RTV OWNER PLANS TO BUY 400 TRANSLATORS AND LOW POWER STATIONS

[gregg75]

Most of these are analog but Luken plans to upgrade them and run his sub channels
(RTV, TUFF-TV, My Family TV, PB&J, etc.) on them with local advertising. He thinks
cable will eventually have to carry sub-channels........or people will drop cable. These
are mostly small market stations. Here's a snip and then the main story.......

Luken subsidiary Digital Networks LLC has made its first major purchase of translators, agreeing to purchase around 80 from the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council Inc. for $390,000. Luken says that he is also actively shopping for programming libraries to fill the networks.

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/06/16/51942/rtn-parent-buys-78-tv-translators

 

[Madmansam]

So the future of RTV is LPTV and Translators? They just as well merge with either Me-TV or Antenna TV. I don't see cable tv or dish services will pick up those LPTV's or translators.

 

[carolinaradio]

So the future of RTV is LPTV and Translators? They just as well merge with either Me-TV or Antenna TV. I don't see cable tv or dish services will pick up those LPTV's or translators.

I agree.

"Luken says that he is also actively shopping for programming libraries to fill the networks."

??? I can only assume this means Warner, as that is the only major one left. It can not be 20th Century Fox or CBS, as MeTV has those, or Sony, as Antenna TV has their library. RTV already has Universal.

I think I see why he is doing this.....he realizes that the chances of RTV being added to or remaining on major, full-power affiliates decrease every day and this is the only way the network can ultimately be saved. I highly doubt any significant amount of the population with cable would drop it if they lost RTV. Like I've been saying, the future of RTV IS LPTV and translators. There is more appealing content out there now and as the contracts for RTV end, the full power affiliates are going to switch to more appealing alternatives such as MeTV or Antenna TV.

 

[mysticnitekatt]

I don't think we can count RTV out of the full-power station game just yet. They've only lost 12 or so stations since the first of the year (a couple to ANTENNA TV,the rest of MeTV), but gained full-power main channel affiliates in San Fransisco and New York (via Bridgeport,CT)

Yes, odd are they could lose up to another 15 stations depending on that Cox and Media General's plan for MeTV are,both having signed deals to pick MeTV up.

But beyond that, it's anyone's guess. ANTENNA TV isn't much of a threat - they've haven't added many stations thus far compared to MeTV.

Things will stabilize within in the next year.

Why wouldn't cable systems start picking up LPTV/Translators if there a good variety of programing. I can see him waiving carriage fees to get picked up.

 

[gregg75]

I think he sees Low Power as the way to go. You may get a LP station in NYC (as a sub)
and just cover half of the market, but get a LP station in Rome, Ga and you've pretty
much got all of Rome covered.

He also seems to be getting frustrated that his channels are all spread out on different
stations in the same market. He'd like to see them all on one channel. That's almost NEVER
going to happen in a big city, but in Rome, Ga he will be able to do that. Instead of adding
one station at a time he can add all 6 or 7 at once.

As always with Luken there is some genius and some crazy going on at the same time.

 

[azumanga]

Why wouldn't cable systems start picking up LPTV/Translators if there a good variety of programing. I can see him waiving carriage fees to get picked up.

There's also a law in which cable systems are not obligated to carry LPTVs or translators. For many stations, the only ways they can end up on a cable system is to either buy a cable slot (with no guarantee, or even possibility, that they'll be bundled with the rest of the locals), or be owned by a big broadcaster in the market, where the LPTV's carriage is part of a retrans deal for the bigger station.

 

[ansky212]

I don't think we can count RTV out of the full-power station game just yet. They've only lost 12 or so stations since the first of the year (a couple to ANTENNA TV,the rest of MeTV), but gained full-power main channel affiliates in San Fransisco and New York (via Bridgeport,CT)

One thing to note about WSAH (Bridgeport, CT), even though it's a full power station, it's OTA signal doesn't reach into the NYC boroughs. It only covers suburban areas in southwestern CT and western LI. In terms of cable/satellite, only Directv and Verizon Fios carry WSAH. So they actually don't have as much exposure in the NYC metro as it may seem.

 

[KML0224]

I can't receive the WSAH-TV signal here in New Britain, CT (southern Hartford County) at all. In the analog days, I used to get a faint signal from WEDW-TV (PBS) channel 49 of Bridgeport, but not channel 43.

 

[MarcB]

RTV/Low-Power TV Stations and cable

WSAH also only carries RTV 84 hours a week - Noon to Midnite 7 days a week.

As for RTV and LP TV stations the deal will not include its affiliates in Hartford/Springfield as those stations WRNT 48 Hartford and WTXX 34 Springfield are for sale for 900 Gs. These stations are not carried on cable or satellite.

As for LP TV stations WRDM Channel 50 in Hartford has been on Cable since it's days as W13BF. They are the Telemundo affiliate. It is not on DISH Network or DirecTV.

WUTH Channel 47 the Telefutura station in Hartford is on Cable on Xfinity Channel 296. Again it's not on DISH Network or DirecTV. It piggy backs on sister station WUVN Channel 18.3 - Years back For several years WUTH (as W47??) was carried on Channel 17 when it was a repeater for WXTV Channel 41 the Paterson, New Jersey licensed Univision affiliate, but later it was replaced by the national feed of Univsion. That lasted until WUVN Channel 18 signed on with Univision. COX does not carry WUTH.

