TBS Superstation no more

[jal41]

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/06/25/daily32.html

For those outside of Atlanta that have not heard, The local WTBS version of the cable TBS will be discontinued on October 1st, thus ending 30 years of the TBS Superstation. WTBS will become WPCH "Peachtree TV" (the callsign is significant, as it was the callsign of 94.9 FM here in Atlanta from 1975-2003. It is now on 96.5 FM in nearby Macon.) TBS will still be a cable network.

WGN will be the only superstation left.

 

[KML0224]

WPCH-TV channel 17? Will it be an independent station? Does this have anything to do with TBS being available in HD shortly?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Makes sense from a business standpoint, as it appears Atlanta cable/satellite viewers will get both TBS and WPCH.

Been 28 years since the call change from WTCG.

 

[KeithE4]

I'm guessing that this has something to do with the MLB division series games being carried on TBS cable starting this year, with Turner wanting to keep some Braves games on Channel 17 in Atlanta at the same time. I don't believe TBS was allowed by MLB to keep the Braves while carrying part of the MLB post-season at the same time.

 

[dgendvil]

Thank goodness channel 17 wanted to dump TBS for a long time because for ten, five years they hadn't been sort of a like a superstation from Atlanta. I'm glad the time has come.

 

[tothedj]

This comes as a surprise to me, i didn't know that the local WTBS was changing
it's call letters to WPCH-TV, which means they will become a independent and
TBS on cable will be added on metro Atlanta cable systems, i assume viewers
will see a different schedule than what's on right now.

 

[Ryokurin]

With the exception of a few changes mostly on weekend mornings the WTBS and TBS schedule was basically the same.

If you think about it, its more money and better ratings. Since technically they wasn't the same station you couldn't count WTBS viewers with TBS viewers in ratings thus TBS ratings were impacted by a million or so people, and at the same time since WTBS was over the air they really couldn't include it in package deals with cable providers as well.

 

[anotherguyTN]

What will be ironic is if WPCH becomes what the old WTBS used to be: a really good independent local station.

 

[MarkL]

It makes since from Time Warner's standpoint, especially since the Braves weren't going to be on that national TBS feed anymore.

Some people are also saying that Time Warner might be setting this up to turn around and sell WPCH eventually like they did with Turner South.

I wonder what channel the national TBS feed will end up on in Atlanta on Comcast. I believe the current WTBS is on channel 7, which will become WPCH. Are there any good channel positions left for the TBS national feed?

 

[DToTheJ]

Some people are also saying that Time Warner might be setting this up to turn around and sell WPCH eventually like they did with Turner South.

The irony here is, the OTA version appears to be evolving into a local version of the old Turner South!

 

[ropertex]

The irony here is, the OTA version appears to be evolving into a local version of the old Turner South!

That's something I'd love to see as a superstation. Since CBS ruined the Nashville Network and Turner South for some reason was banned from Texas and Louisiana, (part of the Confederacy!) there have been little Southern lifestyle programs available...(and Reba and Blue Collar TV were cancelled because they didn't fit CWs target demo, which apparently isn't white people in their 30s and 40s with families)

 

[MarcB]

I'm glad Reba got cancelled. While I was a fan of the show I felt the show had run its course. The last season was ho-hum compared to previous years.

 

[Braves2005]

I just wonder what type of programming the national feed of WPCH will offer. Hopefully not upteen reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld like they are doing now. I know that I will miss the Braves games immensely and that the only place that will have them on a national scale after next year will be ESPN, FOX, FOX Southwest if they are playing the Rangers or Astros or WGN when they play the Cubs or White Soxs.

 

[DToTheJ]

I just wonder what type of programming the national feed of WPCH will offer.

Actually, WPCH will have no national feed. Rather, they will operate locally as a separate feed from national TBS.

 

[Braves2005]

So will TBS still be called TBS on the national feed or will TBS go blank on cable systems after October 1st? I would rather see the Retro Television Network that everyone is talking about take over TBS's place on our cable system.

It is sort of confusing.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

I just wonder what type of programming the national feed of WPCH will offer. Hopefully not upteen reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld like they are doing now. I know that I will miss the Braves games immensely and that the only place that will have them on a national scale after next year will be ESPN, FOX, FOX Southwest if they are playing the Rangers or Astros or WGN when they play the Cubs or White Soxs.

Peachtree TV will retain some of TBS' more popular sitcoms but prime-time will consist of movies.

I just wonder what type of programming the national feed of WPCH will offer.

Actually, WPCH will have no national feed. Rather, they will operate locally as a separate feed from national TBS.

They're still a licensed superstation and can be carried nationwide though. So unless shows are syndexed out, WPCH-TV should be the same feed everywhere.

So will TBS still be called TBS on the national feed or will TBS go blank on cable systems after October 1st? I would rather see the Retro Television Network that everyone is talking about take over TBS's place on our cable system.

It is sort of confusing.

National TBS on cable will not change in any way.

 

[Jul]

AJC article: http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2007/06/28/0628bizturner.html

 

[upn38fan]

I'm confused. Will everyone in the country get WPCH as well as national TBS on Satellite like channels such as WSBK, WWOR and WPIX?

 

[RickRose]

People that pick-up channel 17 off the air or on Atlanta market cable will get the new Peachtree TV with the WPCH-TV call letters. TBS will no longer exist on an over the air Atlanta broadcast channel. TBS will become exclusively a cable network nationwide including Atlanta cable.

So everyone in America that can get TBS on cable/satellite now should continue to find it on cable/satellite. Atlanta market residents will no longer pick-up TBS free off the air because the local channel 17 will become Peachtree TV WPCH.

 

[TexasTom]

Some people are also saying that Time Warner might be setting this up to turn around and sell WPCH eventually like they did with Turner South.

I suspect that is a pretty good guess: one local TV station isn't really a good fit in a company that otherwise tends to have a national footprint. WPCH is most likely an attempt to boost the value of this station as a standalone operation so that they can get a better price when they sell it.

Wouldn't it be ironic if they ended up selling it back to Ted Turner? That's probably not a likely outcome (since there's been no indication that Ted Turner wants back into the business), but it's still an interesting thought.