Severe Weather, DTV doesn't work!

[Poledo]

I'm in the Mobile, AL DMA.
So my cable system receives local stations OTA. Only one of the local "news" stations has their DTV antenna at full capacity (WEAR). That station just happens to be showing infomercials and is coming in perfectly.

The other 3 "news" stations have been in "wall to wall" weather mode for the better part of 3 hours, but they are still using their pre-shutoff DTV facilities due to the extension of the DTV shutoff, and guess what... they stay frozen on cable for the most part because the storms are right over the antenna farm. The weather guys on TV are continuously telling people to turn on their radios due to "technical difficulties" and "equipment failures". The same messages are going out on 3 different stations on three different towers. The on-air guys are admitting that they don't even know if people can watch their radar pictures and are going out of their way to describe it for radio listeners.

So I have to disconnect the cable and hook up rabbit ears to the old analog receiver to keep track of the weather. The old analog TV signals are working fine. If the analog antennas had come down and the new digital antennas were raised up the to the top of the tower I'd be able to watch this on cable.

Has PUBLIC SAFETY been taken into account at all in the DTV switchover and the delayed shutoff date?

-sorry for the rant-

 

[Mario500]

I have been monitoring the four major network stations in the Mobile-Pensacola TV market with their constant reports on stormy weather since Thursday morning and I have only noticed WEAR-TV's picture freezing for subscribers of Comcast Cablevision of Mobile this morning. I checked a TV set capable of receiving digital signals and was unable to receive WEAR-TV due to the weather.

This made me wonder how the local TV stations will report on stormy weather after their analog signals end on June 12th? I wish they would stop the constant program interruptions and find a better way to report on the storms for folk who might be affected by them. WKRG-TV and WPMI-TV have digital sub-channels dedicated to weather and Comcast cable subscribers in Mobile have access to the Weather Channel, yet the stations continue to frequently break into regular programming, sometimes programs that cannot be rescheduled ("At the Movies", "The U. S. Farm Report") or even new episodes of some shows ("Chaotic"). Reporting during the commercial breaks seems to be a good idea, but based on WPMI-TV's interruption of "Today" at 8:00 AM for local commercial advertisements one second after a long stormy weather report yesterday, this will be a challenge for stations trying to save money at this time.

I would also suggest different weather-reporting graphics that don't ruin the viewing experience for folks trying to watch their favorite programs. WEAR-TV's weather graphics and ticker block the words on "Good Morning America", WPMI-TV has recently started squeezing the picture to fit a weather graphic at the bottom of the screen during standard and high-definition programming ("Today" doesn't appear in high-definition quality as a result), and WALA-TV frequently uses a scrolling ticker with a black background during shows and commercials breaks. WKRG-TV even attempted a ticker similar to the ones used by WALA-TV and WPMI-TV, but quickly returned to the standard white-lettered ticker, which is not very distracting since it only consisted of letters. WKRG-TV also has storm watches and warnings appear at the bottom of the screen in small letters that don't distract viewers, but they have graphics more distracting. For the past ten years, WKRG-TV has been using a form of automatic picture shrinking for the past ten years that involves two separate squares: one for programming and one for a weather map. Sometimes there are two weather maps on the screen if the automatic system occurs during a special weather report.

WALA-TV's morning newscast, which usually ends at 8:00 AM, continued until shortly after 9:00 AM yesterday due to the stormy weather, costing viewers interested in "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" in its final months and "The Bonnie Hunt Show". About one minute after I called the station express my feelings about the treatment of the the stormy weather being similar to that of a hurricane, except this line of storms quickly left the Mobile area, WALA-TV returned to regular programming. This was most likely a coincidence, but many things are possible.

Pardon me for the long post, but this is what broadcast TV has become in southwest Alabama, northwest Florida, and southeast Mississippi: where severe weather is a cause for alarm at the local stations. May this be a lesson to future generations of broadcasters: consider all your viewers and options before making drastic programming decisions.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Pardon me for the long post, but this is what broadcast TV has become in southwest Alabama, northwest Florida, and southeast Mississippi: where severe weather is a cause for alarm at the local stations. May this be a lesson to future generations of broadcasters: consider all your viewers and options before making drastic programming decisions.

