> > I'm curious...
> >
> > Since the Katrina tragedy, what have they been doing?
>
> There has been some coverage of this in the Louisiana radio
> forum. There used to be a thread tacked there on the status
> of NO's radio and TV stations, but now, with more and more
> coming back, you'll have to hunt for it.
>
Since I was the one who did that thread, I will do an update here. Obviously, since the hurricane is a big story, everyone is basing a majority of their news on it.
WWL 4: They are currently back to normal operation in their studios on Rampart Street. Their studios suffered no damage. WWL-DT is also at normal operation.
WDSU 6: Their studios suffered no damage, and they are back to normal operation, save for an extended 10 PM newscast that pushes the late-night shows 1/2 hour back. However, their transmitter suffered major damage, and they only have a temporary, VERY low power, signal on 6. They are using 49 to broadcast their analog signal, and WDSU-DT is off the air indefinitely. So, no NBC HD programming in New Orleans for a while, I guess.
WVUE 8: The opposite of WDSU. Their transmitter suffered no damage, but their studios suffered major flood damage. However, they recently moved back in to a part of their New Orleans studio (they had to, or Bob Breck was threatening to quit). They are doing normal programming as well. WVUE-DT also returned to the air last week.
WYES 12: Their transmitter was damaged, and their studios suffered major flood damage. Don't know when they will be back. WYES-DT is also off the air.
WHNO 20: They had major flood damage, but their transmitter was fine. They recently returned to their New Orleans studios and started broadcasting local programming in addition to LeSea's programming. WHNO-DT is also on the air (as before the storm, it's just 480i)
WGNO 26: They are on a temporary transmitter, but it replicates their normal coverage area. The building their studios are in is still closed, so they're working out of suburban offices. Their newscasts are remotely done around town, but they are doing normal programming. WGNO-DT is off the air and won't be back until March, however, they will use 49-2 to do HD. It won't be 720p, but it'll be better than DVD, they say.
WLAE 32: Their transmitter should be back in January, but their studios suffered major wind damage. Right now, they're feeding LPB's satellite feed to DirecTV, Cox, and Charter. They had no WLAE-DT before the storm, so they don't have one right now.
WNOL 38: Like WGNO, they are on a temporary transmitter that replicates their normal coverage area. They're doing normal programming, but WNOL-DT is indefinitely off the air as well. That means I can't watch Smallville in HD.
WPXL 49: Right now, they are simulcasting WDSU's programming. Of course, WPXL-DT survived with 4 digital subchannels. They used a couple of these to assist WGNO and WNOL after their transmitters got knocked out after the storm.
49-1: i and lots of infomercials (480i)
49-2: WGNO (currently 480i, soon to feed HD somewhere between 480p and 720p)
49-3: WNOL
49-4: Worship
WUPL 54: They are back in their studios with regular programming. WUPL-DT is also on the air, but only with an upconverted SD feed. Don't know when they'll be back to HD.
So, there you go.<P ID="signature">______________
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