Do You Get Affiliates of the Same Network on Your Cable System?

[wpxt]

In Sanford Maine which gets cable from MetroCast Cablevision I can get

ABC WCVB 5 (Boston) and WMTW 8 (Portland)
CBS WBZ 4 (Boston) and WGME 13 (Portland)
NBC WCSH 6 (Portland) and WHDH 7 (Boston)
PBS WGBH 2 (Boston) WCBB 10 (Lewiston) and WENH 11 (Manchester)

When I watch primetime shows on those networks I normally watch 4 for CBS, 5 for ABC and 6 for NBC. I don't know why I do that I just always have. Sometimes I'll watch the other affiliate if for some reason the show I want to see isn't on that channel.

The MetroCast service area in Rochester New Hampshire receives for affiliates

ABC WCVB 5 (Boston) and WMTW 8 (Portland) WMUR 9 (Manchester)
CBS WBZ 4 (Boston) and WGME 13 (Portland)
NBC WCSH 6 (Portland) and WHDH 7 (Boston)
PBS WENH 11 (Manchester) and WMEA 26 (Biddeford)

 

[Markxxx]

I wonder if there are any cable systems, on or near time zone boundaries, that carry multiple networks.

It'd be interesting if you saw the Simpsons at 7pm (Mountain) then got it again from a FOX affiliate in the Pacific Time zone later on

 

[BRNout]

I wonder if there are any cable systems, on or near time zone boundaries, that carry multiple networks.

It'd be interesting if you saw the Simpsons at 7pm (Mountain) then got it again from a FOX affiliate in the Pacific Time zone later on

Yep, I know of a couple: on Baja Broadband and Sky View systems in St. George/Washington County, UT, you get the NBC affiliates from Las Vegas (KSNV) and Salt Lake (KSL).

Eastern Nevada has a bunch: cable subs in Elko get NBC (KSL Salt Lake, KENV Reno), CBS (KUTV Salt Lake, KTVN Reno), and PBS (KNPB Reno, KUED Salt Lake); in Mesquite, NV are NBC (KSNV, KSL), ABC (KTNV Las Vegas, KTVX Salt Lake), and PBS (KLVX Las Vegas, KBYU Provo, UT).

Of course, Utah is on Mountain Time and Nevada is Pacific - so you get the Pacific feed of shows from NV two hours after you see them on Salt Lake TV. Interesting though (and sad) because at one time, most of these systems carried duplicates of every network. As is the case everywhere, they've cut way back on out of market OTA stations whether their subscribers like it or not. Knowing folks around there, I am sure that they don't.

 

[KML0224]

In reference to WPXT's post:

Back in September of 1989, I remember (then) Continental Cablevision of Saco and Old Orchard Beach carrying:

WCSH-TV (NBC) channel 6 Portland
WMTW-TV (ABC) channel 8 Poland Spring
WGME-TV (CBS) channel 13 Portland
WMEA-TV (PBS) channel 26 Biddeford
WPXT-TV (FOX) channel 51 Portland

And for out-of-market stations...

WBZ-TV (NBC) channel 4 Boston
WCVB-TV (ABC) channel 5 Boston
WNEV-TV (CBS) channel 7 Boston
WENH-TV (PBS) channel 11 Durham, NH
WSBK-TV (IND) channel 38 Boston
WLVI-TV (IND) channel 56 Cambridge

Just to nitpick, WENH-TV is licensed to Durham, NH. As for Sanford's choice for a local PBS affiliate, it was/is likely WMEA-TV, which is licensed to Biddeford (Sanford, like Biddeford, is in York County). Today, WENH-TV is the only New Hampshire station mentioned in the TV listings for the Portland Press Herald. When I lived in Old Orchard Beach between 1985 to 1987, I seem to remember WCBB-TV (PBS) channel 10 of Augusta (which TV Guide used to incorrectly list as Lewiston) having a different program schedule from WMEA-TV of Biddeford. I believe that's because WCBB-TV wasn't a part of MPBN until the early 1990s.

