Most Big Four affiliates on one system

[ftballfan]

What cable systems carry the most Big Four affiliates?

For an example: The cable system in Ludington used to carry 3 ABC (WBAY, WGTU, WZZM), 2 CBS (WFRV, WWTV), 2 FOX (WFQX, WLUK), and 2 NBC (WPBN, WTMJ). When Charter took over, they dropped WGTU (ironically the local ABC affiliate for Ludington) and WTMJ. Around 2009, WBAY, WFRV, and WLUK were dropped, leaving one of each Big Four network.

My hypothesis would be that the systems with the most Big Four affiliates are near the junction of three or more different TV markets and are small-to-medium sized cities.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

http://www.fidelitycommunications.com/television/channel-lineup

The cable system in Rolla MO has 3 CBS affiliates (KMOV, KOLR, KRCG) in SD and 2 NBC affiliates in SD (KSDK, KYTV) but only 1 affiliate per network in HD (All from St. Louis except for KSPR from Springfield). I think Rolla is actually in the Columbia-Jefferson City Market but it's halfway between STL and Springfield on I-44. I think Fox only allows the default affiliate on cable systems but none from an adjacent market. This forced WDAF off the cable systems in Topeka and St. Joseph MO even though WDAF can be picked up OTA in parts of thoses places.

 

[justpassingthough]

http://www.fidelitycommunications.com/television/channel-lineup

The cable system in Rolla MO has 3 CBS affiliates (KMOV, KOLR, KRCG) in SD and 2 NBC affiliates in SD (KSDK, KYTV) but only 1 affiliate per network in HD (All from St. Louis except for KSPR from Springfield). I think Rolla is actually in the Columbia-Jefferson City Market but it's halfway between STL and Springfield on I-44. I think Fox only allows the default affiliate on cable systems but none from an adjacent market. This forced WDAF off the cable systems in Topeka and St. Joseph MO even though WDAF can be picked up OTA in parts of thoses places.

Rolla is in the Columbia- Jeff City market. I worked at KOMU in college and there is a translator for the NBC affiliate in Rolla. OTA signals would best be received from CoMo- Jeff City, followed most likely by St. Louis. I also had family that lived in Belle, Missouri, an inconsequential town in Linn County between Rolla and Jeff City and it was a solidly Mid Missouri market.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Mediacom in Effingham, IL still offers 3 NBC affiliates on their system: WTWO-2.1 Terre Haute, KSDK-5.1 St. Louis, and WAND-17.1 Decatur (WICS-20 Springfield before switching affiliations with WAND in fall 2005). Effingham is still part of the Champaign/Decatur/Springfield market.

Until syndex came along in '93, Macomb, IL (in the Quincy/Hannibal market) traditionally received 3 CBS affiliates (WHBF-4 Rock Island/Quad Cities, KHQA-7 Hannibal/Quincy, WMBD-31 Peoria) and at least 2 ABC (WQAD-8 Moline/QCs, WHOI-19 Peoria, and at one time KTVO-3 Kirksville/Ottumwa). These NBC's were offered: KWQC-6 Davenport/QCs, WGEM-10 Quincy, WEEK-25 Peoria--and it is possible Macomb may have had a 4th NBC affiliate on cable for some time as I have seen at least one reference to the possibility that the forementioned WICS-20 in Springfield was offered on their system at one time. But since 1993 Macomb has had one of each Big Four affiliate (CBS and NBC from Quincy, ABC and Fox from the Quad Cities--but in recent years a second ABC has returned to the city's Comcast lineup with KHQA-ABC 7.2 out of Quincy).

 

[Mr Tony]

a bunch of smaller towns in Wisconsin (Hayward, Barnes, Brule, Cornucopia, Iron River) get 2 each of the Big 4 except Fox where they get 3
They get all the nets from Duluth, MN and Eau Claire, WI and Fox9 KMSP from Minneapolis

Rice Lake, Barron and Chetek get Minneapolis + Eau Claire

There are some towns in Northern IA that gets 3 ABC & CBS (Des Moines, Mankato and Mason City/Rochester) and 2 NBC & FOX

 

[KML0224]

Brattleboro, VT is in Windham County, at the northwest edge of the Boston/Worcester DMA. The "big four" affiliates are bolded:

