I am currently planning a trip to Orlando and one of my concerns is, the selection of TV channels. I'm sure lots of other people here can relate. I know that as for local channels, hotels only offer the main channels, and I'm concerned about PBS. I know the main station used to be WMFE, but then something happened with it and it's no longer PBS. But I'm wondering if some people haven't made the switch and still have WMFE as their PBS station. What was the reason behind this? Has anyone been to Orlando within the last year since this change occurred?
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Orlando PBS available in hotels
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
We here on this board do not represent the average traveler.
I'm guessing that only a very tiny fraction of visitors to Orlando are thinking at all about what's on TV in their hotel rooms, and that of that very tiny fraction, only an even tinier fraction - maybe 0.1% of 1%, and that's probably a gross exaggeration - are specifically looking for PBS on their hotel TVs. CBS and Fox so Dad can see the football game when he and the kids come back to the room after a day at Disney World? Sure, you've got to have that...but beyond that, I'm guessing it's not among the top 1000 questions the typical Orlando hotel manager gets.
I don't even remember whether WMFE was on the lineup at the Quality Inn in Kissimmee where I stayed in March 2010. I'm thinking it wasn't. (But I usually travel with an antenna and a DVR with an ATSC tuner, so unless I'm somewhere far from OTA signals, I don't generally care what's on the hotel cable anyway. And that's just to record what's on the air locally - when it comes to actually watching TV in the hotel room, I'm about as undemanding as the average traveler. Give me the big 4 and maybe a couple of cable news and sports channels and I'm a happy camper.)
I'm guessing that only a very tiny fraction of visitors to Orlando are thinking at all about what's on TV in their hotel rooms, and that of that very tiny fraction, only an even tinier fraction - maybe 0.1% of 1%, and that's probably a gross exaggeration - are specifically looking for PBS on their hotel TVs. CBS and Fox so Dad can see the football game when he and the kids come back to the room after a day at Disney World? Sure, you've got to have that...but beyond that, I'm guessing it's not among the top 1000 questions the typical Orlando hotel manager gets.
I don't even remember whether WMFE was on the lineup at the Quality Inn in Kissimmee where I stayed in March 2010. I'm thinking it wasn't. (But I usually travel with an antenna and a DVR with an ATSC tuner, so unless I'm somewhere far from OTA signals, I don't generally care what's on the hotel cable anyway. And that's just to record what's on the air locally - when it comes to actually watching TV in the hotel room, I'm about as undemanding as the average traveler. Give me the big 4 and maybe a couple of cable news and sports channels and I'm a happy camper.)
I'm a 30-year business traveler (broadcast & print media), which has gotten me lifetime platinum status with Marriott, so I'll take a stab at your question...
I think it's a pretty safe bet that you'll find PBS in your Orlando hotel room....the situation you described with WMFE notwithstanding. Unlike the situation only a few years ago when hotels attempted (with varying degrees of success) to install and maintain their own in house TV systems, most hotel TV systems are now run by outside contractors.
The result is TV provided by professional TV people as opposed to people who might be more concerned with occupancy rates, revenue per room, laundry, etc.
The main reason for this is to provide a steady reliable revenue stream for the hotel with the pay-per-view movies and other offerings. But the provider (usually the lodge-net satellite delivered system) also knows that guest satisfaction is very important to the hotel, so they usually see to it that all major networks are represented.
No guarantee, but IME, that almost always includes PBS. Also IME, the providers are usually fairly nimble when it comes to staying on top of changes in local TV landscapes.
I think it's a pretty safe bet that you'll find PBS in your Orlando hotel room....the situation you described with WMFE notwithstanding. Unlike the situation only a few years ago when hotels attempted (with varying degrees of success) to install and maintain their own in house TV systems, most hotel TV systems are now run by outside contractors.
The result is TV provided by professional TV people as opposed to people who might be more concerned with occupancy rates, revenue per room, laundry, etc.
The main reason for this is to provide a steady reliable revenue stream for the hotel with the pay-per-view movies and other offerings. But the provider (usually the lodge-net satellite delivered system) also knows that guest satisfaction is very important to the hotel, so they usually see to it that all major networks are represented.
No guarantee, but IME, that almost always includes PBS. Also IME, the providers are usually fairly nimble when it comes to staying on top of changes in local TV landscapes.
Another strategy would be to stay at a mom and pop or franchised hotel (Best Western, Holiday Inn) rather than a corporate shop like Mariott. Corporate chains are more likely to have a crippled LodgeNet style system.
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