 

[Toledo Eleven]

Buckeye Cable in Toledo carries several Detroit channels but only in SD: WKBD (CW), WXYZ (ABC), WJBK (FOX) and WDIV (only local and syndicated shows; NBC shows are blacked out unless the Toledo affiliate doesn't carry an NBC show). We also get CBC shows on CBET-9 out of Windsor, Ont. Also, CW shows are only carried on cable in Toledo. With one exception, the Toledo channels are carried on cable channels no higher than 13, the Detroit channels are on channel 50 or higher. The one exception is low-power channel 48 which is the MyTV affiliate (on cable channel 58). Also, in addition to the Toledo PBS station, we also get Bowling Green's PBS station (only the main channel). Only the Toledo stations have their secondary digital channels carried.

 

[intx]

Suddenlink subscribers in Lake Charles, La., get stations from three markets.

Lake Charles--
KPLC, NBC
KVHP, Fox

Beaumont--
KFDM, CBS
KBMT .1, ABC
KBMT .2, NBC (digital only)

Lafayette--
KATC, ABC
KLFY, CBS

Back before Cox unloaded the system, KBTV (then NBC, now Fox) was also on the lineup.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Buckeye Cable in Toledo carries several Detroit channels but only in SD: WKBD (CW), WXYZ (ABC), WJBK (FOX) and WDIV (only local and syndicated shows; NBC shows are blacked out unless the Toledo affiliate doesn't carry an NBC show). We also get CBC shows on CBET-9 out of Windsor, Ont. Also, CW shows are only carried on cable in Toledo.

Of course, that's because the market's "CW affiliate" is a cable-only local station originated by Buckeye.

Buckeye also operates the cable system in Erie County (Sandusky, OH), and it has none of the Detroit channels. Instead, it carries the Cleveland network affiliates (on the lower channels, mostly) and the Toledo stations (minus the MyNetwork TV LPTVer). Sandusky is in the Cleveland market.

The Buckeye Sandusky system also carries, much to my pleasure, CBET/9 CBC, but none of the Detroit affiliates.

 

[searadiofreak]

I wonder if there are any cable systems, on or near time zone boundaries, that carry multiple networks.

It'd be interesting if you saw the Simpsons at 7pm (Mountain) then got it again from a FOX affiliate in the Pacific Time zone later on

Yep, I know of a couple: on Baja Broadband and Sky View systems in St. George/Washington County, UT, you get the NBC affiliates from Las Vegas (KSNV) and Salt Lake (KSL).

Eastern Nevada has a bunch: cable subs in Elko get NBC (KSL Salt Lake, KENV Reno), CBS (KUTV Salt Lake, KTVN Reno), and PBS (KNPB Reno, KUED Salt Lake); in Mesquite, NV are NBC (KSNV, KSL), ABC (KTNV Las Vegas, KTVX Salt Lake), and PBS (KLVX Las Vegas, KBYU Provo, UT).

Of course, Utah is on Mountain Time and Nevada is Pacific - so you get the Pacific feed of shows from NV two hours after you see them on Salt Lake TV. Interesting though (and sad) because at one time, most of these systems carried duplicates of every network. As is the case everywhere, they've cut way back on out of market OTA stations whether their subscribers like it or not. Knowing folks around there, I am sure that they don't.

Similar situation in Eastern Oregon where you can view both Portland, OR and Boise, ID. Oregon is mostly Pacific time, while Boise is mountain, so you can view the Tonight Show at 9:35 pacific, and then again at 11:35 from Portland. It's a weird alignment.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Up until the last few years The Jackson and Dyersburg, TN cable systems had two affiliates from each of the big 3 networks.

Charter in Jackson:
CBS:
WREG Memphis
WTVF Nashville

NBC:
WMC Memphis
WSMV Nashville

ABC:
WBBJ Jackson
WPTY Memphis

Cable One in Dyersburg:

CBS:
WREG
KFVS Cape Girardeau, MO

NBC:
WMC
WPSD Paducah, KY

ABC:
WPTY
WBBJ

In the last couple of years though that has changed. In Jackson Charter dropped WTVF and WSMV because of not renewing their contract, and WBBJ forced them to drop WPTY several years back. On the other hand I've heard that the cable system owned by the Jackson Enregy Authority still carries WTVF and WSMV.