WCAX-TV (CBS) channel 3 Burlington, VT [Burlington/Plattsburgh]
WBZ-TV (CBS) channel 4 Boston
WCVB-TV (ABC) channel 5 Boston
WHDH-TV (NBC) channel 7 Boston
WMUR-TV (ABC) channel 9 Manchester, NH
WCDC-TV (ABC) channel 19 Adams, MA [Albany/Schenectady]
WFXT-TV (FOX) channel 25 Boston
WNNE-TV (NBC) channel 31 White River Junction, VT [Burlington/Plattsburgh]
WSBK-TV (MY) channel 38 Boston
WVTA-TV (PBS) channel 41 Windsor, VT [Burlington/Plattsburgh]
WBIN-TV (IND) channel 50 Derry, NH
WEKW-TV (PBS) channel 52 Keene, NH
WLVI-TV (CW) channel 56 Cambridge, MA
WGBY-TV (PBS) channel 57 Springfield, MA
WBPX-TV (ION) channel 68 Boston

I count three ABC affiliates. Interesting.

 

[nomadcowatbk]

http://www.fidelitycommunications.com/television/channel-lineup

The cable system in Rolla MO has 3 CBS affiliates (KMOV, KOLR, KRCG) in SD and 2 NBC affiliates in SD (KSDK, KYTV) but only 1 affiliate per network in HD (All from St. Louis except for KSPR from Springfield). I think Rolla is actually in the Columbia-Jefferson City Market but it's halfway between STL and Springfield on I-44. I think Fox only allows the default affiliate on cable systems but none from an adjacent market. This forced WDAF off the cable systems in Topeka and St. Joseph MO even though WDAF can be picked up OTA in parts of thoses places.

Rolla is in the Columbia- Jeff City market. I worked at KOMU in college and there is a translator for the NBC affiliate in Rolla. OTA signals would best be received from CoMo- Jeff City, followed most likely by St. Louis. I also had family that lived in Belle, Missouri, an inconsequential town in Linn County between Rolla and Jeff City and it was a solidly Mid Missouri market.

Why doesn't the Fidelity system in Rolla have KOMU, KMIZ, or KQFX if it's in the CoMo-Jeff City market? Wouldn't the retrans fees for those stations be cheap than those from Springfield or STL?

 

[nomadcowatbk]

How many cable systems have more than one "Big 4" affiliate in HD? Most only have the default market affiliates in HD

 

[KML0224]

I wish we did with Comcast in New Britain, CT. The only out-of-market station we carry is WGBY-TV (PBS) channel 57 of Springfield, MA. It's carried in HD and get their three subchannels in SD.

 

[msugrad2000]

Metrocast in Kosciusko, MS carries WLBT (NBC) Jackson, MS and WTVA (NBC) Tupelo, MS as well as WAPT (ABC) Jackson, MS and WABG (ABC) Greenwood, MS both in SD and HD

 

[nomadcowatbk]

Wow in Lawrence KS has WIBW and KCTV (CBS) and KSHB and KSNT (NBC) in HD

 

[Tim-In-Houston]

Can't speak for today, but back in the mid-90s CableVision of Calloway County, Kentucky (which serviced Murray State University) had 3 ABC's (WSIL-Carbondale which was the in-market affiliate; WKRN-Nashville; WBBJ-Jackson), 2 NBC's (WPSD-Paducah, in market; WSMV-Nashville), and 2 CBS's (KFVS-Cape Girardeau, in market; WTVF-Nashville) and I think just 1 Fox (KBSI-Cape Girardeau, in market; I'm pretty sure Nashville's WZTV wasn't carried).

I think this was shortly before all the retrans-consent craziness started. And as far as I can remember, none of the stations enforced SYNDEX.

 

[fybush]

About the most interesting example I can find in my neck of the woods is Oneonta, New York, out there in the space between Binghamton, Utica and Albany. The Time Warner Cable system there carries 2 CBS (WBNG Binghamton and WRGB Schenectady/Albany), 2 PBS (WSKG Binghamton and WCNY Syracuse, which also provides PBS to Utica), 1 ABC (WUTR Utica, which long maintained a translator in Oneonta), 1 NBC (WKTV Utica) and 2 Fox (WICZ Binghamton, ex-NBC and WFXV Utica).

In most situations like that, the HD lineup will all be from one market. Not so much in Oneonta: the HD lineup there is a mix of Binghamton (WBNG, WSKG, plus one of WSKG's subs) and Utica (WUTR, WKTV, WFXV).

I believe Oneonta is nominally in the Utica market - but Utica has no CBS or PBS of its own, which helps to explain this oddity.

