New Sub-Channels at WTIC-DT

[DJKraze]

This morning I was tuning around the dial as usual and there was only Fox 61 at 61.1 & Antenna TV at 61.2, when I got home after a busy day I tuned around again and there were two more channels:

TBD at 61.3 and Justice at 61.4

I also did a rescan hoping that 'tis the season' for adding channels and nothing else anywhere, however, 59.3 is also still Justice. Is a new station on the way for 59.3? Have they just not pulled the plug yet or has 61 jumped the gun?? Does anyone know?

On a personal note, duplication might be something I used to enjoy when I DXed as a kid in the old analog days (it was always nice having an alternate affiliate to turn to when a local station decided not to run a network show for whatever reason) but duplication of these new multiplexed networks is somewhat unnecessary as they don't work in the same way traditional broadcast networks work with option to carry only a certain percentage of the networked program. Ok, as far as I know, Hartford and New Haven are still designated as the same market. I might be jumping the gun as well here, nut I'm assuming the Justice channel will either be switched off on one or the other and hopefully be replaced by something else and not just taken off like a certain public broadcaster did recently.

Another note: Recently WWLP added Escape on 22.4 which was also already on WFSB 3.2, and while I could have said the same for that, technically as WWLP is a different market, I can't.

 

[DJKraze]

I just tuned the dial again some 24 hours later and now there's a 30.4 with no video and on-screen info only shows "TLND" (TV Land???). I'm running another rescan and I'm going to tune up the dial as I type this. Maybe it's time for a channel list? From somewhere deep within "Newfield Hights" In Middletown with an amplified window sticker type HDTV antenna directed towards the old K-Mart in Cromwell...

3.1 WFSB
3.2 Escape
3.3 Laff
3.4 WFSB Fairfield County
8.1 WTNH 720p
8.2 Bounce
8.3 WTNH 480p
18.1 WUVN
18.2 WHTX
18.3 UniMas
18.4 LATV
20.1 WCCT
20.2 This TV
20.3 Comet
20.4 Stadium (sorry, neglected to report on this earlier this month)
22.1 WWLP
22.2 CW Springfield
22.3 ION
22.4 Escape
24.1 CPTV
24.3 CPTV Spirit
30.1 WVIT
30.2 Cozi TV
30.3 Exitos
30.4 ???? it vanished? watch this space kids, something's up!
32.1 WRNT Intrigue TV/AMG-TV
32.2 Daya-TV
(sometimes WGGB 40/Fox 6, when the wind blows the right way)
50.1 WRDM
59.1 WCTX (also when the wind blows the opposite way of WGGB)
59.2 Grit-TV
59.3 Justice TV (also watch this space, I think changes are coming)
61.1 WTIC-DT
61.2 Antenna TV
61.3 TBD
61.4 Justice

 

[DJKraze]

Ok, I should have corrected this once I checked on rabbit ears website, it wasn't "TLND" it was "TLMD" as in Telemundo, and it's up and running. Is this to replace WRDM? Also, I just rescanned and WUVN vanished.

 

[Gregg.]

Interesting line up. I thought WFSB ran a subchannel for its Springfield newscasts. But since it isn't owned by CBS, just an affiliate, you don't get Decades. I don't see Me-TV or Heroes & Icons on this list either.

Also, no subchannels for PBS, such as World or Create? Is CPTV Spirit simply an alternate PBS line up created by your local PBS operation?

 

[DJKraze]

WFSB used to have CBS 3 Springfield as a subchannel along with Eyewitness News Now as another (3.2 & 3.3), both were eventually replaced.

CPTV has been a subchannel of the year club member for some time. The main at the .1 position is considered the main PBS channel, although it's all PBS Kids during the day/regular PBS 5PM to 7AM and sorta words it in a way on it's website to distinguish it as it's version of an OTA PBS Kids service (ugh! that sentence got away from me a bit).
I forget the channel lineups and when they changed for the older/defunct services, but they used to have other things such as Create, but then replaced it with "CPTV 4U" and "CPTV Sports" (.2 & .3 respectively). At first 4U was a mixed bag of the other PBS style services and CPTV sports was a joint venture between CPTV and WFSB to run local sports events (emphasis on UCONN), however, this past June after the Spring semester ended and the lack of the usual reruns of sports programming continued to grow, replaced by many PBS programs that could be suggested to have a subtle hint of interest to the sporting audience. 4U was deleted and Sports was replaced with Spirit which is supposed to have a different theme programming genre each night (the CPBN website explains the change and the programming philosophy better than I). The reason for reduction in OTA services is explained in part as catering to the changing modern viewing habits as they transition to online viewing (AKA Passport, which is a paid service beyond some freely available programming).
I have always been a little green with envy at how much programming WGBY has OTA. Before I moved to my current location (and before they moved from the old digital position to the current one), I was always able to get them, now they are fringe at best. They seem to be a bit of an anomaly in this general area when compared with CPTV which never had more than 3 total channels, WNET which has 3 but one is not PBS related, RIPBS is only 2 and WGBH (the flagship station of WGBY) is also 2 but has it's sister WGBX with 3 (so that makes 5)

Northern New England has it better NHPBS is 5 channels, and VTPBS is 4.

I think CPTV really did this as they are entering a channel sharing agreement with one of it's station group and the reduction of channels makes it easier to co-exist on the same transmitter for the one station as well as it being cheaper to have it's programs online via PBS Passport.

 

[Gregg.]

WNET, the PBS station in NYC, only has PBS Kids as a subchannel. (A commercial subchannel may soon be found on 13.3.) But WNET also controls WLIW 21, an alternate PBS station, which has Create and World as subchannels. Even though I live in NJ, I get a clear picture on it from its Long Island location. But I'm on the 15th floor, near the Hudson, so not everyone may get 21 clearly in the NYC metro.

 

[MarcB]

Interesting line up. I thought WFSB ran a subchannel for its Springfield newscasts. But since it isn't owned by CBS, just an affiliate, you don't get Decades. I don't see Me-TV or Heroes & Icons on this list either.

Also, no subchannels for PBS, such as World or Create? Is CPTV Spirit simply an alternate PBS line up created by your local PBS operation?

Channel 59 is going away. It's going to be Channel sharing with Channel 8.

WRDM is gong away. It's going to be Channel sharing with Channel 30.

CPTV used to have Create, but replaced it with CPTV 4U more than 5 years ago. It's their secondary service. CPTV Spirit replaced CPTV Sports over the summer. CPTV Sports was a Joint Venture between CPTV and Channel 3. It showed High School Sports, New Britain Rock Cats baseball, and other sporting events. I think the annual Nutmeg Games.

Hartford does not have an affiliate of ME-TV or Heroes and Icons. Southern Connecticut used to have ME-TV via WZME Channel 43 licensed to Bridgeport with its antenna in Seymour. However WJLP in the NYC market forced them to drop ME-TV, so they switched to Heroes and Icons. H&I was dropped on January 1, 2017 when Jimmy Swaggart's Sonlife Bible Network began leasing the station.