Now the only network on Charter with multiple affiliates on Charter is Fox with WHBQ in Memphis and WJKT in Jackson. I'm really surprised WJKT hasn'd forced them to drop WHBQ, but the most they've done is require WHBQ to be blacked out when Fox programs are on.

In Dyersburg Cable One dropped KFVS and WPSD supposedly because of distance problems after the digital transition, but they still have WPTY and WBBJ with ABC.

 

[kms575]

I live in the Hartford/New Haven market, so I get all the locals. (WFSB, WTNH, WTIC, WTNH, WCTX, WCCT)
New Haven County is, however, cosidered on the fringe of the New York City market. I know Comcast dropped most NYC channels save for WCBS, WABC, WNBC and they are only available in SD.

AT&T Uverse has all major NYC channels (including WWOR, WPIX and WNYW) and they are all available in HD. I tend to watch the New York City channels as they tend to have a much better news product (especially WABC, WNBC and WCBS), so it's become a habit just to tune those in now over the local channels.

 

[FreddyE1977]

No, which is interesting, because we have two NBC affiliates around here that are short-spaced and
lie technically within most of each others "must carry" zones.

WPXI-TV11 in Pittsburgh, and WTOV-TV9 in Steubenville, OH, are only 35 miles apart as the crow flies.
WTOV used to be on some local cable systems, but was removed several years ago. No idea if WPXI
is on cable in Steubenville. Both stations are owned by the same company, so I am guessing they may
have worked out this arrangement and prefer things that way.

 

[liradioisbad]

I went to school at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA for a while. Via Service Electric, They carry multiple affliates of just about every network:

4 WPHL-17 My17 Philadelphia
9 WWOR-9 My9 New York

5 WTXF-29 Fox Philadelphia
13 WNYW-5 Fox New York

6 WPVI-6 ABC Philadelphia
19 WNEP-16 ABC Scranton

10 WCAU-10 NBC Philadelphia
17 WNBC-4 NBC New York

11 WPIX-11 CW New York
57 WPSG-57 CW Philadelphia

 

[firepoint525]

Up until the last few years The Jackson and Dyersburg, TN cable systems had two affiliates from each of the big 3 networks.
Charter in Jackson:
CBS:
WREG Memphis
WTVF Nashville
NBC:
WMC Memphis
WSMV Nashville
ABC:
WBBJ Jackson
WPTY Memphis
Cable One in Dyersburg:
CBS:
WREG
KFVS Cape Girardeau, MO
NBC:
WMC
WPSD Paducah, KY
ABC:
WPTY
WBBJ
In the last couple of years though that has changed. In Jackson Charter dropped WTVF and WSMV because of not renewing their contract, and WBBJ forced them to drop WPTY several years back. On the other hand I've heard that the cable system owned by the Jackson Enregy Authority still carries WTVF and WSMV.
Now the only network on Charter with multiple affiliates on Charter is Fox with WHBQ in Memphis and WJKT in Jackson. I'm really surprised WJKT hasn'd forced them to drop WHBQ, but the most they've done is require WHBQ to be blacked out when Fox programs are on.
In Dyersburg Cable One dropped KFVS and WPSD supposedly because of distance problems after the digital transition, but they still have WPTY and WBBJ with ABC.

The Union City/Martin area had WTVF and KFVS for CBS affiliates, and WPSD and WMC for NBC affiliates back in the early '90s. Maybe they still do. When I moved here to Nashville, I pretty much kept my news-viewing loyalty to WTVF. I notice that during the weather segments, they still occasionally give temps from west Tennessee and western Kentucky areas (like Murray), probably because they are still on cable in those areas.