WHCT Channel 38 is the Azteca America affiliate in Hartford. It is not on cable or DirecTV, but it is on DISH Network. Somewhere DISH was picking up this station OTA and I remember several times during tropospheric ducting seeing WSBK from Boston bleeding through.

 

[MarcB]

I can't receive the WSAH-TV signal here in New Britain, CT (southern Hartford County) at all. In the analog days, I used to get a faint signal from WEDW-TV (PBS) channel 49 of Bridgeport, but not channel 43.

WEDW has its tower in the Bridgeport area. While WSAH is licensed to Bridgeport its tower is actually in Seymour. As are their offices. Seymour, IIRC is in a valley. Funny you should mention Channel 49. I picked them up only a few times. I picked up WEDN 53. more times than 49.

 

[ansky212]

I can't receive the WSAH-TV signal here in New Britain, CT (southern Hartford County) at all. In the analog days, I used to get a faint signal from WEDW-TV (PBS) channel 49 of Bridgeport, but not channel 43.

WEDW has its tower in the Bridgeport area. While WSAH is licensed to Bridgeport its tower is actually in Seymour. As are their offices. Seymour, IIRC is in a valley. Funny you should mention Channel 49. I picked them up only a few times. I picked up WEDN 53. more times than 49.

It's actually pretty funny if you look at WSAH's coverage map on the FCC website. It shows WSAH as having coverage all the way up to the Mass border. Not even close!

 

[gregg75]

GETTING BACK TO THE CABLE ISSUE.

So you have the cable system in a city of 40,000 people 50 miles from a big city (or farther).
Suddenly Luken starts a vacant LP stations in your city. Now your city has 6 or 7 new
stations all at once (instead of none) complete with local commercials.

I think you would be foolish not to add them to your cable system. Luken must see it
about the same way.

 

[cd637299]

Is there a list of these 400 stations? I somehow did not see them in the article.

cd

 

[gregg75]

He's only bought about 78 I think so far. They are listed in the link in the article.

 

[mgsports]

Because I see Manhattan and Salina,KS on their I guess Topeka,KS Cable Systems will be able to pick it up.
I was wishing I saw a town in KC area on their so the KC area could get it.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

GETTING BACK TO THE CABLE ISSUE.

So you have the cable system in a city of 40,000 people 50 miles from a big city (or farther).
Suddenly Luken starts a vacant LP stations in your city. Now your city has 6 or 7 new
stations all at once (instead of none) complete with local commercials.

I think you would be foolish not to add them to your cable system. Luken must see it
about the same way.

I don't disagree with you, but I suspect that Comcast and Cox would disagree.

 

[carolinaradio]

Finally got the article to load. They need to get new shows for RTV first THEN worry about buying stations.

How are they getting the money for all of this? I hope they remember what happened to Equity....

 

[Madmansam]

Why wouldn't cable systems start picking up LPTV/Translators if there a good variety of programing. I can see him waiving carriage fees to get picked up.

There's also a law in which cable systems are not obligated to carry LPTVs or translators. For many stations, the only ways they can end up on a cable system is to either buy a cable slot (with no guarantee, or even possibility, that they'll be bundled with the rest of the locals), or be owned by a big broadcaster in the market, where the LPTV's carriage is part of a retrans deal for the bigger station.

Funny that Comcast Stockton has LPTV station, KCSO-33.1 on their cable system which is a Telemundo affiliate but they don't carry KCSO-33.2 which a Me-TV affiliate. Apparently Spanish Language Programming is more important than Retro Programming.

 

[carolinaradio]

Why wouldn't cable systems start picking up LPTV/Translators if there a good variety of programing. I can see him waiving carriage fees to get picked up.

There's also a law in which cable systems are not obligated to carry LPTVs or translators. For many stations, the only ways they can end up on a cable system is to either buy a cable slot (with no guarantee, or even possibility, that they'll be bundled with the rest of the locals), or be owned by a big broadcaster in the market, where the LPTV's carriage is part of a retrans deal for the bigger station.

Funny that Comcast Stockton has LPTV station, KCSO-33.1 on their cable system which is a Telemundo affiliate but they don't carry KCSO-33.2 which a Me-TV affiliate. Apparently Spanish Language Programming is more important than Retro Programming.

Was there anything on 33.2 before Me? Sometimes it takes time for subchannels to get on cable systems.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

There's just one Ohio station in the list, in Zanesville, though the Parkersburg WV station might reach into Marietta OH upon upgrade.

So, it doesn't affect Northeast Ohio for now. TBN had a translator in Youngstown, but Cleveland only had a fill-in translator in the eastern part of the market (WDLI/17 Canton is TBN's full power O&O here). Neither are in the list of 78 Luken is picking up so far.

The likely situation is here is what whenever Media-Com upgrades WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland to digital, they'll just throw on Luken's other subchannels in some form. Though they have applied to do so, Kaiser Bill must be waiting for the Radio Shack across the street from his station near Kent OH to start stocking digital TV transmitters...