Springfield, MA and Comcast Question

[KML0224]

I stayed over at the Sheraton in downtown Springfield, MA on Saturday night. While flipping through the channels on the dreaded LodgeNet service, I noticed something about the broadcast channels that they carried:

2- WGBY-TV (PBS) channel 57 Springfield
3- WSHM-LD (CBS) channel 21 Springfield [a.k.a. "CBS 3"]
4- WGGB-TV (ABC) channel 40 Springfield
5- WWLP-TV (NBC) channel 22 Springfield
6- WGGB-DT (FOX) channel 40-2 Springfield [a.k.a. "FOX 6"]
8- WBZ-TV (CBS) channel 4 Boston
10- WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 New Britain
13- WEDH-TV (PBS) channel 24 Hartford
14- WSBK-TV (IND) channel 38 Boston
18- WDMR-LP (TEL) channel 51 Springfield

I found it odd that both WVIT and WBZ were available on the system. I thought you really didn't have two of the same commercial networks on the analog band anymore? I didn't see anything getting blacked out on these two stations. ???

 

[BRNout]

Hmmm, that is interesting. When I last stayed at a hotel in that area (West Springfield, 2 years ago), the Residence Inn that I stayed at had Comcast which offered WVIT and WEDH in addition to the Springfield channels. Plus WSBK. There was no WBZ on that system. I found it odd that WVIT remained on the system and wasn't blacked out, but thats good for the subscribers to have the option.

I also noted how WSHM 3 had taken the place of long-time former "local" CBS station WFSB, which was a pity. A pity because I watched their news and it was amateur hour.

 

[BRNout]

Just checked Comcast's Springfield system and - very interesting - it has a different lineup than that of surrounding towns. Unlike West Springfield and Agawam across the river, WBZ is offered. And, unlike Chicopee where Charter offers up WCVB but not WBZ. Looks like a real hodgepodge of 'locals' offered in the Springfield area, depending on which town you're in.

 

[necrat123]

And, unlike Chicopee where Charter offers up WCVB but not WBZ. Looks like a real hodgepodge of 'locals' offered in the Springfield area, depending on which town you're in.

Charter in Chicopee doesn't offer WCVB. At least it didn't in 2007 when I last was there.
Unless they added it since then. Now that's not to say they don't have a different lineup from their systems between
Chicopee and Wilbraham (who may have it).

The only systems in Western Mass offering WCVB are the Time Warner systems in Berkshire County, Orange/Athol and the Comcast systems in Greenfield (Franklin County), and far eastern Hampden County (Brimfield, Holland Wales, Palmer, Monson)

Comcast in Springfield does indeed offer WBZ, but I believe in SD only. (Same with WFSB). For CBS HD, its WSHM's new HD offering.

 

[KML0224]

The "CBS 3" on the system did a double station ID. It said both "WSHM-LD Springfield" and "WFSB-DT 3-2 Hartford/New Haven". The TV was an old 27" Philips CRT tube TV, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[qunewsguy]

The "CBS 3" on the system did a double station ID. It said both "WSHM-LD Springfield" and "WFSB-DT 3-2 Hartford/New Haven". The TV was an old 27" Philips CRT tube TV, if I'm not mistaken.

There's nothing special or separate about the 3-2 feed. That's how Charter's head-end currently takes the SHM signal since the LP transmitter's so weak.

 

[probboy]

The only systems in Western Mass offering WCVB are the Time Warner systems in Berkshire County, Orange/Athol and the Comcast systems in Greenfield (Franklin County), and far eastern Hampden County (Brimfield, Holland Wales, Palmer, Monson)

Charter in Ludlow carries WCVB as channel 23. WFSB is carried as the HD CBS channel at 783 and CBS-3 (WSHM) is carried on channel 3.

FOX-6 (WGGB-2) is carried on channels 10 and 786. WTIC is carried at channel 261.

WWLP (as channels 6 and 787) and WVIT (as channel 9) are both carried.

So, in summary, this cable system carries two ABC affiliates, two FOX affiliates, two CBS affiliates, and two NBC affiliates, along with both the Springfield and Connecticut PBS stations.

It's a real mess.

 

[KML0224]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Ludlow still considered to be Hampden County, MA? Also, does this mean that out-of-market stations can be carried in HD, but the in-market station gets priority as to channel position and what not?

Do shows like Oprah get blacked out on WFSB and WCVB in Ludlow?

On an unrelated note, I noticed that Springfield's CW station is cable-only WBQT cable 16, while I didn't see MY anywhere (unlikely that Springfield or Ludlow would carry either WCTX from Connecticut or WZMY from New Hampshire).

 

[probboy]

Yes, Ludlow is part of Hampden county. The only out-of-market HD channel currently carried is WFSB. Has WSHM started broadcasting an HD signal off their new tower in Wilbraham yet? If so, I wonder if Charter will switch out the WFSB's HD feed for WSHM's.

