TIME WARNER CABLE DROPPING WSBK-38

[rjoc]

I noticed in recent "Legal Notices" of Bangor Daily News, in the Time Warner ads, and also confirmed on their website, the Bangor/Ellsworth/Mount Desert Island system will be dropping WSBK-TV38 from Boston. It is presently on Channel 10. I wonder what they wil replace it with? Anybody heard??

Suggestion: Add CTV (or Global) from Saint John, NB. I like having CBMT-CBC from Montreal, but wonder why they don't get the CBC from New Brunswick? It's closer, and there is a lot of Maine/New Brunswick news which effects us here in Eastern Maine, more than Montreal news.

 

[w9wi]

I noticed in recent "Legal Notices" of Bangor Daily News, in the Time Warner ads, and also confirmed on their website, the Bangor/Ellsworth/Mount Desert Island system will be dropping WSBK-TV38 from Boston. It is presently on Channel 10. I wonder what they wil replace it with? Anybody heard??

Suggestion: Add CTV (or Global) from Saint John, NB. I like having CBMT-CBC from Montreal, but wonder why they don't get the CBC from New Brunswick? It's closer, and there is a lot of Maine/New Brunswick news which effects us here in Eastern Maine, more than Montreal news.

Due to exclusivity rules, they'd have to block Canadian stations whenever they're running a program for which a Bangor station has the rights. They'd be blocking CTV/Global most of the time...

 

[Mainedude2007]

I noticed in recent "Legal Notices" of Bangor Daily News, in the Time Warner ads, and also confirmed on their website, the Bangor/Ellsworth/Mount Desert Island system will be dropping WSBK-TV38 from Boston. It is presently on Channel 10. I wonder what they wil replace it with? Anybody heard??

i think they're actually on 11 (10 is the low power Fox station)...I bet they just shuffle something in (like move CBC down or put a shoppinh channel there, they already have 4 public access channels). I tihnk they're also dropping 'SBK from the Augusta system too

 

[rjoc]

You're right WSBK is on Cable Channel 11, The CW (WABI DT2) is on 10. WFVX-LPTV (Fox-22) in on 4. Shows how often I watch them!

Also, point well-taken about exclusivity. Was comparing the CTV line-up in the weekend TV listings with the Bangor listings, and there is a LOT of overlap. I trust the exclusivity agreements apply to adjoining Canadian stations and markets, as well as US.

But I hope TimeWarner will come up with something besides another shopping network for that channel.

 

[Whale]

Can Canadian channels be picked up in that area of Maine via aerial?

 

[rjoc]

Yes, over extreme eastern Maine, Washington County (from about Jonesport and Machias on east to the border.) CBC on Channel 4 and CTV on Channel 9 transmit from Mount Champlain, between Saint John and Fredericton, NB and puts out a good signal into Washington County Maine. Even here on Mount Desert Island, with a good antenna/booster and some tropo skip they can be picked up. (I haven't tried recently though)
Lots of non-cable/non-satellite households in extreme Eastern Maine (Eastport, Lubec, Calais area) still have antennas beamed east to pick them up. Bangor stations are pretty much gone, although WABI-TV5 and WLBZ2 have UHF translators on Channel 57/61 transmitting form Meddybemps, near Calais. The only other off-air station in extreme eastern Maine is Maine Public Broadcasting's WMED tv on Channel 13. That puts out a good signal thru all of DownEast Maine, and Southwestern New Brunswick.

 

[w9wi]

Yes, over extreme eastern Maine, Washington County (from about Jonesport and Machias on east to the border.) CBC on Channel 4 and CTV on Channel 9 transmit from Mount Champlain, between Saint John and Fredericton, NB and puts out a good signal into Washington County Maine. Even here on Mount Desert Island, with a good antenna/booster and some tropo skip they can be picked up. (I haven't tried recently though)
Lots of non-cable/non-satellite households in extreme Eastern Maine (Eastport, Lubec, Calais area) still have antennas beamed east to pick them up. Bangor stations are pretty much gone, although WABI-TV5 and WLBZ2 have UHF translators on Channel 57/61 transmitting form Meddybemps, near Calais. The only other off-air station in extreme eastern Maine is Maine Public Broadcasting's WMED tv on Channel 13. That puts out a good signal thru all of DownEast Maine, and Southwestern New Brunswick.