There are other oddities up there in the mountains as you move around Oneonta: in Margaretville, up in the Catskills, the MTC Digital system carries stations from New York (WNBC, WNYW, WABC, WWOR, WPIX, WNET), Binghamton (WBNG, WBNG's 12.2 with CW, WIVT-ABC, WSKG and WICZ) and Albany (WRGB, WNYT and WNYT's 13.2 with MeTV). Their HD lineup has WNBC, WABC, WWOR, WPIX and WNET from New York, but also WRGB for CBS and WICZ for Fox. I assume that they arranged it that way because WRGB and WICZ don't get blacked out when the Jets and Giants fail to sell out the Meadowlands. I'd be fascinated to know how they get their signals at that headend.

 

[DrC]

Service Electric in Bethlehem, PA as of early 2008:

CBS: KYW (Phila)
ABC: WPVI (Phila), WNEP (Scranton)
NBC: WCAU (Phila), WNBC (NYC)
Fox: WTXF (Phila), WNYW (NYC)

All the Phila locals (even the outliers in South NJ) and WWOR/WPIX were also on the system. I miss that lineup. Only cable I ever subscribed to whose analog lineup went all the way to channel 125.

There was a separate Service Electric system in Sunbury, PA which carried three CBSs as of 2008: KYW Phila, WYOU Scranton, and WHP Harrisburg.

 

[tripinva]

Bushkill, PA:

02 WYOU (CBS)
03 KYW (CBS)
04 WFMZ (Ind)
05 WOLF (FOX)
06 WPVI (ABC)
07 WNEP (ABC)
08 WBRE (NBC)
09 WWOR (My)
10 WCAU (NBC)
11 WSWB (CW)
12 WLVT (PBS)
16 WQMY (My)
18 WQPX (ION)
19 WCBS (CBS)
23 WVIA (PBS)
24 WPIX (CW)
25 WNBC (NBC)

I remember being there years ago and WPHL was on 16, and WNYW was on the system as well.

- Trip

 

[nomadcowatbk]

I thought Fox only allows the default affiliate on cable systems, none from an adjacent market, WDAF was pushed off cable in Topeka and St. Joseph. Is the policy different with O&OS

 

[vchimpanzee]

I don't remember how many of the networks had more than one affiliate on my cable system because I've only had cable since the DTV transition made it pretty much a necessity.

I have a Charlotte CBS and a Greensboro CBS. In the next county they have a Greensboro Fox and a Charlotte Fox instead.

I remember going to Myrtle Beach and having three NBC affiliates--Columbia, Wilmington and Charleston. ABC had Charleston and Wilmington and CBS had Charleston and Florence. ABC may have had Charleston, Wilmington and Florence when Florence got an affiliate.

 

[DrC]

I thought Fox only allows the default affiliate on cable systems, none from an adjacent market, WDAF was pushed off cable in Topeka and St. Joseph. Is the policy different with O&OS

From my personal recollection...

Aside from the Bethlehem PA system I mentioned above which carried the Phila and NYC Fox affiliates, the Comcast system across the PA border near Youngstown, OH carried WYFX, the local Youngstown LPTV Fox affiliate (now a digital subchannel) as well as WPGH Fox 53 out of Pittsburgh in 2007, and still carries both.

The Seneca Falls, NY TWC system in early 2009 carried Fox 68 Syracuse and Fox 31 Rochester. Now, per the TV Guide online listings, they only carry Fox 68 (while still carrying the ABC/NBC/CBS affiliates from both markets).

Port Clinton, OH TWC has WJW Fox 8 Cleveland and WUPW Fox Toledo.

I remember going to Myrtle Beach and having three NBC affiliates--Columbia, Wilmington and Charleston. ABC had Charleston and Wilmington and CBS had Charleston and Florence. ABC may have had Charleston, Wilmington and Florence when Florence got an affiliate.

I remember the Jones Intercable lineup for Myrtle Beach (actually Surfside Beach) from my 1989 trip there. As far as networks:

CBS - WBTW Florence, WCSC Charleston
ABC - WPDE Florence, WWAY Wilmington
NBC - WECT Wilmington, WCIV Charleston (on ch. 33), WIS Columbia (carried on shared basis with bulletin board channel, only during local news programming and other local programming)
and...
Fox - None. This amazed/bummed me out in 1989.

 

[charlestondxman]

Surprising that the cable couldn't pick up WTAT. A good antenna could pick it up. Wilmington didn't have Fox then. Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet had 3 NBCs till 2008 (WCBD, WIS, WECT).

 

[DrC]

Surprising that the cable couldn't pick up WTAT. A good antenna could pick it up. Wilmington didn't have Fox then. Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet had 3 NBCs till 2008 (WCBD, WIS, WECT).

I'm sure they could have, but for whatever reason, they didn't at that time. I was really surprised. Someone on another thread did say that system added WTAT in the very early 90s.