FOX Switches Affiliates in Boise and Evansville, IN

[BRNout]

Pay close attention.

If Fox ever hopes to keep the NFL, MLB & NASCAR, what you propose will never happen.

See what I did there?

G

They could resurrect FoxNet, which could carry NASCAR since they're one national feed, and syndicate the NFL package regionally to areas without Fox affiliates. By the time this would happen - 5 or 10 years down the road - I'll be surprised if MLB has any OTA presence at the network level at all, other than the World Series (maybe), so it could be a moot point.

With all due respect, this conjecture is nothing short of silly. There is no reason for FOX to categorically do something like this any more than there's a reason for NBC, ABC or CBS to do that. Maybe the day will come (someday) when OTA television becomes obsolete. Even then, there will be a need for local news and local programming (perhaps through local cable/satellite only 'stations'). FOX wants to be just as local as the others. No matter what the market size.

No, the trend has been the opposite of what you're saying. Just look at a place like Grand Junction, CO. Twenty years ago, they only had 2 network affiliates (one shared CBS and NBC). Now they have a full compliment of local affiliates. Including FOX. With the advent of subchannels, smaller cities (like Springfield, MA) are now getting their own FOX stations when they had to get them from other markets before. That is the direction where affiliation is going - more local affiliates and not less.

 

[KeithE4]

I don't know if the NFL would go for that. How would they distribute the games on cable? I guess on ABC or NBC station in those places would pick up the games like what was done when Fox first got the NFC.

How did they do it in the FoxNet days?

 

[KeithE4]

With all due respect, this conjecture is nothing short of silly. There is no reason for FOX to categorically do something like this any more than there's a reason for NBC, ABC or CBS to do that. Maybe the day will come (someday) when OTA television becomes obsolete. Even then, there will be a need for local news and local programming (perhaps through local cable/satellite only 'stations'). FOX wants to be just as local as the others. No matter what the market size.

No, the trend has been the opposite of what you're saying. Just look at a place like Grand Junction, CO. Twenty years ago, they only had 2 network affiliates (one shared CBS and NBC). Now they have a full compliment of local affiliates. Including FOX. With the advent of subchannels, smaller cities (like Springfield, MA) are now getting their own FOX stations when they had to get them from other markets before. That is the direction where affiliation is going - more local affiliates and not less.

Of course it's conjecture, but I really can see it coming. And not because of any increase in cable/satellite viewership, which has gradually started to drop. It'll be online (Boxee/Roku/Netflix/etc.), not OTA viewing that takes over.

What is on those subchannels when there's no network programming? These small stations probably can't afford all the syndicated fare they'd probably want. Do they just duplicate the main channel? Infomercials? Weather? I have no idea since I don't live in one of those markets. And does a small market like a Grand Junction or Lima have the ad base to support four full-time network affiliates over the long term?

In any case, we're talking years down the road, not tomorrow or next month.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

CBS wouldn't be in play?

My guess is they would go after the CBS affiliation, especially with the promise of a fully-staffed news department.

 

[mgsports]

Theirs also the Cool TV,Tuffy TV,Estrella TV,PBJ,My Family Net,The Country Network,Untamed Sports and PAGETV the new Sports Channel starting.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Will WTVW have to close its news department?

More importantly, will WEVV have to open one? Again?

 

[azumanga]

As for WTVW, it's practically slim pickings for networks -- WEVV will be keeping MyNetwork TV as part of the new Fox subchannel, while The CW, This TV and America One are called for by other stations. At this point, WTVW could affiliate with MeTV, Antenna TV or RTV, or go off the board altogether and be independent.

The CW is currently airing on a station that is operating without an FCC license on a signal with 1.1 kW ERP. I can certainly imagine CW being available if WTVW wants it. That's a big if.

Actually, Roberts Broadcasting, the owners of WAZE-TV (whose license was cancelled due to failure to convert to digital) still broadcasts the CW on three LPTVs -- WAZE-LP ch.17, WIKY-LP ch.5 and WJPS-LP ch.4 -- all in Evansville. While WTVW no doubt is more-powerful than WAZE or its translators, it all depends on how soon until The CW contract is up for renewal, and if either The CW or Roberts is willing to renew the contract.

CBS wouldn't be in play?

My guess is they would go after the CBS affiliation, especially with the promise of a fully-staffed news department.

Of course, it was mentioned here earlier that WEVV plans to continue its CBS affiliation, with Fox sharing a subchannel with MyNetworkTV; the only way that WTVW will get CBS is if they strike a deal -- no doubt a full-service news department would be a plus, as WEVV tried time and again to start one without success.

 

[Mainedude2007]

I don't know if the NFL would go for that. How would they distribute the games on cable? I guess on ABC or NBC station in those places would pick up the games like what was done when Fox first got the NFC.

How did they do it in the FoxNet days?

They usually got the "A" game regardless of geographical area, so if you were in a smaller market like Presque Isle and the Patriots were playing Cleveland if wasn't guaranteed you would see it, but if it was Giants/Cowboys you saw it.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Looking at Nexstar's stations which are not affiliates of the "Big 4" networks, none of them have news departments of their own -- some share news products and personalities with their duopoly partners who happen to be affiliated with the Big 4. But it looks to me this will be the end of WTVW's news department.

 

[Sammi Brie]

Looking at Nexstar's stations which are not affiliates of the "Big 4" networks, none of them have news departments of their own -- some share news products and personalities with their duopoly partners who happen to be affiliated with the Big 4. But it looks to me this will be the end of WTVW's news department.

Aren't they a market leader?