It's worth noting that northwest Tennessee viewers have had the chance to see Charlie Neese give weather forecasts in three different TV markets now (Jackson, TN; Cape Girardeau, MO; and Nashville, TN), and at one time, they also got to see Dan Walters selling Toyotas from three different cities, all of which started with "M." (Marion, IL; Memphis, TN; and Madison, TN)

 

[Charles1]

Before they passed away, my grandparents lived at Snead, AL in rural Blount county...about 50 miles NE of Birmingham, and about 55 miles SE of Huntsville. (You're forgiven if you've never heard of the town). Blount County is part of the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston DMA, but the local cable company there carried network affiliates from both markets:

BIRMINGHAM: WBRC-6 (Fox), WVTM-13 (NBC), WCFT-WJSU 33/40 (ABC) and WIAT-42 (CBS)
HUNTSVILLE: WHNT-19 (CBS), WAAY-31 (ABC), WAFF-48 (NBC) and WZDX-54 (Fox).

The only WB affiliate they carried was Birmingham's WTTO-21. IIRC, they didn't carry WABM-68, the UPN affiliate from Birmingham.

 

[radiolives]

Where I live we have 2 CBS, 2 ABC, 1 NBC, 2 FOX, 1 CW. Before we used to have 3 NBC stations as the market only had a CBS, ABC, FOX, CW so we got NBC from 3 different markets. Then when our market got a NBC station 2 of the 3 NBC stations were taken away leaving only the new local NBC and one out of market NBC. Then the local NBC talked to the cable company and got the last out of market NBC pulled and replaced with shopping channel HSN. So I don't get why we have 2 of each other major network but not NBC.

 

[mleach]

When it comes to getting an out of market affiliate pulled, I wonder how much power ( if they have any power at all ) for the average person to get such a channel pulled from their cable? Sounds odd but I have met those in the past who aren't even in the business but still they are very much into those DMA rankings and treat them very very seriously.

Like those who call up Direct TV or Dish Network and report their neighbors because they have acesss to New York City or LA stations when they feel that they need to be watching TV from within their own DMA. or that guy who had posted on another site that I belong too about retail, highly upset at seeing Baltimore's WJZ at a Holiday Inn in Cumberland, MD because the county was in the Washington DMA. He even went as far as "reporting" the motel to WUSA. Of course I doubt WUSA would even care much less did anything about it..

Hey...kind of reminds me of those people who contact various local radio and TV stations to report things that they have seen online that was posted about that station in hoping that somehow somewhere that their "good deed" would land them a job at a TV or at a radio station.

 

[Ultimajock]

or that guy who had posted on another site that I belong too about retail, highly upset at seeing Baltimore's WJZ at a Holiday Inn in Cumberland, MD because the county was in the Washington DMA. He even went as far as "reporting" the motel to WUSA. Of course I doubt WUSA would even care much less did anything about it..

...considering WJZ is owned by the network WUSA is an affiliate of, I don't think Gannett would do a whole helluva lot ;-) ...

 

[wrsg915fm]

Before our cable company shut down operations, we had three NBC's (WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio; WBOY in Clarksburg, WV; and WTAP in Parkersburg, WV). We now get five locals via Dish; the only NBC we get is WTOV. Even though I miss getting a station less than 35 miles from my location as the crow flies (WTAP), we really enjoy WTOV's news. BTW, we tried OTA, but couldn't get any signals, so I sold a virtually-new antenna and enjoy crystal-clear reception.

 

[n0jxi]

we get 2 cbs channels here both are 75 miles away

 

[Apollo7979]

A couple of Comcast systems in Indiana have multiple networks...

In Richmond, Indiana, which is in the Dayton, Ohio market, but is also close to Indianapolis and Cincinnati, has at least 2 stations from each network. The only exception My Network TV which is not carried on the system.

ABC
WRTV Indianapolis
WKEF Dayton

NBC
WDTN Dayton
WLWT Cincinnati
WTHR Indianapolis

CBS
WHIO Dayton
WISH Indianapolis

Fox
WXIX Cincinnati (Digital only)
WRGT Dayton
WXIN Indianapolis

The CW
WTTV Indianapolis
WBDT Dayton

PBS
WPTO Oxford, OH (tower in Cincinnati)
WPTD Dayton
WIPB Muncie, IN



Lafayette, IN, also a Comcast market, is in the Lafayette TV market, but since there's only one network station there, they rely on Indianapolis for the rest.

CBS
WLFI Lafayette
WISH Indianapolis

PBS
WTTW Chicago
WFYI Indianapolis