KBYU-TV, Channel 11, an unusual PBS station.

[JeeperOne]

If there was money in doing the types of subchannels people here request, I'm sure the stations would be airing them.

One thing Trip. In order for the stations to have the $$$, they have to be doing SOMETHING to generate the revenue. Local advertisers consider those subchannels to be ca$h cow$ ya know.

And in rural America where not only FOX, CW & MyNetwork have problems finding spots on anything but subchannels, but ABC, CBS & NBC do as well, those are EVEN BIGGER ca$h cow$.

But alas, we (Sadly) live in a world where many stations would rather waste that spectrum on plastering things like a stupid radar image on the subchannel instead of putting on a full-fledged local weather channel like many other stations (Many of those being NBC affiliates who still carry the old WeatherPlus name, but under their own branding now) do or (At least have the brains to) use it for more constructive purposes if they're not going to use it for a weather channel.

In short....As confuscious would say - WHERE THERE IS LACK OF BRAINS, THERE IS ALSO A LACK OF WISDOM & VISION AS HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 20/20.

 

[Gregg]

By the way, PBS recently passed bylaws banning its stations from running new religious programming, although KBYU was mentioned in the article as a station that will be allowed to continue running its Latter Day Saints programming through a grandfather clause.

As for PBS stations that ran classic American sitcoms, WLIW Long Island NY was running Ozzie & Harriet for a while this year. In the past, it has run Burns & Allen and You Bet Your Life with Groucho Marx, leaving the commercials in since they often were interwoven into the show, with the stars participating. WLIW, which serves as New York's secondary PBS station (we actually have four if you count the New Jersey Network stations and WNYE, owned by the City of New York) also runs Lawrence Welk which many PBS stations also air.



Gregg
[email protected]

 

[searadiofreak]

And correct me if I am wrong, but there is also a seperate BYU cable channel that is fed around the world. This channel is quite traditional, however.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Well, since Nick At Nite and TVLand have gone to hell, I think this would actually be GOOD for public TV.

On the other hand, some people will get upset over having to watch Happy Days instead of Masterpiece Theatre.

But if public stations can find ANY way to reach more mainstream (albeit older) audiences, it can only be to their benefit.

A couple of years back WKNO in Memphis carried The Twilight Zone, Mission Impossible, Matlock, and Little House on the Prarie on weekends, but in the next season they all were gone. I can't help but wonder if some major donors who were TV snobs threatened to pull their donations if they weren't dropped. That's what probably makes a lot of PBS stations shy away from showing more classic TV shows.

 

[tripinva]

If there was money in doing the types of subchannels people here request, I'm sure the stations would be airing them.

One thing Trip. In order for the stations to have the $$$, they have to be doing SOMETHING to generate the revenue. Local advertisers consider those subchannels to be ca$h cow$ ya know.

I spoke with a station that programmed a general entertainment subchannel like I always hear people wishing they had. To this day it has not made one cent of profit, after several years of operation. The manager told me that if he could go back in time, he would not do it again. And this is a station I watch pretty frequently because of the programming.

His 20/20 hindsight tells him that his infomercial-free (except for overnight) general entertainment lineup was a bad decision.

- Trip

 

[briancraig]

I didn't renew my membership this year to WKNO and told them it was because they dropped Mission: Impossible and The Twilight Zone.

I have never understood why PBS stations limit themselves to only certain types of programming.

 

[DToTheJ]

... PBS recently passed bylaws banning its stations from running new religious programming, although KBYU was mentioned in the article as a station that will be allowed to continue running its Latter Day Saints programming through a grandfather clause...

Likewise, WHUT, the Howard University-operated PBS station in Washington, D.C., had aired "Mass for Shut-Ins" for 60 years. From what I recall reading on DCRTV.com, they would be able to continue airing it under the same grandfather clause. But it recently moved to commercial WDCW/50:
http://www.dcabloob.com/2009/06/mass-for-shut-ins-to-switch-stations.html

WLIW, which serves as New York's secondary PBS station (we actually have four if you count the New Jersey Network stations and WNYE, owned by the City of New York)...

WNYE's programming strategy has dramatically changed over the years, so I don't think they qualify as a legitimate PBS station anymore...

 

[ShawnHill1]

One of KCET's subchannels (KCET Orange) has The Jack Benny Show, which I ran across last night when I flipping around. Another one of the market's PBS stations, KVCR in San Bernardino, carries a block of classic shows every Sunday night, plus the reruns of the '90s CBS show Northern Exposure. They (and along with Orange County's KOCE) also carry the Lawrence Welk Show.

