KMBC (Kansas City) was on cable as far away as Salina KS until recently
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Most distant network affiliate available on cable
- Thread starter nomadcowatbk
- Start date
WFAA and KERA from Dallas were available on San Angelo cable as late as 4 years ago when I visited. I think they still are.
Charleston's major stations (2, 4, and 5) were on in Florence (about 100 miles) in the 1970s and early 80s.
Steubenville's WSTV-9 (now WTOV) was on cable as far east as Philipsburg, Centre County, PA, as late as the 1980s.
Also, at one time, systems that carried WOR-TV New York picked up the late WCBS-TV movie after WOR signed off.
Also, at one time, systems that carried WOR-TV New York picked up the late WCBS-TV movie after WOR signed off.
...the same was done with Milwaukee indie WVTV/18 and CBS O&O WBBM-TV/2 Chicago in the '70s and early '80s. When WVTV signed off for the night just after midnight, the microwave distributor of WVTV put WBBM-TV on the same carrier, which meant the tail end of The CBS Late Movie was the first thing seen after the switch-over. Then WBBM-TV's Late Movie most nights, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert on Fridays, and Common Ground with Warner Saunders on weekend nights. The microwave network extended to as far north and west as North Dakota, according to comments Lee Rothman would frequently make on WVTV's nightly Bowling Game...KeyTimes950 said:
tested said:
At one time, KERA was seen on cable in Amarillo, at least until 1988, when KACV signed on.
Ultimajock said:
In the late-1970s, similar was done with WCIX (WFOR) in Miami, in which WKID (WSCV) was inserted into the microwave feed for cable systems throughout Florida (Tampa Bay and Orlando in particular), after WCIX closed down for the night.
Back in the early 70's I recall a couple of Los Angeles stations on the cable channel line-up at Ft. Huachuca, AZ.
Alamogordo, NM cable had all the LA networks (CBS 2, NBC 4, ABC 7) as well as KTTV 11 and KTLA 5 back in the mid-late 70s. I remember stopping there on my way out to CA and being surprised to see the local news from LA being on TV. Not so surprising today, but back then it seemed unusual.
In Jackson, TN Charter carried WSMV and WTVF from Nashville (About 120 miles away) until just before the digital conversion, which they tried to blame their being dropped on. Later I found out that the contracts ran out and weren't renewed. Since then WTVF's 5+ News subchannel has been added back, but not the main stations for either of them. But Jackson Energy Authority cable in Jackson still carries them and never stopped.
Jim said:
wrong. I have a lineup card dated 9/1/09 and has Billings stations
Basic lineup
2 COMMUNITY CHANNEL
4 KHMT - FOX - BILLINGS
5 KXGN - NBC - GLENDIVE
6 KSVI - ABC - BILLINGS
8 KXGN - CBS - GLENDIVE
10 KUSM - PBS - BOZEMAN
12 C-SPAN
13 KUMV - NBC - WILLISTON
14 QVC (QUALITY VALUE CONVENIENCE)
15 HEADLINE NEWS
16 DISNEY CHANNEL
17 WGN - SUPERSTATION - CHICAGO
18 CNN (CABLE NEWS NETWORK)
19 TBS - SUPERSTATION - ATLANTA
20 DISCOVERY CHANNEL
21 THE WEATHER CHANNEL
22 CW NETWORK
96 ON-SCREEN GUIDE
97 RFD-TV (RURAL FREE DELIVERY TV)
The August 2012 Mid-Rivers lineup card still includes KHMT and KSVI:
http://www.midrivers.com/userfiles/file/service-files/Glendive Basic-Expanded Card 080112 SINGLE.pdf
http://www.midrivers.com/userfiles/file/service-files/Glendive Basic-Expanded Card 080112 SINGLE.pdf
nomadcowatbk said:
I remember this. I was in Salina for part of '98, and the cable was quite good! I usually didn't subscribe to cable, but my company paid for it in Salina. Anyway, I seem to remember you could also get Wichita and Topeka on cable in Salina. We usually watched KMBC, though, because the ex and I split time between Salina and KC with my work.
Prior to the digital conversion, you could get KMBC, KMOV and KPLR in Jefferson City on cable, though you could only get news and special programming as they'd be blacked out during network programming. Columbia got KPLR and KSDK from St. Louis, though, again, they were blacked out during network programming.
I know you can still get KOLR from Springfield, MO on cable in Fayetteville, AR. The two cities are only about 65 miles apart as the crow flies (the main Springfield towers are about 20 miles further east, though you could get KOLR and KYTV in much of NWA before the digital transition). However, you have to drive about twice that to get from one to the other because you have to go around the Ozark Mountains. KTUL and KOTV used to be available in Fayetteville, too. I know you can still get KTUL on cable there, but I'm not sure about KOTV.
Every now-and-then, you run into stations that had a history of being so significantly viewed that they could continue to be on cable years, even decades, later. However, it's much easier to get bounced from the significantly viewed list than it is to get on it for a county outside your DMA. With stations pushing for retransmission consent, they like to get out of market stations off the significantly viewed list so they can enforce the blackout rule and get additional leverage with the cable companies.
Kent said:
KPLR was never available on cable in Columbia. KSDK (NBC, filed with infomercials during network and syndicated programming) and KETC(PBS) from STL were on Mediacom until just before the original analog shutoff date. The Columbia cable system once had all big three affiliates from STL, KCPT (PBS) and KSHB from Kansas City (indie/Fox until it switched to NBC). A few complained about losing KETC but KSDK didn't seem to be a loss since it was blacked out most of the time.
Semt-OT: some areas may be within range of a Fox affiliate from a neighboring DMA (parts of the Topeka KS and St Joseph MO DMA can pick up WDAF via antenna) but they aren't available on cable or satellite, although KMBC and KQTV (both ABC) coexist peacefully on the St Joseph cable system. I guess Fox has protectionist policies for its affiliates but ABC doesn't for stations with significantly viewed status.
Kent said:
Small market stations are aggressive in trying to get stations from a bigger neighboring DMA off the significantly viewed list but are medium-to-large market stations as aggressive in getting smaller neighboring market stations of the significantly viewed list.
Cable One in Kirksville MO pipes in KSHB from Kansas City (a 3 hour drive away) to fill in the gap for NBC. DirecTV viewers in that area are part of the 1% with no local channels offered to them. Dish Network only offers SD local channels to those peple.
KTUL is still there in Fayetteville, even in high def. No KOLR anymore. Also, Charlotte's WCNC is available in Hartsville, SC, part of the Florence market.
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