Hagerstown, Maryland's WHAG-TV "NBC 25 "

[leach]

I was visiting a friend of mine yesterday in the Hagerstown, MD area. He has Dish Network. Of course with Hagerstown being in the Washington DC market, of course all the local channels are from DC. However Dish Network does offers Hagerstown's WJAL-TV 68 but for some reason they do NOT offer WHAG-TV. Whats up with that? DC's WRC-TV won't allow them on dish? Or by "being so local" WHAG thinks people with Dish Network/Direct TV will get out those old rabbit ears and watch them so they feel no reason to be on dish? With more and more people in that area going Dish Network or Direct TV, it would make sense for WHAG to be on there as well.

 

[r566]

> I was visiting a friend of mine yesterday in the Hagerstown,
> MD area. He has Dish Network. Of course with Hagerstown
> being in the Washington DC market, of course all the local
> channels are from DC. However Dish Network does offers
> Hagerstown's WJAL-TV 68 but for some reason they do NOT
> offer WHAG-TV. Whats up with that? DC's WRC-TV won't allow
> them on dish? Or by "being so local" WHAG thinks people
> with Dish Network/Direct TV will get out those old rabbit
> ears and watch them so they feel no reason to be on dish?
> With more and more people in that area going Dish Network or
> Direct TV, it would make sense for WHAG to be on there as
> well.
>

1) WHAG has must-carry priviledges but won't spend for the fiber line into the Washington point of presence. WJAL is owned by Entravision, who claims a mustcarry spot on DirecTV and Dish. Entravision negotiated with DirecTV to carry the low power Univision Spanish channel they own instead, and DirecTV dropped WJAL at the same spot. Dish has kept WJAL at a second satellite (61.5), requiring a second dish, and hasn't co-operated for such exchange. They haven't been co-operative at all with the smaller stations, not carrying WWME in Chicago either. They did move WFMZ 69(Ind.) to a main location, however, putting WFMZ 69 with the big 6 network stations and WHYY 12(PBS) for the Philly lineup. WFMZ 69 does local Lehigh Valley/Berks news, and originally filed a complaint with the FCC. They do provide a clean fiber picture however, not relying on an antenna. WLVT 39 couldn't afford fiber into Dish's point of presence. Dish's receive facility is in Pennsauken, while DirecTV's is in Philly proper. WBPH 60 has been possible, but hasn't yet given the quality signal.

Original must-carry intention was to not give discrimination to any qualified full power channel, but Dish Network did so anyways.

2) WHAG is a submarket network station. Mustcarry might permit full market carriage, but DirecTV and Dish would need to be limit authorization of that signal only to the counties that WHAG really claims, or else the O&O station from D.C. wouldn't be happy havinge an equivalent distant network station infringing on their viewing area. Nonetheless, one can easily put an antenna up in D.C. or its suburbs, and see out of market WBAL 11.

Southern NJ is Comcast Country however, with CCSN-Philly exclusively on Comcast. In its comparable submarket, WMGM 40 has a guaranteed viewing exposure of Comcast subscribers. Although Comcast carries WCAU-DT for High Definition, and most watch WCAU 10. In Cape May County, WMGM also is over the air at a stronger level than WCAU 10 reaches, along with being on CH.4 in both counties on cable.

Another comparable station is WWSB 40 in Sarasota, FL. Apparently, they have teamed with Comcast I believe to tout the fact that it is not available on satellite.

Neither DirecTV or Dish are interested in carrying these stations, if they won't foot the fiber line bill to get their picture to the point of presence of the market.

 

[jjkktj]

> 2) WHAG is a submarket network station. Mustcarry might
> permit full market carriage, but DirecTV and Dish would need
> to be limit authorization of that signal only to the
> counties that WHAG really claims, or else the O&O station
> from D.C. wouldn't be happy havinge an equivalent distant
> network station infringing on their viewing area.
> Nonetheless, one can easily put an antenna up in D.C. or its
> suburbs, and see out of market WBAL 11.
>
> Southern NJ is Comcast Country however, with CCSN-Philly
> exclusively on Comcast. In its comparable submarket, WMGM
> 40 has a guaranteed viewing exposure of Comcast subscribers.
> Although Comcast carries WCAU-DT for High Definition, and
> most watch WCAU 10. In Cape May County, WMGM also is over
> the air at a stronger level than WCAU 10 reaches, along with
> being on CH.4 in both counties on cable.
>
> Another comparable station is WWSB 40 in Sarasota, FL.
> Apparently, they have teamed with Comcast I believe to tout
> the fact that it is not available on satellite.
>
> Neither DirecTV or Dish are interested in carrying these
> stations, if they won't foot the fiber line bill to get
> their picture to the point of presence of the market.
>

What about an area such as Manchester, NH which is a submarket to Boston? WMUR, and ABC affiliate, is on DirecTV for the whole Boston DMA and I beleive was on DirecTV even before they were bought by Hearst-Argyle (owners of WCVB-Boston's ABC affiliate.) WNEU, WENH and WNDS are also Manchester stations carried by DirecTV (not sure about Dish Network). I also believe Comcast carries those four stations on Cable in most if not all of the Greater Boston area. I know for a fact (from WMUR's Chief Engineer) that WMUR's signal is picked up by DirecTV from an antenna just outside of Boston (Sommerville I think.)

 

[Mark_Ericson]

> What about an area such as Manchester, NH which is a
> submarket to Boston? WMUR, and ABC affiliate, is on
> DirecTV for the whole Boston DMA and I beleive was on
> DirecTV even before they were bought by Hearst-Argyle
> (owners of WCVB-Boston's ABC affiliate.) WNEU, WENH and
> WNDS are also Manchester stations carried by DirecTV (not
> sure about Dish Network). I also believe Comcast carries
> those four stations on Cable in most if not all of the
> Greater Boston area. I know for a fact (from WMUR's Chief
> Engineer) that WMUR's signal is picked up by DirecTV from an
> antenna just outside of Boston (Sommerville I think.)
>

WMUR is co-owned with WCVB. So if someone watches WMUR rather than WCVB, Hearst-Argyle doesn't care. They still get the viewers.

- Trip<P ID="signature">______________
Visit my website, www.rabbitears.info! It's eventually going to be your one resource for television info! Digital television, histories, and technical information for the entire USA from one source!</P>

 

[jjkktj]

> > What about an area such as Manchester, NH which is a
> > submarket to Boston? WMUR, and ABC affiliate, is on
> > DirecTV for the whole Boston DMA and I beleive was on
> > DirecTV even before they were bought by Hearst-Argyle
> > (owners of WCVB-Boston's ABC affiliate.) WNEU, WENH and
>
> > WNDS are also Manchester stations carried by DirecTV (not
> > sure about Dish Network). I also believe Comcast
> carries
> > those four stations on Cable in most if not all of the
> > Greater Boston area. I know for a fact (from WMUR's
> Chief
> > Engineer) that WMUR's signal is picked up by DirecTV from
> an
> > antenna just outside of Boston (Sommerville I think.)
> >
>
> WMUR is co-owned with WCVB. So if someone watches WMUR
> rather than WCVB, Hearst-Argyle doesn't care. They still
> get the viewers.
>
> - Trip
>

Someone correct me if I am wrong on this however I think WMUR went on DirecTV and cable systems in the Bston area while they were still owned by the Imes family.