And it looks like WABI and WLBZ care about coverage there as they have permits to convert the translators to digital. Channel 57 to digital channel 8, and channel 61 to digital channel 42.

I wonder if those stations are on cable in Canada? In most of Canada, the U.S. signals carried are received by satellite -- but only a few U.S. markets are on their bird. If WLBZ and WABI were on cable in N.B., the Canadian cable systems would have to pick them up off-air.

 

[necrat123]

Wow WSBK really is no longer the New England superstation I guess. It's not on the cable here in RI., and it was recently dropped off the cable plants in Berkshire County too.

 

[pqgeorge]

Wow WSBK really is no longer the New England superstation I guess. It's not on the cable here in RI., and it was recently dropped off the cable plants in Berkshire County too.

It's a shame, really. WSBK-TV was THE Superstation for New England and beyond. While living in the Berkshires in the late 70's (in Great Barrington), I knew that WSBK-TV was the station everybody wanted to get, due to their excellent Bruins and Red Sox sports coverage. At the time I was a transplanted Boston area kid who was pleased as punch in seeing "something from home". Prior to that, the WSBK Bruins and Red Sox coverage was aired on WRLP-TV, Channel 32 in Greenfield, MA. Many cable systems throughout New England and New York went to great lengths to add Channel 32 to their lineup. However, when that station signed-off in 1978, a lot of red tape had to be dealt with in order for WSBK to be fed to cable systems outside of the Boston area. Eventually, WSBK was added to the Great Barrington, MA cable system (at great expense) via a long haul microwave link. It was no easy chore, especially when the FCC and the local governments were involved.

 

[rjoc]

Yes, over extreme eastern Maine, Washington County (from about Jonesport and Machias on east to the border.) CBC on Channel 4 and CTV on Channel 9 transmit from Mount Champlain, between Saint John and Fredericton, NB and puts out a good signal into Washington County Maine. Even here on Mount Desert Island, with a good antenna/booster and some tropo skip they can be picked up. (I haven't tried recently though)
Lots of non-cable/non-satellite households in extreme Eastern Maine (Eastport, Lubec, Calais area) still have antennas beamed east to pick them up. Bangor stations are pretty much gone, although WABI-TV5 and WLBZ2 have UHF translators on Channel 57/61 transmitting form Meddybemps, near Calais. The only other off-air station in extreme eastern Maine is Maine Public Broadcasting's WMED tv on Channel 13. That puts out a good signal thru all of DownEast Maine, and Southwestern New Brunswick.

And it looks like WABI and WLBZ care about coverage there as they have permits to convert the translators to digital. Channel 57 to digital channel 8, and channel 61 to digital channel 42.

I wonder if those stations are on cable in Canada? In most of Canada, the U.S. signals carried are received by satellite -- but only a few U.S. markets are on their bird. If WLBZ and WABI were on cable in N.B., the Canadian cable systems would have to pick them up off-air.

WLBZ was carried on Rogers cable over much of New Brunswick, including Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton until about 4 years ago, when their Calais/Meddybemps translator went on the fritz. Rogers needed to get some NBC programming, so rather than wait for WLBZ to come back on, they went to satellite and picked up WHDH Boston. They have been there ever since. I don't know if the NB subscribers complained about losing WLBZ, but apparently not loud enough for any changes by Rogers. Thier NBC is still WHDH.

WLBZ (and WABI) is still carried on a couple of Rogers systems closest to the border, Saint Stephen, Saint Andrews, and Campobello Island and within range of the translator. I believe WLBZ is also carried on the system on Grand Manan Island, but not WABI.

MPBN PBS is carried over most, if not all systems in NB. I believe some systems get the feed from WMEM Presque Isle and others from WMED Calais.