 

[nomadcowatbk]

I don't know if the NFL would go for that. How would they distribute the games on cable? I guess on ABC or NBC station in those places would pick up the games like what was done when Fox first got the NFC.

How did they do it in the FoxNet days?

the CBS or ABC station would air the games in places without a local Fox station

 

[nathannah]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ar..._New_Affiliation_Agreements_Scraps_Others.php

Fox has signed some new affiliation agreements, while severing ties with other affiliates. Communications Corporation of America's WEVV Evansville, a CBS affiliate airing MyNetworkTV on its .2 channel, becomes a Fox-MyNet hybrid on channel 44.2.

WEVV replaces Nexstar's WTVW as the local Fox affiliate in DMA No. 103.

Fox also inked a deal with Journal Broadcast Group to launch Fox on Journal's KNIN Boise (DMA No. 113), currently a CW affiliate. That replaces Block Communications-owned KTRV, whose affiliation agreement, Fox says, expired in August.

WEVV, which had been a Fox affiliate years ago, begins its Fox partnership July 1, while KNIN kicks off Fox programming Sept. 1.

And this could only be the start. One FOX employee is even quoted as possibly going the cable-only route in some markets if affiliation economics don't work out from the network's standpoint.

Where does all this leave WTVW? Is ABC now in play in Evansville, since WTVW was once the ABC affiliate?

Doubtful, as WEHT is among the top stations in their market. It never helped that WTVW has a newsroom which has never done well since ABC left them, a little period where they ditched all Fox branding, and a bizarre presentation where they used to air all of their programming, even SD content, in widescreen (which made them real loved by viewers after the transition; see Evansville's AVS forums for all the 'fanmail'). There is no way ABC heads back to WTVW with this management, and for a VHF channel slot station to lose their affiliation, there had to be something real wrong for Fox to pull their affiliation from them.

KNIN meanwhile is the real winner in this all, as three years ago they were near death before Journal bought them to duopoly them with KIVI, though they still maintain an odd DT1 schedule featuring locally programmed hours, and then DT2 has The CW+ with both crossing over in primetime.

 

[azumanga]

Looking at Nexstar's stations which are not affiliates of the "Big 4" networks, none of them have news departments of their own -- some share news products and personalities with their duopoly partners who happen to be affiliated with the Big 4. But it looks to me this will be the end of WTVW's news department.

Aren't they a market leader?

If so, I would imagine Nexstar talking with CBS and WEVV to get CBS moved to WTVW -- it's pretty hare to imagine a CW station having the top newscast in the market.

 

[intx]

This is a month and a half away. It must have been in the works for a while.

Unless WTVW gets CBS -- and WEVV seems fairly confident they're keeping it since they're telling everyone Fox goes to their .2 -- Ch. 7 is hosed. They could grab the CW as some have suggested, but that's not going to bring in anywhere near the same number of viewers.

They could also go indy -- they already have plenty of syndicated shows -- or affiliate with one of the retro networks but, again, the viewers just wouldn't be there. In fact, they'd almost certainly be less than if they were the CW.

Either way, it seems fairly certain their days of doing news are coming to an end. Too expensive to justify with miniscule ratings.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

What network will get the most bandwith since they will they have CBS, FOX, and MYNET sharing the bandwith? I don't think CBS will like the degraded picture quality

 

[Mainedude2007]

What network will get the most bandwith since they will they have CBS, FOX, and MYNET sharing the bandwith? I don't think CBS will like the degraded picture quality

they aren't adding a subchannel....Fox & My Net will co-exist together on .2 with Fox taking up the 7 to 9 CT time slot and My Net 9-11 CT

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Looking at Nexstar's stations which are not affiliates of the "Big 4" networks, none of them have news departments of their own -- some share news products and personalities with their duopoly partners who happen to be affiliated with the Big 4. But it looks to me this will be the end of WTVW's news department.

Aren't they a market leader?

WTVW has the lead at 9pm, but they're the only .1 channel with news at 9 in the market. They are also in the lead at noon, again with no news competition. WTVW is third in mornings, and would probably be third at 10 if they had a 'cast then.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

I wonder if the Boise and Evansville situations are the first of other switches involving Nexstar-owned Fox affiliates--could yet another affiliation change be looming in the Rockford, IL market? Their Fox affiliate (WQRF-39) is owned by Nexstar.

Interestingly, the Quincy Newspapers-owned sister station of Rockford NBC affiliate WREX-13, WGEM-10 Quincy, IL (QN's flagship) has a Fox affiliate on a subchannel (10.3) which was previously cable-only as "CGEM" (Quincy didn't have an OTA Fox affiliate until the digital era, other than "CGEM" on some cable systems). Could WQRF be among future casualties of the Fox/Nexstar fiasco, and if so could Rockford be seeing a channel "13.3" sometime soon (if QN also places Fox on a subchannel similar to their Quincy flagship if WQRF ever loses Fox)?

 

[intx]

As someone pointed out earlier, wondering if Nexstar is regretting flipping KBTV/Beaumont from NBC to Fox 2 years ago. NBC is now on the ABC affiliate's .2 and the CBS there is super strong in the ratings so, like Evansville, Nexstar may just be left with ... nothing.

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

It's interesting to note that a little more than 5 years ago, Nexstar officials were touring WEVV's studios amid rumors ComCorp (which had just filed for bankruptcy, I believe) was wanting to sell.

This was around the same time WTVW (very briefly) minimized their Fox affiliation - which, at the time, made me wonder if they weren't trying to go after WEVV to try to get the CBS contract.

Anyway, regarding Beaumont's KBTV...wasn't NBC dropped for basically the same reason as Fox was yanked, this week? Reverse Compensation/Retrans?