RTN Currently Off the Air

[tripinva]

Well, Equity is doing it again. RTN, the one thing they had going for them, is now silent. I'm watching WSET 13-2 in Lynchburg, and there's a solid red slide with this on it:

As of 5:00 AM on January 5, 2009, Equity
Media Holdings Corp.'s contract to service
the Retro Television Network has Expired.
EMHC attempted to coordinate a seamless
transition, but despite repeated attempts
to communicate with Luken Communications
representatives, it received no response.

Please direct any question regarding the RTN
network, programming, and delivery of services to:

Luken Holdings, Inc.
735 Broad Street, Suite 1204
Chattanooga, TN 37402
423-756-1200

I can't wait to see just what comes out of this one. I certainly hope RTN isn't finished. And if it is, I hope something else moves in to replace it, as I gather RTN was pretty popular.

- Trip

 

[tripinva]

Here's a capture of what the slide looks like.

http://www.rabbitears.info/screencaps/1-temp/rtnslide.png

- Trip

 

[flytrap]

It must be national. Its off in Mississippi also. What could have happened? Did someone forget to pay the bills? It seems whenever they have something that I like, they take it off the air. Remember "The Tube"? We only got an RTN affiliate a couple of months ago and I really liked it. Now I can't watch my "Emergency" "Leave it to Beaver" and "Quincy" reruns. Crap!

 

[tripinva]

It is national. RTN is run out of Equity's CASH in Little Rock. Equity started RTN, then sold it to Luken (Equity's largest shareholder) in mid-2008 to attempt to prevent bankruptcy, but that didn't help. Equity was still running RTN for Luken. Apparently, Luken stopped talking to Equity.

- Trip

 

[jnewkirk77]

I noticed that RTN was off as soon as our local station (WEHT) went on the air this morning. I've already had a bad enough weekend, and now this?! Wow ...

 

[EricStein]

Hmmm, I just tuned it to KAZT 7.2 and there was an episode of "It Takes a Thief."

I had heard that RTN's technical plant was moving from Equity's HQ to Tennessee (most likely Chattanooga), maybe it was a delay in the transition.

 

[tripinva]

I had not heard that, but if that is the case, then RTN should return soon.

- Trip

 

[jnewkirk77]

Hmmm, I just tuned it to KAZT 7.2 and there was an episode of "It Takes a Thief."

I had heard that RTN's technical plant was moving from Equity's HQ to Tennessee (most likely Chattanooga), maybe it was a delay in the transition.

According to ArkansasBusiness.com, Equity still owes $1.3 mil to CBS for programming and is about 3 months behind on payments to NBC Universal. EMHC filed a voluntary Chap 11 last month, and its creditors are trying to get the bankruptcy court to convert it to an involuntary Chap 7.

You can look it up for yourself, but basically the argument is that the Equity executives were enriching themselves to the detriment of the company. Sure sounds like Equity is the Enron of the TV biz ...

 

[KyDXIn]

I noticed that RTN was off as soon as our local station (WEHT) went on the air this morning. I've already had a bad enough weekend, and now this?! Wow ...

I had hoped on getting a new antenna system and turning it toward Henderson. Guess there's no need to to that now!

 

[jnewkirk77]

I noticed that RTN was off as soon as our local station (WEHT) went on the air this morning. I've already had a bad enough weekend, and now this?! Wow ...

I had hoped on getting a new antenna system and turning it toward Henderson. Guess there's no need to to that now!

It's not an easy station to get. I have to turn my antenna due west to pick it up, but fortunately I don't lose anything from the other Evansville-market stations (WTVW, WNIN, WFIE). When WEHT moves to 7, I wonder if things will improve.

Of course, I've yet to be able to consistently get WAZE out of Madisonville because they aren't yet full power ... and no, I am not holding my breath at this point ...

 

[Scoobiedoo30]

do you think it will ever come to New Orleans

 

[ironbear]

Hmmm, I just tuned it to KAZT 7.2 and there was an episode of "It Takes a Thief."

I had heard that RTN's technical plant was moving from Equity's HQ to Tennessee (most likely Chattanooga), maybe it was a delay in the transition.

RTN is server-based at the local station, and could possibly continue continue somewhat normally for a while. KAZT-2's got occasional program gaps with black and no audio, though.

 

[X-Man]

do you think it will ever come to New Orleans

We could sure use RTN in Dallas-Fort Worth.