What lesson is that? That Bonnie Hunt could save your life? That the main channel is the only one that most customers have access to, so it is the place where important information should be placed?

The on-air guys are admitting that they don't even know if people can watch their radar pictures and are going out of their way to describe it for radio listeners.

I'm interested in hearing more. Severe weather shouldn't attenuate the DTV signal any more than the analog signal. Does the cable system have a reliable picture in normal weather?

I've not yet had the chance to try DTV's performance in severe weather.

 

[Mario500]

What lesson is that? That Bonnie Hunt could save your life? That the main channel is the only one that most customers have access to, so it is the place where important information should be placed?

I'm interested in hearing more. Severe weather shouldn't attenuate the DTV signal any more than the analog signal. Does the cable system have a reliable picture in normal weather?

I've not yet had the chance to try DTV's performance in severe weather.

I repeat, WKRG-TV and WPMI-TV each have digital sub-channels dedicated to weather and Comcast cable subscribers in Mobile have access to the Weather Channel. It is actually possible to have special weather reports on the main channel without interfering with other programming that may be watched by folks unaffected by the storm. If the stations can stand to lose revenue from lost local commercial time and national paid programming (infomercial) from their numerous interruptions throughout the year, why not do the special reports during commercial time only?

 

[bigbrotherfan4ever]

I for one am glad they interrupt programming for severe weather especially tornadoes. If they just did a scroll then who is to say that the people are actually reading it. They go wall-to-wall to make sure lives are saved. If they didnt do that during tornadoes there may be more lives lost.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

I repeat, WKRG-TV and WPMI-TV each have digital sub-channels dedicated to weather and Comcast cable subscribers in Mobile have access to the Weather Channel.

The Weather Channel doesn't provide severe weather coverage. Its a rare day if you get more than a meteorologist standing in front of a national map saying "a tornado warning has been issued for Mobile. But in New York City, its sunny and 72 degrees"

Again, most people don't get these all-weather subchannels, so the main channel is where the information belongs.

What makes more sense is placing the regular programming on the subchannel when the main station is in wall-to-wall coverage.

 

[Nate Wesley]

I for one am glad they interrupt programming for severe weather especially tornadoes. If they just did a scroll then who is to say that the people are actually reading it. They go wall-to-wall to make sure lives are saved. If they didnt do that during tornadoes there may be more lives lost.

When most scrolls today are much more than simple black/white graphics imposed over the video, just how much inattention do you have to posess to miss most of them? Also, many if not most cable systems have their own connection to the local weather service. So even if you're watching TLC or Animal Planet, your show could be interrupted by an emergency weather bulletin.

There is actual public service being performed with the affiliate coverage, there's no doubt about that. But let's be honest--much of it is about ratings, promotion, and CYA to avoid nasty emails and calls ("Whycome ya'll didn't have the wethuh ree-potin' like Channel 3? My huntin' dog blew away and ya'll was still runnin' Kitchen Nightmares durin' the dang storm!").

If it were just about public service, we wouldn't get the predictable promos days later that back-pat their weather team and their over-hyped equipment: "Only one weather team had the Mega-Tracker 9000 and the largest sky-cam network in the state working to keep your family safe during last week's storms...Chip Wankerpole and the NBC 37 Weather Squad!"

 

[azumanga]

What makes more sense is placing the regular programming on the subchannel when the main station is in wall-to-wall coverage.

Which is what some stations actually do, in the event breaking weather occurs during a big television event, such as sports. In Labor Day 2004, when Tampa Bay got hit from the east by Hurricane Frances, WFTS ran Jerry Lewis' telethon on one of their subchannels (with no local hosts or operators, for obvious reasons), while the main channel continued with their weather coverage.

When most scrolls today are much more than simple black/white graphics imposed over the video, just how much inattention do you have to posess to miss most of them? Also, many if not most cable systems have their own connection to the local weather service. So even if you're watching TLC or Animal Planet, your show could be interrupted by an emergency weather bulletin.

