Hotel "Cable" Report - Manchester, NH - 1/29/2011

[KML0224]

I stayed at the Homewood Inn & Suites on Perimeter Road in Manchester, NH on Saturday, January 29, 2011. As expected, the "cable" was nothing special. However, you may note the anomaly in the broadcast portion:

2- NESN
3- WFXT-TV (FOX) channel 25 Boston
4- WHDH-TV (NBC) channel 7 Boston
5- WBZ-TV (CBS) channel 4 Boston
6- WLVI-TV (CW) channel 56 Cambridge
7- WMUR-TV (ABC) channel 9 Manchester, NH
8- WSBK-TV (IND) channel 38 Boston
10- HBO
12- TNT
13- TBS
14- CNBC
15- MSNBC
16- HLN
17- TWC
18- USA
21- DISCOVERY [channel card and caption said this, but nothing was there]
22- A&E
23- ESPN
24- Fox News Channel
25- Disney
26- Nickelodeon
27- ESPN News
28- ESPN 2
29- CNN
30- Cartoon Network

The following stations were missing:

WENH-TV (PBS) channel 11 Durham, NH
WPXG-TV (ION) channel 21 Concord, NH
WZMY-TV (MY) channel 50 Derry, NH
WNEU-TV (TEL) channel 60 Merrimack, NH

I expected that there would be no WCVB-TV (ABC) from Boston on this "cable" line-up, since WMUR-TV is their sister station and nearly all of their programming is the same. Just how does this market have two ABC affiliates anyways? ???

 

[Sammi Brie]

WMUR was founded by a former governor of New Hampshire in 1954. Storer briefly had control and probably wanted to turn it toward Boston, but community objection stopped that.

From 1958 to 1981, it was owned by "United Broadcasting", which ran a tight budget and cut WMUR to the bone.

Following the owner's death, it was sold to the then owner of WCBI and WBOY, a guy named Barney Imes. Channel 9 got sold to Emmis, then Emmis promptly traded off WMUR to Hearst for some radio properties in Phoenix (now owned by Bonneville). This was when Hearst was gobbling up stations at an alarming rate.

There have been failed attempts for other network affiliates in NH. WNHT-21 Concord was a CBS from 1988 to early 1989 (it didn't work out well for them).

WMUR is the only Hearst property that does not use its special custom news package. There are four variants that have gone unused: "All the News You Need", "First Fast Accurate", "Local Live Coverage You Can Count On" and "No One Covers New Hampshire Like We Do". That's right, it's sitting there waiting to be used. I wonder if it's not used out of concern to avoid TOO much similarity between WMUR and the other stations in the area, like WNNE, WPTZ, and WCVB.

 

[KML0224]

Well again, WMUR and WCVB are sister stations. I've read all about WNHT (now WPXG) and their failure with CBS. I still think southern New Hampshire should be its own TV market. Maybe it would include Windham County, Vermont (which includes Brattleboro). Presently, Windham County is considered to be a part of the Boston/Worcester TV market.

 

[radiolives]

NESN on Channel 2 ever before the locals

 

[Sammi Brie]

NESN on Channel 2 ever before the locals

That might be because that probably comes from a non-LodgeNet source and has to be piped in on that position.

 

[KML0224]

You're likely right. When Comcast here in New Britain still had expanded basic without a converter, NESN was on channel 28. I believe Manchester, NH is a Comcast area as well.