 

[willcail]

This TV would't survive if there isn't muticasting. MYTV wouldn't have the clearences if muticasting didn't exsit. It is cheaper to muticast than to bulid a DT station these days. BTW

 

[BRNout]

They (and along with Orange County's KOCE) also carry the Lawrence Welk Show.

The Lawrence Welk Show is programmed in a weekly timeslot (generally on Saturdays) on many PBS stations across the country.

The first PBS station that I am aware of to have made use of Lawrence Welk reruns was (bringing this thread full circle)............KBYU. They were airing LW on a daily basis as far back as the late 1980s and, to my knowledge, may still air them. It took a number of years, but many other PBS stations have followed.

 

[Markxxx]

WCIU does quite well with it's two LP stations also on subchannels.

I think you need to create a market though. For the first year it seemd on ME-TV (lp channel 23 and subchannel 26.2) that every other ad was a public service ad. Sometimes all public service ads.

Now you rarely see them on ME-TV or it's sister ME-TOO.

But you do see ads for small businesses like Pet Cemetaries. When's the last time you saw a TV commerical for a pet cemetary?

I think WCIU instead of going after advertisers that are already on TV was smart that they used their subchannels and low powers to go after business that never advertised on TV before. Those business probabaly got cheap ads on TV and shifted their advertising budgets from newspapers and radio to these well watched subchannels.

Now Chicago is a huge city so perhaps this marketing technique wouldn't fly in smaller places, (simply not enough local business) but I think it can be done if done right.

 

[willcail]

I'm guessing that The Twilight Zone and Mission Impossible were costing too much to continue to air. This holds true that majority of public television stations stop airing Doctor Who.

 

[BRNout]

WCIU does quite well with it's two LP stations also on subchannels.

I think you need to create a market though. For the first year it seemd on ME-TV (lp channel 23 and subchannel 26.2) that every other ad was a public service ad. Sometimes all public service ads.

Now you rarely see them on ME-TV or it's sister ME-TOO.

But you do see ads for small businesses like Pet Cemetaries. When's the last time you saw a TV commerical for a pet cemetary?

I think WCIU instead of going after advertisers that are already on TV was smart that they used their subchannels and low powers to go after business that never advertised on TV before. Those business probabaly got cheap ads on TV and shifted their advertising budgets from newspapers and radio to these well watched subchannels.

Now Chicago is a huge city so perhaps this marketing technique wouldn't fly in smaller places, (simply not enough local business) but I think it can be done if done right.

Weigel Broadcasting does a fantastic job with WCIU and its subchannels - which have really come into their own as legitimate programming options. I LOVE MeTV and MeToo! And, the promotion that's done for all 3 channels is excellent. Honestly, I can't say enough about how well those stations are managed. Local content, shows people like, excellent promotion. WCIU makes more use of its subchannels than all of the other commercial stations in Chicago do....combined!

It's amazing what a small owner like Weigel or public broadcasters can do with subchannels that, for some reason, the big 4 seem totally incapable of doing. Namely, providing programming that the average viewer will actually watch.

By the way, Weigel does air a version of MeTV in Milwaukee - but I have no information as to how its doing. The listings for it are in the Milwaukee Journal however, so they are probably using the same marketing techniques as they do in Chicago.

Haven't seen the pet cemetery ads; most seem to be insurance, art institute and vocational school spots.

 

[kenglish]

The PBS vs KBYU thing should have been a real non-issue, coming only weeks before the DTV deadline like it did.

KBYU has four sub-channels on it's DTV....KBYU-TV (standard-def), BYU Television (LDS-oriented programming), BYU International (a Church-oriented program stream with international appeal and multiple languages) and a channel that switches between (SDTV) PBS "Create" (DIY-style programming) and an HDTV channel of KBYU/PBS type programming.

All four of these are available anyplace you can get KBYU Digital via OTA, and Comcast carries KBYU-TV, BYU TV, and a (Digital-tier) full-time Create feed. Both DBS providers carry KBYU-TV and a national feed of BYU TV.

So, really, it would be possible for KBYU-TV to never carry ANY "religious" programming on 11-1, and no one would lose anything they had before. PBS did grant a waiver, but I doubt they would care if ANY station carried a bit of religious programming that serves the public in their own market....LDS, Catholic, Jewish, or whatever. I suspect PBS is trying to head off the possibility of ever becoming "filler" between "televangelist" programs..not just being anti-church.

BYU does a good job with their broadcasting efforts.

 

[willcail]

WDEM CD does the same thing. Getting local businesses to advertise on the local LP digital station. That never advertise on DT before. Plus WDEM have more local programming than the full power stations.