And for good measure these days, many TV stations would play audio beeps or special music cues at the start of the ticker, making the announcement hard to miss. If the weather bulletin is provided by the Emergency Alert System (especially tornadoes), the only way to miss the warning is if the TV or radio were off.

 

[bigbrotherfan4ever]

I see your point but can those beeps tell you exactly where the possible tornado is and also tornadoes sometimes change paths quickly. If the tones and scrolls were constantly updated it wouldnt be a big deal but the information may be 15-20 minutes old on average. I like the idea of the regular programming on a substation. If I find that there are tornadoes around I dont want my local stations to act like its no big deal. Now for severe t-storm warnings an occasional break-in is all that is needed. Many times after a tornado hits I have heard the victims saying they took cover after watching the weather people covering it.

 

[azumanga]

I see your point but can those beeps tell you exactly where the possible tornado is and also tornadoes sometimes change paths quickly.

The main purpose of the audio cues is to get the viewer's attention, whether they are out of the room or thoroughly absorbed into the program.

 

[Mario500]

If it were just about public service, we wouldn't get the predictable promos days later that back-pat their weather team and their over-hyped equipment: "Only one weather team had the Mega-Tracker 9000 and the largest sky-cam network in the state working to keep your family safe during last week's storms...Chip Wankerpole and the NBC 37 Weather Squad!"

Yesterday WPMI-TV was airing promotions for the weather reports over the last few days. The station has been doing this very frequently, as WPMI-TV has been very aggressive since the termination of three news presenters in 2007 as a part of a plan to improve ratings.

Which is what some stations actually do, in the event breaking weather occurs during a big television event, such as sports. In Labor Day 2004, when Tampa Bay got hit from the east by Hurricane Frances, WFTS ran Jerry Lewis' telethon on one of their subchannels (with no local hosts or operators, for obvious reasons), while the main channel continued with their weather coverage.

WPMI-TV was going to have local hosts for last year's telethon broadcast on WJTC-TV, an independent station under the same ownership, but due to all the stations in the area reporting on a storm named "Gustav" that did not effect Mobile very much beyond rain, those plans changed on the night before the storm arrived in Louisiana. WJTC-TV still aired the Labor Day Telethon.

I usually don't mind non-stop weather reports before, during, and after tropical cyclones, but they just added to a Labor Day ruined for many folks due to the rain. WKRG-TV constantly interrupted CBS' tennis broadcast on that Labor Day to report on the storm, even though it never directly affected this area.

If you were to live in this broadcast area for a year, you would probably wish the local stations would change their ways in handling special weather reports and other programming practices, "NBC Nightly News" and "The CBS Evening News" are prone to interruptions by special weather reports, the weekend editions of ABC's "World News" haven't aired here in years, "Nightline" has aired at 10:30 PM or 11:00 PM over a 25-year period in favor of situation comedies or news, "World News Now" airs on tape-delay, WEAR-TV occasionally pre-empts an hour or two of prime-time programming for a syndicated movie or a local news special, and WPMI-TV muted or interrupted NBC's broadcast of the Olympic Games for stormy weather reports last year. All of this in addition to the constant weather reports all year makes for a TV market unlike any other. Weather seems to be the most exciting element of the Mobile-Pensacola TV market and longtime residents should be all ready for it, but the stations still treat most stormy weather like they do to tropical cyclones that actually threaten the area. Viewers eventually get tired of the constant reports and interruptions and depend on their own instincts when the weather gets rough

Sub-channels may be a good idea to serve all viewers during stormy weather, but these stations must do their best to serve all viewers as both a public service, a network affiliate, and a provider of syndicated programming. It's possible not to be a nuisance for all viewers and a helpful source of information for some viewers who need it.

 

[vibe]

Re: Severe Weather, DTV doesn't work!-A farfetched fix.

In the interest of public safety and serving the public why not 1 full power analog TV station in markets/ areas of the country prone to hurricanes, tornados, and the like?
Besides entertain, isn't one role of TV to inform? What good is advanced technology if that techology is a step back with regard to one's personal safety?
In times of severe weather a less than "perfect" analog signal is better than a "perfect" yet nonexistant digital one.
But that's is probaly an idealistic/farfetched idea. And probably too late.

