Proposal to License SubChannels

[Markxxx]

From Broadcasting and Cable:

Media Access Project is looking to make the S Class an affordable vehicle for diversifying the broadcast business...

...The license could be obtained by minorities and others if a station agreed to give up the excess digital spectrum for licensing. The station would be compensated via a baseball-style auction for "use of the main licensee's facilities" to deliver the channel...

...The stations would have must-carry rights -- cable operators would have to carry them -- and public-interest obligations.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin has proposed allowing small and distressed businesses (which could include women and minorities) to lease digital spectrum and program the channels, which would also get must-carry rights.

Schwartzman said the key difference is that the MAP plan (similar to one it offered up in 1995) requires the licensing of the digital subchannels, with the caveat that the S Class license holder would have to lease back spectrum to the main station if it needed the capacity to broadcast HD content, up to six hours per day

Another condition would be that no more than 50% of the broadcast day on the S Class station could be devoted to "commercial matter."...

Full story at:

http://tinyurl.com/5w94zm

Interesting idea but I don't see the point, since the TV station controls the subchannels anyway why not just sell the airtime on the subchannels? Or is it the must carry thing that is appealing?

Any thoughts?

 

[dhett]

Must-carry is the big prize here. Currently, cable systems aren't required to carry subchannels, and even if they do, they're not required to carry them in the "lifeline" package where full-service primary channels reside.

Two years ago, in Yuma AZ, KSWT and Cox had a big brouhaha over carriage of The CW on KSWT's subchannel. Cox had previously carried a cable-only WB 100+ operation on channel 6, so when KSWT added a CW 100+ operation, they expected it would also be on channel 6. Cox put it on channel 740 in their digital tier.

In Prescott/Phoenix AZ, indie KAZT-TV/CA was scheduled to add RTN on DT2, but hasn't yet been able to work out the cable carriage details with Cox. The result: no RTN, because the number of OTA-only households is so small, the subchannel isn't worth much to advertisers.

If the FCC decides to consider an S-class license, look for the cable companies to line up in protest. They hate must-carry.

The 50% commercial cap on the S-class license could limit the applicants also. IIRC, currently, NCE stations are only required to program educational fare for 50% of the broadcast day (which is why they can run Britcoms and Doo-Wop specials), so the S-class appears quite similar to NCE provisions. Expect a lot of religious broadcasters, and if minority-owned businesses are favored, that may be a boon especially for Spanish-language Christian broadcasters AlmaVision, TeleVida Abundante, LFN, Fe-TV (if those last 2 are still running), Reino Unido and TBN Enlace USA.

 

[kenglish]

So....find some poor low-power DTV stations that can divvy-up their bandwidth in to 5,6 or 7 subs, license them with programming few people would even bother to watch, then demand both analog and digital must-carry from the local cable company.
:

 

[Markxxx]

I see your point, in Chicago you have 15 full power stations and if you take 5 subchannels that's a potential for 75 must carry stations, though in reality due to high def it'd be less, still interesting thought

 

[TexasTom]

While MAP's intentions are good, I think this is a poor idea. If they really want to give a boost to independent and minority broadcasters, what they should offer is "must carry" for the primary programming stream of digital low power stations that meet certain requirements for ownership and programming.

 

[tripinva]

While MAP's intentions are good, I think this is a poor idea. If they really want to give a boost to independent and minority broadcasters, what they should offer is "must carry" for the primary programming stream of digital low power stations that meet certain requirements for ownership and programming.

Like Class A?

- Trip

 

[jegrant]

I'm not against the idea of must-carry for select subchannels, but I agree that it would make a lot more sense to get must-carry for Class A TV stations first. If you like, feel free to require that they broadcast 50% or less of infomercials/ "commercial matter."

The cable companies still might not like it too much, but I think this would be easier to swallow than a wholesale expansion that could result from S Class licensing. In most areas, there are a limited number of Class A stations that aren't already carried, and furthermore, I would bet that most of them would only want a 480i channel carried, no HD, so we're not talking about a lot of bandwidth. Plus, they would still be subject to the overall cap that limits the total percentage of channels a cable company is required to "must carry" on its system.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I think the horse has left the proverbial barn here. I don't think the already licensed primary stations would be too willing to give up their second or third programs, since they are potential second and third revenue streams.

Of course, that depends on how much the compensation mentioned in the OP would be.

 

[TexasTom]

While MAP's intentions are good, I think this is a poor idea. If they really want to give a boost to independent and minority broadcasters, what they should offer is "must carry" for the primary programming stream of digital low power stations that meet certain requirements for ownership and programming.

Like Class A?

If I were setting the rules (fat chance of that happening!), I wouldn't necessarily limit it to Class A stations, but would limit it to LPTV and Class A stations that meet some sort of specific programming requirements for local origination and that aren't just paid programming (Jonathon's "50%' criteria is a good one, in this regard). In other words, no must carry for stations that run all infomercials or shopping, or that just hook up to a satellite dish and rebroadcast a national feed.