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DirecTV plays hardball with Sunbeam

You gotta be kiddin' me. I called them about it, and got a run-around answer. What city/town are you in? I'm in Brighton. I live in the WHDH city of license, for Chrissakes!
 
I'm in the Lakes Region of NH. Maybe they're not doing it where you are because you can get 7 and 56 OTA. I can't.
 
I live well west of Worcester and cannot receive either station (7 or 56) via my rooftop amplified antenna and WNBC is not on here. I didn't think DirecTV could give out NYC stations to anyone living in a DMA that it provides locals to. It would be nice to get WNBC, even if for just a little while, but as of right now I can't get it. As for the WHDH situation, I'm sure that I am not the only one sick and tired of stations holding the general public hostage. Channel 7, is in my opinion, last among the Boston big 3 for everything from news to prime time programming and they have the nerve to think that DirecTV is just going to give them what they want. Ed Ansin is, has been, and always will be a penny pinching tightwad and I for one hope WHDH stays off for a while. I can get NBC out of Providence, Springfield, and Hartford via my antenna which means I personally will not miss out on any programming from the network. However, I do feel for the many subscribers who do not currently have access to an antenna. As for WLVI, does the viewer from the Lakes Region in N.H. have access to the CW east feed on DirecTV? And if so, why can't I? I cannot get a whisper of WLVI at my house so I am currently shut out from CW programming.
 
I do not have an alternate CW feed here in NH, but since I don't think I've ever watched a CW program it's no big loss.
Ch 392 is still WNBC for me.

smaug07 said:
As for WLVI, does the viewer from the Lakes Region in N.H. have access to the CW east feed on DirecTV? And if so, why can't I
Click to expand...
 
Maybe that's why you don't get the WNBC feed?? Isn't there a rule about if you're in a station's grade B (or whatever the digital equivalent is) contour you can't get distant network affiliates?

smaug07 said:
I can get NBC out of Providence, Springfield, and Hartford via my antenna which means I personally will not miss out on any programming from the network.
Click to expand...
 
Between this and the Jay Leno brouhaha a couple of years ago, when is NBC going to tell Ansin to pound sand and pull his affiliation?
 
It's not that easy. Having put NBC through the wringer in Miami he got a contract from NBC for Boston that's to his advantage. WHDH is one of the few affiliates still being paid by the network to carry programming, and should NBC decide to pull the affiliation he may go to court or otherwise force them to honor the contract (which IIRC has 6 or 7 more years to run). He did this in Miami. NBC bought a station (in part because WSVN had a high amount of preemptions) but had to continue with CBS because WSVN had a year to run on their NBC contract. I'm not sure of the language for a buyout.

Things have changed since the Leno fiasco. Comcast now runs NBC, and they probably see the future more in cable or time-shift platforms (such as Hulu and Netflix) more than traditional broadcast. That also brough NECN and CSN New England into the picture, which would make it easier and more economical to switch WNEU (the Telemundo station in New Hampshire owned by NBC) to NBC. Ansin seems to be in danger of overplaying his hand and relying on old media.
 
NHRadio said:
Maybe that's why you don't get the WNBC feed?? Isn't there a rule about if you're in a station's grade B (or whatever the digital equivalent is) contour you can't get distant network affiliates?
That used to be true before locals into locals was introduced. Now, as I understand the rule, if a subscriber in a given market is offered locals in that market, the grade B reception rule no longer applies. As far as I know there are no exceptions to this rule. Even though WHDH has told DirecTV to pull the station due to a contract dispute, I still think the local into local rule applies. Maybe I'm wrong and that's why some subs who can't get an NBC signal of any kind are eligible for WNBC right now. In any case, even if you are close enough to get a signal, without an antenna you are out of luck, and I don't think it is fair that some people may have to go out and buy equipment to get their NBC programs while others enjoy the luxury of getting the New York signal. I am lucky enough to not only have an antenna, but also in an elevated location to get signals from several cities, but I'm sure many people in my area, and in other areas, do not have an antenna and will miss out on programs. As for the CW, I tried today and I can get WCCT channel 20 out of Waterbury, CT if I aim just right, so even that I won't miss. But again, what about everyone else? I think either everybody should get WNBC in the market or nobody. Just my two cents.
Click to expand...
 
That used to be true before locals into locals was introduced. Now, as I understand the rule, if a subscriber in a given market is offered locals in that market, the grade B reception rule no longer applies. As far as I know there are no exceptions to this rule. Even though WHDH has told DirecTV to pull the station due to a contract dispute, I still think the local into local rule applies. Maybe I'm wrong and that's why some subs who can't get an NBC signal of any kind are eligible for WNBC right now. In any case, even if you are close enough to get a signal, without an antenna you are out of luck, and I don't think it is fair that some people may have to go out and buy equipment to get their NBC programs while others enjoy the luxury of getting the New York signal. I am lucky enough to not only have an antenna, but also in an elevated location to get signals from several cities, but I'm sure many people in my area, and in other areas, do not have an antenna and will miss out on programs. As for the CW, I tried today and I can get WCCT channel 20 out of Waterbury, CT if I aim just right, so even that I won't miss. But again, what about everyone else? I think either everybody should get WNBC in the market or nobody. Just my two cents.
 
As for Connecticut, WCCT-TV (CW) channel 20 is licensed to Waterbury, CT but has their transmitter atop the WTIC-TV (FOX) tower on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, CT. I understand that WCVB-TV (ABC) channel 5 uses channel 20 for their digital, complicating matters for some west of Boston. I myself here in New Britain, CT don't have any alternatives for out-of-market stations. Whether analog or digital, I've NEVER received any usable signal from Provin Mountain or Mount Tom from here. It's what I get for being at the bottom of Walnut Hill. :(
 
It is true that WCVB in Boston tends to interfere digitally with WCCT here west of Worcester. However, I have a very slim window to the southwest that can receive WCCT and blank out WCVB. Oddly enough they both map as channel 20 despite WCVB advertising as 5. WHDH, being on channel 42 digitally is much harder to receive here and often, even with the antenna pointed due east, I can't get a watchable signal. So, even with WHDH off of DirecTV right now, and a good antenna, I can't watch it and turn to WWLP in Springfield or WVIT in Hartford to watch NBC.
 
Strange to hear about WCVB-TV. Maybe you're TV isn't getting the proper PSIP data to decode them as "5-1"? Have you had any luck with WJAR-TV (NBC) channel 10 from Providence, RI? As for WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain/Hartford, they're using channel 35 for their digital and are on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, CT.
 
That's a bunch of garbage. I think we all know the only reason WSVN is being so generous to allow the NFC championship game is because of pressure from the parent network FOX, who does not want to give up prime ratings for this game. WSVN doesn't give a rat's ass about the viewers and could care less if DirecTV shows the NFC game or not, but I'm sure FOX, who has paid billions for NFL rights DOES CARE and undoubtedly told WSVN to show the game. The same may be true here in Boston with WHDH if this drags on to the Super Bowl next month. There is no way NBC will give up a big market like Boston under any circumstances for the highest rated program of the year.
 
Now that Comcast owns NBC, I would expect your rates to starting going up..up..up. Besides, until Xfinity gets NFL Sunday Ticket, and IS AVAILABLE in my area it ain't going to happen. Charter, my local cable company, is awful so that is not an option, and despite how great Verizon Fios claims to be, they aren't going to build any new lines, so that won't happen either. I guess I'll just stick with DirecTV that gives me what I'm looking for...WHDH and WLVI can pound sand as I don't watch them anyway.
 
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