered on Brockton that goes from past Worcester to the west to past Hyannis to the east-to the NH border to the north.

They also cover most of RI.

This also ran is about to have one of the best signal coverages in New England! It could EASILY become an NBC station with the raw coverage its digital has.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1248555.html
 
NBC-Universal owns a little more than a 1/3 interest in WWDP. However, they own 100% of WNEU. Both are must-carry in a market with between 85 and 90 percent cable penetration. So, the OTA signal isn't as important as you may think.

It's quite possible for NBC to end up on WWDP with some negotiating; but it would be very easy and quick to make an affiliate out of WNEU. They already own it outright. Telemundo could be put on a subchannel or on another channel. NBC would have to spend some real money on either channel to make sure that they have top notch HDTV, studios and news/local programming. That's an investment that they may be loth to make. However, if they feel strongly enough, they'll do it - as they did in San Francisco.

Everyone here is too hung up on the city of license issue for WNEU. But the fact is, it's on cable and dish in the entire market and reception would only be a problem for the less than 5% in the market who get OTA television only and who live from Boston/Cambridge southward. Such folks as far south as Brockton and Taunton probably already watch WJAR anyhow. But WNEU does just fine in the northern and western suburbs - it sure has a better signal than WZMY, for example. And, they could easily apply for an LP license (or buy a signal) in Boston proper to fill in the hole. Easy problem to solve, actually. So, don't ignore the station that they already own....it's a potential player here.
 
LA_Guy said:
They also own or LMA channel 46 in Norwell. Has anyone bothered to look at what a juggernaut that station is about to become? Their digital channel is TEN-one of the best channels for DTV! Their coverage is a circle roughly centered on Brockton that goes from past Worcester to the west to past Hyannis to the east-to the NH border to the north.

They also cover most of RI.

This also ran is about to have one of the best signal coverages in New England! It could EASILY become an NBC station with the raw coverage its digital has.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1248555.html

I don't think their coverage is all that great. I'm only about 8 miles away from it here, and it's no stronger than any of the Boston signals, or WPRI and WNAC. A friend of mine in Providence has yet to pick it up since they signed on, on channel 10.
 
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