Before the advent of HBO, TBS, and other superstations, the primary reason for cable systems was simply to provide reliable reception of basic TV stations, especially in rural areas where off-air reception was difficult, or small markets that didn't have a full compliment of network affiliates. What are some nominations for the most distant off-air (not microwave) pickup used by a cable system simply to provide a particular network to its subscribers? And how reliable/stable was that signal?
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Most Distant Network Off-Air Pickup on a CATV System?
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
Living in northwest Virginia, I have two, well one and a half actually.
Front Royal, VA gets Richmond's WTVR-TV 6 right on channel 6. However the times I caught WTVR on their system, WTVR's signal was not the greatest.
Even though it wasn't planned this way but
Back in the early 90s on the Winchester, VA cable system, late at night whenever Harrisonburg's WHSV-TV 3 would sign off the air, Philadelphia's KYW-TV 3 came in. Not the greatest signal but still watchable. I believe there is at least 200 miles between Winchester,VA and Philadelphia.
Front Royal, VA gets Richmond's WTVR-TV 6 right on channel 6. However the times I caught WTVR on their system, WTVR's signal was not the greatest.
Even though it wasn't planned this way but
Back in the early 90s on the Winchester, VA cable system, late at night whenever Harrisonburg's WHSV-TV 3 would sign off the air, Philadelphia's KYW-TV 3 came in. Not the greatest signal but still watchable. I believe there is at least 200 miles between Winchester,VA and Philadelphia.
One night in the summer when it was raining i got WPHL 17 from phila in upstate New york (Cable) -- When Channel 17 (pbs) went off the air i got it (Just long enough to see the sign off commerical and who it was (It was barely tripping the video squelch))
I guess thats the farthest i have ever gotton.... Either that or WHUC (10) from rochester .. (another rainy night) -- I had them in for 3 hours or so.... 1hr or so was totally FULL QUIETING!
I guess thats the farthest i have ever gotton.... Either that or WHUC (10) from rochester .. (another rainy night) -- I had them in for 3 hours or so.... 1hr or so was totally FULL QUIETING!
The cable system for Whitesburg, Kentucky located in Southeastern Kentucky along the Kentucky/Virginia border was a wonderful source for far away signal both intentionally and by accident. The antenna system was atop a simple peak for the first 30 years before moving to one of the highest peaks in Eastern Kentucky. The early years were a five channel service:
2) ABC via WOWK (WHTN)-13 Huntington or WLOS-13 Asheville, NC and sometimes WKPT-19 Kingsport, TN. Huntington and Asheville were about 100 miles away and WKPT was 50 miles away.
3) Usually PBS via WKHA (KET)-35 Hazard, KY (30 miles) or WSJK-2 Sneedville, TN (70 miles) and sometimes WSAZ-3 (NBC) Huntington when the PBS stations were off the air or when the Cincinnati Reds were playing.
4) CBS via WJHL-11 Johnson City, TN (50 miles) or WBIR-10 Knoxville (100 miles)
5) WKYH (NBC)-57 Hazard, KY (30 Miles), a literal Mom and Pop operation who was the only source of local news.
6) WHIS (later WVVA)-6 Bluefield, WV (NBC) (100 miles) or WCYB-5 (NBC) Bristol, VA and WATE-6 (NBC and later ABC) Knoxville, TN (100 miles)
Later, network affiliates were confined to Bristol, Kingsport, Hazard (Now WYMT-CBS) and Lexington (WKYT-27 CBS-100 miles). As you can imagine, when conditions were right, the Co-Channel interference was a problem. WOWK and WLOS fought each other as did WVVA and WATE. WCYB-5 and WKPT-19 was constantly overwhelmed by WLWT-5 and WXIX-19 Cincinnati. WJHL-11 fought WHAS-11 Louisville. Once I remember when WJHL signed off WTVD Durham would break squelch.
2) ABC via WOWK (WHTN)-13 Huntington or WLOS-13 Asheville, NC and sometimes WKPT-19 Kingsport, TN. Huntington and Asheville were about 100 miles away and WKPT was 50 miles away.
3) Usually PBS via WKHA (KET)-35 Hazard, KY (30 miles) or WSJK-2 Sneedville, TN (70 miles) and sometimes WSAZ-3 (NBC) Huntington when the PBS stations were off the air or when the Cincinnati Reds were playing.
4) CBS via WJHL-11 Johnson City, TN (50 miles) or WBIR-10 Knoxville (100 miles)
5) WKYH (NBC)-57 Hazard, KY (30 Miles), a literal Mom and Pop operation who was the only source of local news.
6) WHIS (later WVVA)-6 Bluefield, WV (NBC) (100 miles) or WCYB-5 (NBC) Bristol, VA and WATE-6 (NBC and later ABC) Knoxville, TN (100 miles)
Later, network affiliates were confined to Bristol, Kingsport, Hazard (Now WYMT-CBS) and Lexington (WKYT-27 CBS-100 miles). As you can imagine, when conditions were right, the Co-Channel interference was a problem. WOWK and WLOS fought each other as did WVVA and WATE. WCYB-5 and WKPT-19 was constantly overwhelmed by WLWT-5 and WXIX-19 Cincinnati. WJHL-11 fought WHAS-11 Louisville. Once I remember when WJHL signed off WTVD Durham would break squelch.
Until 1988, KERA/13 from Dallas was carried on Amarillo's cable system, 350 miles away. Amarillo didn't have it's own PBS station until KACV/2 debuted in 1988. Even after 1988, the west TX edition of TV Guide would show listings of KERA, KTVT/11 (when they were a superstation), and WFAA/8, so there must have been other cable systems out that way that carried any one of them at the time.
