Lookin' For A Home....

[AKLes]

Speculation on Fybush's website that the new owners of WLWC, whose COL is New Bedford, MA. are going to neet at least a master control site once the sale from CBS is complete. Of course they may be able to continue to lease facilities at WBZ-TV though that's not necessarily a done deal.

Makes me wonder what these folks are thinking. Do they want to continue play rim-shot or do they see a buck to be made in Southeastern Massachusetts?

If so, what's the status of the building WLNE left behind at County and Spring Streets in New Bedford? "Google Earth" shows the building is still there. Cars in the parking lot. It looks like the STL tower might still be standing at the back of the building. But what, if anything, is left inside? Does the studio space still exist? The one-time master control room/equipment room? It has been long enough that the whole thing has likely been repurposed, perhaps into a body shop or gym for part of it; maybe offices for the rest.

Anybody have first-hand knowledge on any of this?

 

[formeraa]

When did WLNE finally close its "Massachusetts Bureau"? I remember seeing WLNE News in the mid-80's with Pamela Watts and Barbara Meagher in the Massachusetts bureau. Even earlier, I remember Action News with Magee Hickey and Chris Conanglia split screen with one anchor in New Bedford and one in Downtown Providence.

 

[taylorjsdad]

Speculation on Fybush's website that the new owners of WLWC, whose COL is New Bedford, MA. are going to neet at least a master control site once the sale from CBS is complete. Of course they may be able to continue to lease facilities at WBZ-TV though that's not necessarily a done deal.

Makes me wonder what these folks are thinking. Do they want to continue play rim-shot or do they see a buck to be made in Southeastern Massachusetts?
Anybody have first-hand knowledge on any of this?

Of course they could be LMA'd as well.. That would not surprise me.

 

[BRNout]

Given channel 28's cable carriage and the ways of modern SMSA divisions, WLWC is - and will continue to be - a Providence market station.
Although it would be nice to see a station carry news centered on Fall River/New Bedford - the economics probably aren't there. The potential audience and payoff for such programming is most likely too small. Especially when most of their cable audience is in Rhode Island (despite the COL). So, SE Mass-centric programming would turn off something like 2/3 of their potential audience.

Perhaps (as stated above) they will enter into an agreement with one of the other owners in the market - which would result in some sort of news presence. It's doubtful that the new owners of channel 28 would invest the money to come up with their own newscast. Too expensive. Hey, I hope I am wrong but I've learned to be skeptical when it comes to broadcasting in the 21st century.

Let's just hope that the station isn't bought by someone who will pack the schedule with crappy infomercials or religion or home schlopping!

 

[AKLes]

Although it would be nice to see a station carry news centered on Fall River/New Bedford - the economics probably aren't there. The potential audience and payoff for such programming is most likely too small. Especially when most of their cable audience is in Rhode Island (despite the COL). So, SE Mass-centric programming would turn off something like 2/3 of their potential audience.

That's pretty much what happened with the original WTEV-6. FCC policies in those days (1959) pushed stations toward serving their city of license. Also, a big chunk of the ownership was common with the ownership of The New Bedford Standard-Times newspaper. In fact, the station's first new director was Jack Delaney, ex of the S-T, with no TV experience. The S.E. Mass. content drove the R.I. audience away from 6 and there were additional problems caused by the transmitter locations (first low power from Little Compton; later full power from Tiverton) with low initial cable penetration and Rhode Island antennas pointed at Rehoboth/Boston (pretty much lined up) with Tiverton off to the side in a deep receiving antenna null.

A complicating factor, often overlooked, is a strong negativism in Fall River and (to a slightly lesser degree) where anything local is denigrated and anything from Providence is automatically "superior". Even when both FR/NB had thriving downtowns, folks from both made the pilgrimage to Providence when they were ready to do their serious back-to-school or Christmas shopping. The success of Swansea Mall is clothing-based; Massachusetts not imposing sales tax on clothing while Rhode Island continues so to do.

So, yeah, look for 28 to be LMA'd at best and "informercial/religious/shopping" more likely.