Directv Waiver

[kenwood]

Here's my dilema. I had a tree grow in and it is blocking the satelite for my local channels in Providence. WJAR approved my waiver to recive out of market NBC affiliates.
All the rest declined me.So I called WPRI to speak to the cheif enginer.He basically said he never approves such waivers and to chop down my tree.So I pushed him a little to get approval.His comment with attitude was. Get a pair of rabbit airs.
Sounds to me like they are trying to push me to get Cox Cable by declining my request.

I don't see what the big deal is. They are public airways. So if I can get a public broadcast signal through someone else I should be able to.

This market exclusity is a joke when it comes to local channels.If I choose to watch WBZ rather than WPRI then then change your imaging and presentation so I stick with your station.

Sounds to me they are trying to protect COX.

thought's.............

 

[Skynet74]

Affiliates all want to do their best to ensure that you watch them. Afterall that is their business. Without local viewers they won't get ratings. Without ratings they won't make Money. It's a simple concept to understand if you work at a TV station. But it's a very frustrating one to grasp if you are just a Viewer. Afterall you just want to access Network programming. You arn't asking for much... right? However WPRI doesn't believe they are asking much out of you either. They just want you to get a pair of rabbit ears. I truly understand both points of view.

However...... this is usually the point where I give the affiliate a GIANT MIDDLE FINGER in the sky! Don't try to force me into having to watch the Network through You! When I first started on this board I had the same debate with WPRI. They refused to air an episode of "CSI" because that weeks episode dealt with a fire in a nightclub. WPRI felt that subject matter hit a little to close to home. So the station chose to not air that episode of "CSI". Now personally I didn't care about actually missing the show since I've never been a fan of "CSI" anyway. However.... what I did take issue with was the fact that WPRI was trying to take control over what I see. Instead of just airing the show like every other affiliate around the country, WPRI was trying to take on the role of a Parent by not allowing Rhode Island residents to even make the decision on their own. If residents did not want to view the program all they had to do was change the channel. But WPRI did not give us the choice. They made the choice for all of us. It is bone headed decisions like that which I don't appreciate other people making for me! It should be MY Choice whether I wanted to watch that episode of "CSI". It should never have been the choice of some TV Clown in a suit.

So I fired off a letter which was published in The Providence Journal telling them I would just be using my Roof Antenna to watch the show on WBZ. The Bottom line is that Rhode Is a great state to live in when it comes to Radio and TV. Plenty of out of market stations reach us here. With the right antenna we all can get Boston affiliates and the Western part of the state can get Hartford ones too. So my opinion is that when a Providence station tries to force you into watching them, just remember that you really do have a choice.

Hook up that Roof antenna (or) buy those Rabbit ears and tune into Boston affiliates for all Network programming. That's how I handle it. NOBODY is going to try and tell me that I need them for programming. There are way to many other choices for you to get the same programming. Maybe you can even keep appealing the decision of WPRI. I would write to CBS and tell them that WPRI is blocking you from receiving Network programming. That's not going to make CBS to happy and then perhaps they can convince WPRI to grant you a waiver.

No matter what happens, Good Luck to you. Keep us updated.

 

[MrTelevision]

I don't see what the big deal is. They are public airways. So if I can get a public broadcast signal through someone else I should be able to.

Sounds to me they are trying to protect COX.

You are correct - the airwaves are public. But the programming on the airwaves is copyrighted, and there are federal restictions on the importation by cable or satellite providers of distant (out of market) over-the-air signals. And that's where reality come in - television is a business, plain and simple. Local broadcast stations enter into contractual agreements with the program suppliers for market exclusivity. They then sell advertising within this programming based on audience projections - this is how they make money.

WPRI is not trying to protect Cox - they're protecting themselves. The more people in Rhode Island watching WBZ (or any other out-of-market CBS affiliate) means fewer people watching WPRI - and then the rates that WPRI can charge for advertising fall. WPRI wants every dollar that it can get.

WPRI's position is that they are first and foremost a BROADCAST station - and that if you are able to pick up their signal through conventional BROADCAST, over-the-air methods (such as rabbit ears or a rooftop antenna), then they have every right to deny your request to receive an out-of-market CBS affiliate.

I'm not saying that I agree with their position; I'm just giving you their perspective. To them, it's all part of doing business.

 

[Skynet74]

It does make you wonder though why WJAR let him slide and granted him the waiver when the other affiliates wouldn't. I find it especially strange since WJAR is an O & O station and you would think that a major corporation like NBC would be even more strict than the others.