 

[MarcB]

The dude who runs the Sitcoms Online Site says it's only the Equity owned RTN stations going dark.

 

[jal41]

WSB-DT2/Atlanta is back, but with alternate programming not starting on the hour/half-hour.

Local affiliates that have programming must be operating using a backup server at the local station, which has a limited amount of programming for when the CASH hub or the satellite feed becomes unavailable...which appears to be happening as we speak.

Equity still owns their stations...Lukin bought only the RTN network. Lukin will have to have a huge hubbed MC that can handle 100+ channels like Equity's CASH system is designed to...or install servers at the local affiliate MC's with the capacity to hold thousands of hours of programming and a way to get it there digitally.

 

[mbatchelor]

The same message is airing on 13/WPXS Mount Vernon, IL. I'm guessing that the Equity stations will probably be returning to all paid programming :'(

Well, Equity is doing it again. RTN, the one thing they had going for them, is now silent. I'm watching WSET 13-2 in Lynchburg, and there's a solid red slide with this on it:

As of 5:00 AM on January 5, 2009, Equity
Media Holdings Corp.'s contract to service
the Retro Television Network has Expired.
EMHC attempted to coordinate a seamless
transition, but despite repeated attempts
to communicate with Luken Communications
representatives, it received no response.

Please direct any question regarding the RTN
network, programming, and delivery of services to:

Luken Holdings, Inc.
735 Broad Street, Suite 1204
Chattanooga, TN 37402
423-756-1200

I can't wait to see just what comes out of this one. I certainly hope RTN isn't finished. And if it is, I hope something else moves in to replace it, as I gather RTN was pretty popular.

- Trip

 

[Poledo]

Are Equity O&O stations off the air today? I'm going to try to move my antenna to pick up WBIF later tonight, so I may be able to answer my own question later.

Why didn't Equity go with a single national feed of RTN with locally inserted commercials? Seems like a huge waste of money to program each station individually.

On a side note, why haven't any (or many) full power stations just picked up America One for a HD sub channel? America One seems like it would be the safest, cheapest, and most logical network to plug into a HD sub channel.

 

[tripinva]

RTN stations are coming back up now (Detroit, Phoenix, Austin, Des Moines, Atlanta). The stations are fed via satellite, not locally, and are now on a different satellite I'm told. Stations have to aim at that different satellite or all they will see is the red slide of death.

Each station is programmed individually because the program rights are syndicated, so some things that are available in one market may not be available in another market, for example. Further, some RTN stations air CW or My Network TV programming in primetime, so to show the rest of the programming, it has to be shuffled around.

I think the Equity stations are having the same sort of trouble. I've heard that some of them remain on the air, and others have the red slide. Not sure what's happening. Equity's stations don't go off the air until 02/17/09 unless something changes and they either have to sign off earlier to save money, or find some money to flash-cut to digital on that date.

- Trip

 

[jnewkirk77]

RTN stations are coming back up now (Detroit, Phoenix, Austin, Des Moines, Atlanta). The stations are fed via satellite, not locally, and are now on a different satellite I'm told. Stations have to aim at that different satellite or all they will see is the red slide of death.

Each station is programmed individually because the program rights are syndicated, so some things that are available in one market may not be available in another market, for example. Further, some RTN stations air CW or My Network TV programming in primetime, so to show the rest of the programming, it has to be shuffled around.

I think the Equity stations are having the same sort of trouble. I've heard that some of them remain on the air, and others have the red slide. Not sure what's happening. Equity's stations don't go off the air until 02/17/09 unless something changes and they either have to sign off earlier to save money, or find some money to flash-cut to digital on that date.

- Trip

WEHT-DT2 (Evansville, IN) is still showing the RSOD, to give your term an acronym. I've e-mailed their programming department, but haven't gotten a response so far. It is Sunday, so I didn't think I'd hear anything. What did surprise me, however, is that they didn't at least mention the problem on the 5:30 news this evening. They sure hyped RTN hard and heavy on their newscasts leading up to the sign-on this past August 25th.

I'll be sure to post when/if it comes back up here.

 

[Grindlfan]

RTN was on the air in Seattle this morning. In fact, I thought it odd that regular RTN programming was on instead of the Paid Programming spots they usually have on that channel on Sunday mornings. I havent been home since 11:30 am so I won't know the current status until later tonight. I'll let you all know then. It would be a complete bummer to lose RTN.