 

[KeithE4]

Re: Severe Weather, DTV doesn't work!-A farfetched fix.

In the interest of public safety and serving the public why not 1 full power analog TV station in markets/ areas of the country prone to hurricanes, tornados, and the like?

Besides entertain, isn't one role of TV to inform? What good is advanced technology if that techology is a step back with regard to one's personal safety? In times of severe weather a less than "perfect" analog signal is better than a "perfect" yet nonexistant digital one.

But that's is probaly an idealistic/farfetched idea. And probably too late.

Once the analog sets die off in the next few years, there will be no need whatsoever for any form of analog service. Such a "disaster service" station would be better on radio anyway. Radio will remain analog for many years to come. Also, since portability would be important, radio would be better than TV.

 

[vibe]

But playing devil's advocate maybe a limited analog service (on 1 ch) could be justified (for 1-2 yrs)until the aforementioned problems with digital are worked out.

 

[Nate Wesley]

WPMI-TV was going to have local hosts for last year's telethon broadcast on WJTC-TV, an independent station under the same ownership, but due to all the stations in the area reporting on a storm named "Gustav" that did not effect Mobile very much beyond rain, those plans changed on the night before the storm arrived in Louisiana. WJTC-TV still aired the Labor Day Telethon.

I usually don't mind non-stop weather reports before, during, and after tropical cyclones, but they just added to a Labor Day ruined for many folks due to the rain. WKRG-TV constantly interrupted CBS' tennis broadcast on that Labor Day to report on the storm, even though it never directly affected this area.

If you were to live in this broadcast area for a year, you would probably wish the local stations would change their ways in handling special weather reports and other programming practices, "NBC Nightly News" and "The CBS Evening News" are prone to interruptions by special weather reports, the weekend editions of ABC's "World News" haven't aired here in years, "Nightline" has aired at 10:30 PM or 11:00 PM over a 25-year period in favor of situation comedies or news, "World News Now" airs on tape-delay, WEAR-TV occasionally pre-empts an hour or two of prime-time programming for a syndicated movie or a local news special, and WPMI-TV muted or interrupted NBC's broadcast of the Olympic Games for stormy weather reports last year. All of this in addition to the constant weather reports all year makes for a TV market unlike any other. Weather seems to be the most exciting element of the Mobile-Pensacola TV market and longtime residents should be all ready for it, but the stations still treat most stormy weather like they do to tropical cyclones that actually threaten the area. Viewers eventually get tired of the constant reports and interruptions and depend on their own instincts when the weather gets rough

Sub-channels may be a good idea to serve all viewers during stormy weather, but these stations must do their best to serve all viewers as both a public service, a network affiliate, and a provider of syndicated programming. It's possible not to be a nuisance for all viewers and a helpful source of information for some viewers who need it.

AMEN on your description of the interesting coverage that goes on in Southwest Alabama/Northwest Florida. I can't remember what early summer storm it was (sometime from 2003 to maybe 2006), but there was some tropical storm barely holding itself together that made its way to the Alabama portion of the gulf coast, and WKRG ran its same non-stop coverage as if were an actual Cat 2 or higher hurricane. I know it wasn't a threat because I ended up in Mobile that weekend, shopping at Bel Air Mall on a Saturday afternoon--which is right across the street from WKRG studios. It was nothing more than a rain-maker, and it barely doing that in the Mobile area!

 

[kenglish]

But playing devil's advocate maybe a limited analog service (on 1 ch) could be justified (for 1-2 yrs)until the aforementioned problems with digital are worked out.

As long as even ONE analog station remains on the air, no one will ever believe they need to fix anything. They'll continue to blame the Digital technology, instead of fixing their reception problems...."It works just fine on analog, so it must not be my antenna!".
Plus, will anyone know how to find the lone analog signal when it's needed? You would have to either program nothing (just an ID and color bars) on the "standby" analog station, or keep it turned off until needed in an emergency (and, hope it powers up when called upon). Stations would never go for the idea of "the competition" staying on the air in analog, while they turn theirs off (it happened here in SLC). No Cable company would keep a channel open just for it. No MATV system operator would assign it a channel (with the equipment expenses).

