Sony Launches "Get-TV" Diginet This Fall

[Poledo]

I think/thought that WTXL was owned by a group out of Sarasota.
Interesting story with that station. It used to be involved a JSA (joint sales agreement), managed and run out of the Sinclair studios in Tallahassee. Sinclair suddenly and unexpectedly cancelled this agreement and WTXL had to scramble to stay on the air. They brought in some out of market management and leased space and facilities from PBS WFSU to keep going while they built a new station in Tallahassee.
This all happened while stations were upgrading to HD. Sinclair's WTWC NBC in Tallahassee has no local news, they get news inserts from WEAR in Pensacola. WTWC also doesn't have the equipment to broadcast syndicated programming or local commercials in full 16x9 HD.

Just another example of how Sinclair plays dirty and operates cheap.

 

[vchimpanzee]

which is less needed as the analog sets hooked up to converter boxes are disappearing

I don't know. I still have my two.

 

[Mediafrog+]

In Houston Get-TV will be carried on the .2 of UniMas KFTH, which is a full-power Univision O&O.

 

[radiotower40]

Can we assume this is the absolute final nail in the coffin for the never-launched .2 Network, which had the Sony movie package as its linchpin? The website for that network is 404'ing after six years of 'coming soon' even as every TV and film package they claimed went off to Me, Antenna, This, Movies!, Cozi, etc.

That could have been said as well when Tribune launched Antenna TV two years ago with Sony's films and TV shows. .2 also had rights to NBCUniversal and Disney content, NBCUniversal's TV shows are now shared between Me-TV and Antenna TV, though only Me carries films from the Universal library (only as part of their Svengoolie B-movie showcase). Even though The Walt Disney Company owns a digital subchannel network, Live Well (which doesn't carry any scripted and doubtfully any unscripted content produced by the Mouse House), Disney's film and television library is nowhere to be found on any of the diginets, or the Warner Bros. film and TV library for that matter (Warner seems to be the only holdout in providing program content for the diginets).

You have a good idea with Disney. I hope they read what you read. They should do a Radio Disney type of station on TV. They can run Disney movies, maybe they would sell less physical product, it could also go the other way by selling it "The Time Life Way" in half hour or hour infomercial's. Run some of the ABC comedy's that have run their course on Disney Famiy, hock the parks and resorts, even the AM Radio Disney stations could get some mention.

Even if they run this as more of an advertising arm than a profit making station per se, they could have a roi with all the products and things in the Disney portfolio. They could even do some ESPN for kids stuff and possibly run games in times of overlap.

Do you think this could work as business model? I know they think that LivWell is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and ending it or curtailing it would be saying livWell is a flop but isn't obvious it is?

I use an antenna and I deleted the .2 on my convertor, there is nothing I would watch on there. I really have never met a soul who watches this channel. We already have Create and Prime on PBS, I do watch those on occasion to catch a Frontline I missed or for Rudy Maxa, Burt Wolfe and Rick Steves.

LivWell really offers nothing, the Disney brand could only gain positive exposure from it and inportantly it could be aimed at families as a unit, not just kids. It would be nice to have dig- net like this. I can't see why they keep LivWel going. Does it make them any money? I know I'm very critical of LivWell but what's the point? Its awful.

 

[dave73]

Can we assume this is the absolute final nail in the coffin for the never-launched .2 Network, which had the Sony movie package as its linchpin? The website for that network is 404'ing after six years of 'coming soon' even as every TV and film package they claimed went off to Me, Antenna, This, Movies!, Cozi, etc.

That could have been said as well when Tribune launched Antenna TV two years ago with Sony's films and TV shows. .2 also had rights to NBCUniversal and Disney content, NBCUniversal's TV shows are now shared between Me-TV and Antenna TV, though only Me carries films from the Universal library (only as part of their Svengoolie B-movie showcase). Even though The Walt Disney Company owns a digital subchannel network, Live Well (which doesn't carry any scripted and doubtfully any unscripted content produced by the Mouse House), Disney's film and television library is nowhere to be found on any of the diginets, or the Warner Bros. film and TV library for that matter (Warner seems to be the only holdout in providing program content for the diginets).

You have a good idea with Disney. I hope they read what you read. They should do a Radio Disney type of station on TV. They can run Disney movies, maybe they would sell less physical product, it could also go the other way by selling it "The Time Life Way" in half hour or hour infomercial's. Run some of the ABC comedy's that have run their course on Disney Famiy, hock the parks and resorts, even the AM Radio Disney stations could get some mention.

Even if they run this as more of an advertising arm than a profit making station per se, they could have a roi with all the products and things in the Disney portfolio. They could even do some ESPN for kids stuff and possibly run games in times of overlap.

Do you think this could work as business model? I know they think that LivWell is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and ending it or curtailing it would be saying livWell is a flop but isn't obvious it is?

I use an antenna and I deleted the .2 on my convertor, there is nothing I would watch on there. I really have never met a soul who watches this channel. We already have Create and Prime on PBS, I do watch those on occasion to catch a Frontline I missed or for Rudy Maxa, Burt Wolfe and Rick Steves.

LivWell really offers nothing, the Disney brand could only gain positive exposure from it and inportantly it could be aimed at families as a unit, not just kids. It would be nice to have dig- net like this. I can't see why they keep LivWel going. Does it make them any money? I know I'm very critical of LivWell but what's the point? Its awful.

I wouldn't mind seeing Livewell Network go away. Overall, there's nothing worth watching on it. My Aunt Dawn can't even stand to watch the channel. It would be nice if there were Disney movies & TV shows available on a diginetwork, but I don't see Walt Disney doing it. They seem to like their stuff being on pay TV. If you also think about it, their movies & Blu-ray & DVD are expensive, compared to movies from other movie studios. They also make most of them available for a limited time every 7 years. I'm just glad that Emily Barr is no longer with ABC, as she was the mastermind behind the Livewell Network, & Chicago's own Windy City Live. I don't know what it would take to see Livewell Network to go away, but at least Windy City Live might go away, since WLS-TV is picking up Live with Kelly & Michael in September.