Another not-so-distant example, even after a full compliment of the major networks were available locally and carried on local cable systems, KXTX/39 was still on many systems in east TX as an independent. Then, when Telemundo flipped from KFWD/52 in DFW to KXTX, several systems there were undecided as to whether to continue carrying 39, but most ended up leaving the station on; there wasn't a local Telemundo station (or presence) there at the time, and many systems were carrying a national feed of Univision (also without a local station there).
Another not-so-distant example, even after a full compliment of the major networks were available locally and carried on local cable systems, KXTX/39 was still on many systems in east TX as an independent. Then, when Telemundo flipped from KFWD/52 in DFW to KXTX, several systems there were undecided as to whether to continue carrying 39, but most ended up leaving the station on; there wasn't a local Telemundo station (or presence) there at the time, and many systems were carrying a national feed of Univision (also without a local station there).
C
chuckydoll
Guest
I would go for Montana. Most of the Treasure State didn't get the Big 3 fulltime until the 80's, so cable companies imported Salt Lake City and/or Denver stations via microwave.
This practice continues today in eastern Montana. Glendive is a 1-station market, so the cable company there brings in ABC7 and Fox 31 from Denver.
This practice continues today in eastern Montana. Glendive is a 1-station market, so the cable company there brings in ABC7 and Fox 31 from Denver.
Highland Telephone Co-op Cable in Monterey VA had their head in on top of a 4000 ft mountain. Their antenna for WHSV/3 in Harrisonburg Va happened to be also pointed directly at KYW/3 Philadelphia, only KYW was about 250 miles further away. You can guess the results. When WHSV signed off, KYW came in loud and clear--from 300 miles away--in fact even during the daytime, viewers could often see the KYW logo burned in over WHSV programing. But it gets even better. Monterey also carried WVPT/51 from Harrisonburg, but they received the channel from a translator that broadcast on channel 8. The antenna for that channel also happened to be oriented directly towards WGHP/8 in Greensboro NC. Of course, when WVPT signed off for the night, cable viewers were left with WGHP. Where else could viewers select from Philly and Greensboro programing on the same cable system?
in austin,tx, there's ws san antonio stations chs. 4 woai, 5 kens, 9 klrn, 12 ksat ,41 kwex and from dallas ch 11 ktvt. waco ch 10 kwtx, temple ch 6 kcen before 1982. when time warner came into austin,tx and expanded the channel listings upto 70 or more channels and now upto aprrox 300.
I'd say the "microwave" issue is splitting hairs -- not all of us knew the METHOD at the time. I don't know if the cable company in Tupelo, Miss. in the '70s used any sort of hops to bring in the Memphis stations, 100 miles away. The signals of 3, 5, 10 and 13 were always crystal-clear, never any fading, ever, so it's very possible. In any event, I was just a grade-school TV geek; I loved seeing the distant stations, I didn't care HOW they got there! :-D
What interests me here is the distance ..... and, to that end, I can name several:
In the '90s, the cable system in Union City, Tenn. brought in WTVF-5 in Nashville (CBS).
Today, in Albany, Ga. one of the two ABC stations offered is WSB-2 in Atlanta.
Many Arkansas cable systems in the '80s used to import two Dallas-Ft. Worth indies: KXTX-39 and pre-network KTVT-11.
--Russell
What interests me here is the distance ..... and, to that end, I can name several:
In the '90s, the cable system in Union City, Tenn. brought in WTVF-5 in Nashville (CBS).
Today, in Albany, Ga. one of the two ABC stations offered is WSB-2 in Atlanta.
Many Arkansas cable systems in the '80s used to import two Dallas-Ft. Worth indies: KXTX-39 and pre-network KTVT-11.
--Russell
C
chuckydoll
Guest
mleach said:
In the 70's North Haven NY -- a village near Sag Harbor -- got its cable TV from the Shelter Island cable company. When WPIX-11 signed off around 1 AM there were times when WBAL-TV11 from Baltimore broke through . . . just in time for its own signoff.
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
In the early '80's, when WTAE-TV4 would sign off after 2AM, my cable system in Pittsburgh would occasionally pick up channel 4 from Washington, DC with a pretty good signal. And while living in the Toledo area, WTVG-TV 13 would quite often
get hashed over by channel 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (kind of short-spaced to begin with)
get hashed over by channel 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan (kind of short-spaced to begin with)
Currently in Lafayette, IN, Insight carries Chicago's WTTW 11 (PBS), which is about 120 miles away.
Since WLFI here in Lafayette started broadcasting on channel 11, Insight now picks up WTTW through their digital channel.
Since WLFI here in Lafayette started broadcasting on channel 11, Insight now picks up WTTW through their digital channel.
K
KML0224
Guest
You mean that WLFI-DT is on channel 11?
Apollo7979 said:
Same thing in Rockford (another Insight market), which about 90 miles from Chicago. They carry both WTTW, Madison's WHA (55 miles away), and (unfortunately) the Superstation version of WGN-TV. I know for years, the Rockford Register-Star's TV guide would always carry listings of WFLD (as well as the above-mentioned stations), but the local cable systems in the immediate Rockford area never carried WFLD on cable, some in the outskirts (Boone and DeKalb Counties--to east) did. It would have been useful because Rockford didn't get its own Fox station until 1989 (with WQRF affiliating with them).
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