The FCC is hoping to have analog "nightlight" stations in each market, for a month or so after the switch. Having one analog station stay available is good, while stations do whatever antenna relocation and transmitter work they need to do. But, it would be unwise to expect something like that for more than a few weeks. They would just get lost in the shuffle.

 

[Tom Wells]

Returning to the idea expressed in the title, the real problem, particularly in areas subject to lots of lightning, is that digital decode is knocked senseless and silly by severe weather. We get pretty flawless digital reception into a new flatscreen Sony, with an attic antenna
7 miles from downtown Chicago antennas. But when strong, lightning-bearing storms are in the vicinity, they all break up and blank out over 50% of the time. The audio blanks, and it is impossible to get any meainingful information at a less-than 50% duty cycle.
As with most digital-vs-analog scenarios, the marketing people win out over engineering people.
I'd rather have something more reliable. What does it matter if there is a full time .2 or .3 weather digital TV channel, when the
technology itself is brought to its knees by the weather?
Here is another example of people being more impressed by the idea of something being digital than any other consideration.
When lives are at stake, it is foolish to be at the mercy of an unreliable technology.
We'll hear a lot more about this in the coming summer when DTV lets many people down at the worst possible time.
This would be a good time for someone to promote and sell lots of weather radios, and a golden opportunity for radio to
promote its reliability in bad weather. Even in the worst electrical storms, I have been able to get info from AM radio despite
the static crashes. It is time for the radio promotional folks to begin producing some spots that get the word out, if they are
the kind of stations that are prepared to take advantage of this opportunity.

 

[willcail]

1 Are the stations broadcasting their DTV signal on the VHF band? VHF is notorious for poor DTV broadcast.
2 What type of antenna are you using? Some passive antenna work within a 20 to 30 miles radius.
3 How far from your resident are the towers?
4 Are the local stations broadcasting their digital tower(s) at full power?

When Columbus Ohio have severe weather the DTV signals just fine Since WCMH, WBNS, WDEM, WTTE , WOSU. towers are located in the Columbus Ohio area and broadcast on the UHF band. So does WSJF and WWHO. The only staion thats an issue is WSYX since they broadcast their digital signal on VHF 13.

 

[tripinva]

I've only had a problem on the UHF digitals 79 miles out if the lightning is right over head, by which point I probably don't have power anyway, making the problem moot.

WBRA-DT 3 on low-VHF is useless if there's a thunderstorm within 50 miles of me, even if the skies are blue where I am.

- Trip

 

[vchimpanzee]

Re: Severe Weather, DTV doesn't work!-A farfetched fix.

In the interest of public safety and serving the public why not 1 full power analog TV station in markets/ areas of the country prone to hurricanes, tornados, and the like?
Besides entertain, isn't one role of TV to inform? What good is advanced technology if that techology is a step back with regard to one's personal safety?
In times of severe weather a less than "perfect" analog signal is better than a "perfect" yet nonexistant digital one.
But that's is probaly an idealistic/farfetched idea. And probably too late.

It's a good idea. I recommend this as a use for channels 2 through 5. Expand the FM band with channel 6.

I like the idea of a subchannel running regular programming.

Several stations in my area are excessive in their severe weather coverage. Two of the stations said in the paper they would only interrupt programming when ABSOLUTELY necessary. This is a good idea, because this constant coverage is actually dangerous. You'll say, "Oh, there they go again," and since it didn't amount to anything the last time they did it, except for a very few, you'll ignore it.

The other two stations admitted yes, they'll do the excessive coverage because it's needed. And I have no other option once digital TV gets here for NBC. The other station is ABC, but I have a digital ABC channel which doesn't even HAVE a news operation. Though when they do weather bulletins the sound goes out and is replaced with EBS. They should have a tone and a crawl like the rest of the world.