-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
TV Markets that never "QUITE" made it
- Thread starter Markxxx
- Start date
Re: TV Markets that never \
...in the early days, there was Oshkosh-Fox Cities, Wisconsin, with NBC on WOSH-TV/48 and ABC on WNAM-TV/42. With its usual incompetence, WOSH became a joke from day one -- you literally could see the tower beacon further than you could recieve the signal -- but WNAM was able to generate enough of an audience that it eventually was able to switch to Channel 5 circa 1955 and switch its call sign to WFRV. The remnants of WOSH-TV were moved up to Marinette, Wisconsin, and used to put WMBV/11 (also an NBC affiliate) on the air there. Eventually, both WFRV and WMBV moved to Green Bay, where they're now the CBS and Fox affiliates. There was also KFIZ-TV/34 in Fond du Lac, pretty much equal distances from both Milwaukee and Green Bay, that made a go of it in the late '60s and early '70s, but its owners decided to turn the license back to the FCC after failing to find a buyer when they sold their other Fond du Lac media properties. Nowadays, there's WACY/32, the MyTV affiliate licensed to Appleton, but they operate out of the studios and offices of the current NBC affiliate in Green Bay, and WWAZ/68 in Fond du Lac, which Pappas still doesn't seem to know what to do with (it was announced to be going from FamilyNet to Aztec America two years ago -- has it?), with their transmitter in Mayville, well to the south...
...in the early days, there was Oshkosh-Fox Cities, Wisconsin, with NBC on WOSH-TV/48 and ABC on WNAM-TV/42. With its usual incompetence, WOSH became a joke from day one -- you literally could see the tower beacon further than you could recieve the signal -- but WNAM was able to generate enough of an audience that it eventually was able to switch to Channel 5 circa 1955 and switch its call sign to WFRV. The remnants of WOSH-TV were moved up to Marinette, Wisconsin, and used to put WMBV/11 (also an NBC affiliate) on the air there. Eventually, both WFRV and WMBV moved to Green Bay, where they're now the CBS and Fox affiliates. There was also KFIZ-TV/34 in Fond du Lac, pretty much equal distances from both Milwaukee and Green Bay, that made a go of it in the late '60s and early '70s, but its owners decided to turn the license back to the FCC after failing to find a buyer when they sold their other Fond du Lac media properties. Nowadays, there's WACY/32, the MyTV affiliate licensed to Appleton, but they operate out of the studios and offices of the current NBC affiliate in Green Bay, and WWAZ/68 in Fond du Lac, which Pappas still doesn't seem to know what to do with (it was announced to be going from FamilyNet to Aztec America two years ago -- has it?), with their transmitter in Mayville, well to the south...
Re: TV Markets that never \
I grew up in New Britain (pre cable) and cannot figure out how Hartford-New Haven (CT) could have been part of the same market. We lived in a low area of town and despite a deep fringe VHF antenna on top of a 3 story house, it was not possible to get a perfect picture from a "local market" station, Channel 8 New Haven. Of course all we had to do was to turn the antenna,a 4 bay bow for UHF, toward Holyoke to receive a very clear out of market ABC on Channel 40.
Cape Cod should have had it's own market as receiving Boston or Providence is possible but usually with a deep fringe antenna, possibly w/ an amp.
I grew up in New Britain (pre cable) and cannot figure out how Hartford-New Haven (CT) could have been part of the same market. We lived in a low area of town and despite a deep fringe VHF antenna on top of a 3 story house, it was not possible to get a perfect picture from a "local market" station, Channel 8 New Haven. Of course all we had to do was to turn the antenna,a 4 bay bow for UHF, toward Holyoke to receive a very clear out of market ABC on Channel 40.
Cape Cod should have had it's own market as receiving Boston or Providence is possible but usually with a deep fringe antenna, possibly w/ an amp.
K
KML0224
Guest
Re: TV Markets that never
Vibe, I'm in New Britain, CT as well (9 miles southwest of Hartford for reference). Was analog channel 8 at the same power level then that they are now? I'm at the bottom of Walnut Hill, south of the Hospital Of Central Connecticut (what it's now called). I get analog channel 8 just fine. They transmit about 174,000 watts visual from Madmere Mountain in Hamden, CT. Thanks to Walnut Hill, I only get a decent picture of analog channel 3 from Hartford. I can't get a usuable signal of anything else from Avon Mountain (including digital and low power stations).
For reference, I lived in the east end of New Britain 15 years ago. At that place, I used to get channels 18 and 24 just fine (18 was forced off the air a couple of weeks after I moved in). WWLP-TV (NBC) channel 22 of Springfield, MA came in just fine from their Provin Mountain site in Agawam, MA. I used to get a snowy but still-watchable signal of WGGB-TV (ABC) channel 40 from Springfield, MA. WGBY-TV (PBS) channel 57 of Springfield, like WGGB-TV, also transmits from Mount Tom in Holyoke, MA, very visable from Interstate 91.
As a kid, I can barely remember channel 20 as WATR-TV, a secondary NBC affiliate for the Naugatuck River Valley, since WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain/Hartford, didn't have the same reach then as they do now. Soon after they upped their power, WATR-TV became redundant and then became WTXX-TV channel 20, an independent station.
