"The Tube" on Tribune DTV Multicasting

[EricStein]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this, but upstart music video network The Tube is expanding its footprint this summer to include multicasts on Tribune's DTV stations. Raycom had been the only station group doing this until this week's announcement.

I'm hoping that some non-Tribune, non-Raycom markets (including my home market of Phoenix) do the same, from what I've heard about The Tube's programming.

MEDIAWEEK: Tribune Stations to Carry The Tube

 

[Tom_Desmond]

> I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this, but upstart
> music video network The Tube is expanding its footprint this
> summer to include multicasts on Tribune's DTV stations.
> Raycom had been the only station group doing this until this
> week's announcement.

Now this is great news...I've been wanting to see this network, and since I'm in a Tribune market (KDAF in Dallas/Fort Worth), it looks like I'm in luck.

But I hope that Tribune will use this as an opportunity to do an equipment upgrade...the MPEG encoder that they're using for their digital HD broadcasts locally is not very good, and if they try to multicast another channel without an upgrade, I'm afraid the results might not be pleasant to look at.

 

[Radiogeek500]

Re: The Box Version 2.0: Music you control in the new century.

That's what this new network pretty much looks to be.

I'm just wondering, how well did the Box do with a PPV strategy for music videos? Must have done so well for MTV to buy them out in 2000 and thus put MTV2 on there in place.<P ID="signature">______________
Happy 20th Birthday Power 106

JOSH, Moderating the whole Radio-Info radio state of California and Indiana too!

www.myspace.com/radiogeek500</P>

 

[JeremyAndrews]

> I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this, but upstart
> music video network The Tube is expanding its footprint this
> summer to include multicasts on Tribune's DTV stations.
> Raycom had been the only station group doing this until this
> week's announcement.
>
> I'm hoping that some non-Tribune, non-Raycom markets
> (including my home market of Phoenix) do the same, from what
> I've heard about The Tube's programming.
>
> MEDIAWEEK: Tribune Stations to Carry The Tube
>
WGN Chicago had it on their DT-2 for a couple days a while back. Guess they were just testing it.<P ID="signature">______________

</P>

 

[EricStein]

> Now this is great news...I've been wanting to see this
> network, and since I'm in a Tribune market (KDAF in
> Dallas/Fort Worth), it looks like I'm in luck.
>
> But I hope that Tribune will use this as an opportunity to
> do an equipment upgrade...the MPEG encoder that they're
> using for their digital HD broadcasts locally is not very
> good, and if they try to multicast another channel without
> an upgrade, I'm afraid the results might not be pleasant to
> look at.

I have a feeling that there will be some confusion in Houston when KHWB starts multicasting The Tube. There's already a station with that nickname broadcasting on Channel 55.

 

[Mediafrog]

> I have a feeling that there will be some confusion in
> Houston when KHWB starts multicasting The Tube. There's
> already a station with that nickname broadcasting on Channel 55.

And KTBU/55 has had that moniker since sign-on in 1998. However the station is in the process of being sold to a group that also owns America One Television, so a name change might be in the works.

But yes, being in Houston that's the first thing I thought of when I saw news of the Tribune deal.