WTCX is carried as channel 10 with no corresponding HD feed. Cable-only WBQT is carried as channel 13 (again, no corresponding HD feed). WZMY is not carried.

As far as I remember, programming on WCVB is not blackout when available on WGGB. Ditto for WTIC and WGGB-2. As a random aside, I wonder if carriage of WCVB was negotiated back when WGGB was owned by Sinclair. I know Sinclair plays hardball with cable companies, but I don't know if they ever threatened to pull WGGB off of Charter's Ludlow system.

WBZ used to be available on this system, but that ended at least a few years ago. I don't think WHDH has ever been carried.

 

[BRNout]

I've got relatives that live in Comcast's Palmer system and they get WBZ, WHDH, WCVB and WSBK - all in SD. Not totally sure what they're getting in HD, but I am pretty sure that WFSB is there and that none of the Boston stations are offered.

Looks like the people who get screwed out of Boston affiliates in that area are the ones in Comcast's Westfield and Holyoke systems - but at least they are offered WVIT from the Hartford market. Also, am I nuts or did they replace WCCT with WSBK on a lot of these systems? Seems like WSBK got bumped a few years ago, but now I see it in the listings again - and no channel 20 (which was offered at one time). Or am I nuts?

I do recall that WLVI and WPIX were on all of these systems long ago too, but that is ancient history.

 

[KML0224]

Looking at the Charter Cable lineup for Chicopee zip code 01013 just now, I didn't see WCVB-TV listed on either their analog or digital lineup.

 

[qunewsguy]

Little update on this thread: According to WSHM's Facebook page their HD signal finally replaced WFSB HD on all Charter systems today. They also replaced WFSB's "Eyewitness Now" with "CBS 3 Springfield Now".

 

[Adam Rivers]

As a life-long Chicopee resident, I can say the following -

On DirecTV (which we now have here), we still get HD programming from WFSB for CBS. At one point, we got it from WCBS, probably 2-3 years ago.

As far as Boston stations on cable here - WBZ was for much of the 90s/early 2000s, but got shut off somewhere in there due to a challenge from WFSB, IIRC. WLVI/56 was until WB 59 in New Haven signed on. When the Red Sox were on WABU/68, we had them here too. I do not recall WCVB or WHDH ever being on cable here.

WBZ just got on Springfield cable a few years back. I do not recall any other station besides Ch. 38 being on Springfield cable at any point in the past 10 years.

 

[BRNout]

As a life-long Chicopee resident, I can say the following -

On DirecTV (which we now have here), we still get HD programming from WFSB for CBS. At one point, we got it from WCBS, probably 2-3 years ago.

As far as Boston stations on cable here - WBZ was for much of the 90s/early 2000s, but got shut off somewhere in there due to a challenge from WFSB, IIRC. WLVI/56 was until WB 59 in New Haven signed on. When the Red Sox were on WABU/68, we had them here too. I do not recall WCVB or WHDH ever being on cable here.

WBZ just got on Springfield cable a few years back. I do not recall any other station besides Ch. 38 being on Springfield cable at any point in the past 10 years.

Charter cable apparently believes that you do get WCVB in Chicopee - as channel 23. However, I will make a caveat to that comment (as you live there and I don't): I recall living in Concord, NH and expecting to have WNNE-31 (NBC) on my cable. Well, everyone else in our system outside of the City of Concord did while we had a (24/7) municipal channel plopped in their place. Yet Comcast and Zap2it insisted that we had it.

Perhaps that is the situation in Chicopee because even your system insists that you have WCVB, as does Zap2It. Tune to channel 23 at 7:30 and see if Chronicle is there. I'd be interested to know because comments in this thread disagree with those other sources.

 

[Adam Rivers]

Unfortunately, I know longer have Charter -- I will ask someone else and find out. I would be very surprised if WCVB was on our local cable in Chicopee....as WTNH was the only other ABC that ever was.

 

[necrat123]

Adam is correct on this one, folks.

Charter Cable in Chicopee does not carry WCVB.

The Charter system serving Ludlow and Wilbraham might, but the Chicopee system definatley does NOT carry WCVB.

The Charter systems in Berkshire County carries it.

 

[BRNout]

Adam is correct on this one, folks.

Charter Cable in Chicopee does not carry WCVB.

The Charter system serving Ludlow and Wilbraham might, but the Chicopee system definatley does NOT carry WCVB.

The Charter systems in Berkshire County carries it.

Check their website Necrat; they claim that they do have it. So, if they don't, why would they list an incorrect lineup? It would be interesting if someone who has access to that system would tell us what is on channel 23 - because that's where Charter claims that WCVB is.

I do know that they do offer it over in Ludlow, but that's a different Charter system. My relatives in nearby Monson (who have Comcast) get Boston channels 4, 5 and 7 - FWIW.