As for cable, I'm certain it was United Cable when we first had it installed here in April of 1981. In-market stations carried at that time were channels 3, 8, 18, 20, 24 and 30. (Channel 61 came in 1984, channel 26 came in 1986 and channel 59 came in 1995.) We also had WWOR, WPIX and WSBK. We may also have had WWLP from Springfield, but I'm not sure.
Vibe, I'm in New Britain, CT as well (9 miles southwest of Hartford for reference). Was analog channel 8 at the same power level then that they are now? I'm at the bottom of Walnut Hill, south of the Hospital Of Central Connecticut (what it's now called). I get analog channel 8 just fine. They transmit about 174,000 watts visual from Madmere Mountain in Hamden, CT. Thanks to Walnut Hill, I only get a decent picture of analog channel 3 from Hartford. I can't get a usuable signal of anything else from Avon Mountain (including digital and low power stations).
For reference, I lived in the east end of New Britain 15 years ago. At that place, I used to get channels 18 and 24 just fine (18 was forced off the air a couple of weeks after I moved in). WWLP-TV (NBC) channel 22 of Springfield, MA came in just fine from their Provin Mountain site in Agawam, MA. I used to get a snowy but still-watchable signal of WGGB-TV (ABC) channel 40 from Springfield, MA. WGBY-TV (PBS) channel 57 of Springfield, like WGGB-TV, also transmits from Mount Tom in Holyoke, MA, very visable from Interstate 91.
As a kid, I can barely remember channel 20 as WATR-TV, a secondary NBC affiliate for the Naugatuck River Valley, since WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain/Hartford, didn't have the same reach then as they do now. Soon after they upped their power, WATR-TV became redundant and then became WTXX-TV channel 20, an independent station.
As for cable, I'm certain it was United Cable when we first had it installed here in April of 1981. In-market stations carried at that time were channels 3, 8, 18, 20, 24 and 30. (Channel 61 came in 1984, channel 26 came in 1986 and channel 59 came in 1995.) We also had WWOR, WPIX and WSBK. We may also have had WWLP from Springfield, but I'm not sure.
Re: TV Markets that never \
K.L. I was in one of the lowest sections of New Britain on High St (an oxymoron) but we lived in a 3 family. With a deep fringe antenna and only 30 mi or so to New Haven, Ch 8 was still tough. I never thought of TV markets when watching the much clearer, out of market station in Springfield,MA just that we were lucky to have a better choice/option.
Prob off topic but it was possible to get only 1-2 stations OR 15-20 stations from many different markets depending on where you lived in town, probably doesn't happen that much in other areas of the country.
K.L. I was in one of the lowest sections of New Britain on High St (an oxymoron) but we lived in a 3 family. With a deep fringe antenna and only 30 mi or so to New Haven, Ch 8 was still tough. I never thought of TV markets when watching the much clearer, out of market station in Springfield,MA just that we were lucky to have a better choice/option.
Prob off topic but it was possible to get only 1-2 stations OR 15-20 stations from many different markets depending on where you lived in town, probably doesn't happen that much in other areas of the country.
Re: TV Markets that never \
Eastern and southern New Mexico has always made me wonder if they could be a serperate market someday or were meant to be maybe. KRWG in Las Cruces and KENW in Portales are their own PBS stations, although KRWG is considered to be part of El Paso, and KENW seems to be in-between Albuquerque and Amarillo, maybe even Lubbock?
KSWS in Roswell, was a satellite of a Lubbock many moons ago. However, as I understand it, they parted ways, and KSWS was it's own entity. However, KOB would make the station a satellite, renaming the station KOBR. Thus today, except for the PBS stations I mentioned above and KRPV, a religious station, all stations in New Mexico outside of Albuquerque/Santa Fe are satellites.
Eastern and southern New Mexico has always made me wonder if they could be a serperate market someday or were meant to be maybe. KRWG in Las Cruces and KENW in Portales are their own PBS stations, although KRWG is considered to be part of El Paso, and KENW seems to be in-between Albuquerque and Amarillo, maybe even Lubbock?
KSWS in Roswell, was a satellite of a Lubbock many moons ago. However, as I understand it, they parted ways, and KSWS was it's own entity. However, KOB would make the station a satellite, renaming the station KOBR. Thus today, except for the PBS stations I mentioned above and KRPV, a religious station, all stations in New Mexico outside of Albuquerque/Santa Fe are satellites.
K
KML0224
Guest
Re: TV Markets that never
People, High Street isn't exactly top priority in Hard Hittin' New Britain, CT. As for the variety, he's not kidding! Parts of this city's south end gets blocked from Avon Mountain and/or Springfield, MA (like I do). Anyway, it's just that we're close enough to Springfield, MA to where we should receive their 3 UHF stations (22, 40 and 57). They rely on us (Hartford/New Haven) for FOX, Univision and, until recently, CBS. How close are Hartford and Springfield? Bradley International Airport is between the two for a good reason (in Windsor Locks, CT). :
vibe said:
People, High Street isn't exactly top priority in Hard Hittin' New Britain, CT. As for the variety, he's not kidding! Parts of this city's south end gets blocked from Avon Mountain and/or Springfield, MA (like I do). Anyway, it's just that we're close enough to Springfield, MA to where we should receive their 3 UHF stations (22, 40 and 57). They rely on us (Hartford/New Haven) for FOX, Univision and, until recently, CBS. How close are Hartford and Springfield? Bradley International Airport is between the two for a good reason (in Windsor Locks, CT). :
- Status