-
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 One Enlists FCC To Take Aim Against Urban Television
- Thread starter robmadden1
- Start date
For those not wishing to read the whole article:
TV One is a Black-targeted cable television network, who claims that allowing both ION and Urban Television must-carry status would open a floodgate of such requests, and eventually squeeze out minority-targeted and other niche networks because the bandwidth would have to be used for must-carry stations.
TV One is a Black-targeted cable television network, who claims that allowing both ION and Urban Television must-carry status would open a floodgate of such requests, and eventually squeeze out minority-targeted and other niche networks because the bandwidth would have to be used for must-carry stations.
I'm not sure why Ion/UrbanTV feels it needs the special FCC mandate it seeks. Last I checked, Ion Television still reaches most of the country through terrestrial broadcasting (licensed by the feds) and through slots on cable & satellite TV. And those Ion-owned stations were the first to utilize the multicasting capability of DTV. Just because Ion Television itself isn't highly rated doesn't mean they don't have access to TV viewing households.
Besides, the last thing the world needs is another stereotype-fueling network founded by a low-rent profiteer like Bob Johnson.
Besides, the last thing the world needs is another stereotype-fueling network founded by a low-rent profiteer like Bob Johnson.
Nate Wesley said:
Because what UrbanTV wants to do is to have one of Ion's subchannels in each market designated as, in effect, a brand-new separate station entitled to its own must-carry rights on basic cable independent of the "parent" Ion station. It's a pretty major precedent to be setting.
The more I think about this, it might be a reasonable request, if and only if, stations that elect such "multicast must-carry" would have to give up all analog must-carry rights. That is, all subchannels would be carried, but only in the FCC-mandated "Clear QAM" digital format.
I have a suspicion though that what they really want is for the FCC to give them analog must-carry rights. That represents a much greater burden to cable/satellite providers, IMO.
I have a suspicion though that what they really want is for the FCC to give them analog must-carry rights. That represents a much greater burden to cable/satellite providers, IMO.
Most stations don't want to give up analog must-carry. They want equal access to what the big network affiliates get. You think about it, if in a big market of 15 broadcast TV, as a station you get on lifeline cable, so you have a 1:25 chance someone will view (lifeline includes broadcast, CSPAN and PEG channels), and full basic, maybe 1:65.
Going digital only, station is on the dial with hundreds of channels, and cable co. can put you in between international alacarte channels and PPVs. Fios and the sat companies however map locals together by themselves without cable channels in between.
One station I know that gave up analog must-carry is is KFTY 50. They were on CH.10 in Santa Rosa Comcast; They signed a deal with the devil and now are on Comcast on Ch.199 throughout the Bay Area to reach more households, but they are not in analog cable in their home county! But from what I hear Clear Channel cut out all the newscasts and the station wasn't much more of a station.
Comcast also makes it difficult for rimshot stations to get full DMA must-carry, without concessions apparently, though Fios is making it easy. (Fios is all digital, and isn't involved in selling local ad time like Comcast, so they would rather just build up the channel count). Satellite by no choice does full DMA must-carry.
Satellite of course gets screwed, the most, if they are required to carry subchannels.
Regarding TV One, I missed it when they used to carry 227 reruns. Now, they carry reruns that are mostly seen on other stations or shows that were on other cable/broadcast not too long ago.
Going digital only, station is on the dial with hundreds of channels, and cable co. can put you in between international alacarte channels and PPVs. Fios and the sat companies however map locals together by themselves without cable channels in between.
One station I know that gave up analog must-carry is is KFTY 50. They were on CH.10 in Santa Rosa Comcast; They signed a deal with the devil and now are on Comcast on Ch.199 throughout the Bay Area to reach more households, but they are not in analog cable in their home county! But from what I hear Clear Channel cut out all the newscasts and the station wasn't much more of a station.
Comcast also makes it difficult for rimshot stations to get full DMA must-carry, without concessions apparently, though Fios is making it easy. (Fios is all digital, and isn't involved in selling local ad time like Comcast, so they would rather just build up the channel count). Satellite by no choice does full DMA must-carry.
Satellite of course gets screwed, the most, if they are required to carry subchannels.
Regarding TV One, I missed it when they used to carry 227 reruns. Now, they carry reruns that are mostly seen on other stations or shows that were on other cable/broadcast not too long ago.
"Q&A: Bob Johnson: The founder of BET and chairman of RLJ Companies talks about Urban TV's must-carry fight"
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/189607-Q_A_Bob_Johnson.php
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/189607-Q_A_Bob_Johnson.php
F
FreddyE1977
Guest
in broadcasting as in many other industries, the Feds prove to be inept and clueless enough to allow themselves
to be brazenly used by certain parties in order to kneecap their competition.
to be brazenly used by certain parties in order to kneecap their competition.
powergate92 said:
It all sounds like a bunch of double talk to me, especially Johnson's response to the last question about being a simple digital subchannel. Does he not have confidence in the Ion family of broadcast stations he partnered with, or doesn't he?
Furthermore, B&C raised a great suggestion about a satellite channel. Urban TV could probably get a slot on the entry level "Family" packages provided by both Dish Network and DirecTV.
- Status