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Weigel & CBS to start "StartTV" network

Mr Tony

Mr Tony

will replace Decades in most of the O&O markets
https://www.starttv.com/press.php
Weigel Broadcasting Co. announces the launch of the new multicast entertainment television network- Start TV, beginning Monday, September 3, 2018, in association with CBS Television Stations. Start TV showcases strong and resourceful female leading characters in a lineup of contemporary and proven procedural dramas. Each lead character and series embody a boldness and determination to “Start” leading the way, seeking the truth, solving the crime, and defending the innocent.
CBS Television Stations will add Start TV to their stations: WCBS New York, KCBS Los Angeles, WBBM Chicago, KYW Philadelphia, KTVT Dallas-Ft. Worth, KPIX San Francisco, WUPA Atlanta, WBZ Boston, KSTW Seattle, WTOG Tampa-St. Petersburg, WWJ Detroit, WCCO Minneapolis-St. Paul, WFOR Miami, KCNC Denver, KOVR Sacramento, KDKA Pittsburgh and WJZ Baltimore. Start TV will also be seen on cable outlets in each of these markets. Weigel Broadcasting Co. owned stations in St Louis, MO; Utah; Milwaukee, WI; Rockford, IL; and South Bend, IN will carry the Start TV Network.

https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/weigel-launch-start-tv-female-diginet

The new network will replace Decades, another Weigel-produced diginet, on most, but not all of the CBS O&Os. However, according to Weigel’s VP of Marketing Will Givens, Weigel remains committed to Decades and has already lined up new affiliates in Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
 
In other words, Decades was a costly failure for Weigel. Too bad, I liked “Through the Decades,” and now it will be replaced by more reruns.
 
I know it's owned by CBS but it's a wonder they're airing The Good Wife on a subchannel. It a recent hit show. You'd think the rights would be locked up with cable/streaming and it wouldn't be able to air on a subchannel?
 
zeebre12 said:
I know it's owned by CBS but it's a wonder they're airing The Good Wife on a subchannel. It a recent hit show. You'd think the rights would be locked up with cable/streaming and it wouldn't be able to air on a subchannel?
Click to expand...

They are. Just do a search, and you'll find this:

The Good Wife has been sold in a complex multi-window deal that involves two streaming partners, Amazon and Hulu; a basic cable network, Hallmark Channel; for $400,000 per episode and broadcast syndication, for a combined license fee of nearly $2 million per episode. "This is an off-network model for a unique serialized show in today's television ecosystem," said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation.
 
EricStein said:
In other words, Decades was a costly failure for Weigel. Too bad, I liked “Through the Decades,” and now it will be replaced by more reruns.
Click to expand...

I dont think its a failure as they will keep it going. They said that Decades will move to new stations
However, according to Weigel’s VP of Marketing Will Givens, Weigel remains committed to Decades and has already lined up new affiliates in Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere
Chicago it can move to probably WWME (Weigel owned)
LA it will go to KAZA (Weigel Owned)
NY it could go to WLNY (CBS owned)
Dallas to co-owned KTXA
Miami could go to co-owned WBFS
Philly to co-owned WPSG
San Fran to co-owned KBCW
Boston to WSBK
Detroit to WKBD
Pittsburgh to WPCW

The only ones that are "screwed" are Denver, Baltimore and Minneapolis as CBS only owns the CBS there. The other ones noted (Seattle, Tampa, Atlanta, etc) its not a CBS station but CBS owns it. They (CBS) could do 2 subs if they wanted to. The big thing for the new sub is pretty much instant cable coverage as Decades is probably carried on most cable systems in those markets.
 
unclehonkey said:
I dont think its a failure as they will keep it going. They said that Decades will move to new stations
However, according to Weigel’s VP of Marketing Will Givens, Weigel remains committed to Decades and has already lined up new affiliates in Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere
Chicago it can move to probably WWME (Weigel owned)
LA it will go to KAZA (Weigel Owned)
NY it could go to WLNY (CBS owned)
Dallas to co-owned KTXA
Miami could go to co-owned WBFS
Philly to co-owned WPSG
San Fran to co-owned KBCW
Boston to WSBK
Detroit to WKBD
Pittsburgh to WPCW

The only ones that are "screwed" are Denver, Baltimore and Minneapolis as CBS only owns the CBS there. The other ones noted (Seattle, Tampa, Atlanta, etc) its not a CBS station but CBS owns it. They (CBS) could do 2 subs if they wanted to. The big thing for the new sub is pretty much instant cable coverage as Decades is probably carried on most cable systems in those markets.
Click to expand...

Weigel might say they have new affiliates for Decades, but they will be on their newly-acquired (and several are now low-power) properties like KAZA and KFFV. They won’t be on cable either. That’s why I think Weigel is going to let Decades whither and go away (if CBS is no longer going to be a partner, there will be no more “Through The Decades,” which uses WBBM-TV talent).
 
Of course since this is a CBS O&O subchannel, Yakima won't even 'start' to get 'Start.' Hell, we haven't 'started' to get Antenna TV, H&I, and the whole works yet. The only classic TV sub we get is MeTV, and as for movies, Comet and Charge! only. I've mentioned it already in another thread.
 
crainbebo said:
Of course since this is a CBS O&O subchannel, Yakima won't even 'start' to get 'Start.' Hell, we haven't 'started' to get Antenna TV, H&I, and the whole works yet. The only classic TV sub we get is MeTV, and as for movies, Comet and Charge! only. I've mentioned it already in another thread.
Click to expand...

With the spectrum repact starting, I think we’re going to see a “retraction” point in which some diginets won’t make it. ThisTV has lost several good affiliates over the past few years, and I see Decades doing so too. I see a point where Weigel has only MeTV, H&I, Movies! and Start as their primary focus, and Tribune only with Antenna TV, especially seeing where the Sinclair deal is headed. Katz/Scripps’ networks will survive since they compensate groups like Nexstar to carry their networks, and Sinclair owns so many stations (even without Tribune) that they keep their networks on the air, especially the two that are partnerships with MGM.

Only the networks with the best business models will survive.
 
By starting a channel where the the programming is focused on 'female leading characters in contemporary procedural dramas', it doesn't give much scope for content. It's a very narrow focus. Would it not be better to have a broader focus on programming like just 'contemporary procedural dramas'?
 
I agree it's way too narrow. Decades had a lot of good content, but the way they presented shows is just too complicated. They improved it somewhat earlier this year, but airing a lot of one show one day of week, rather than just a consistent daily schedule with weekend 'binges' made it hard for audiences to follow.

I'll see what Start TV has to offer, but why these Diginets just can't offer broad programming and feel the need to restrict themselves into these niches is a mystery to me.

Decades brought a lot of great shows back to OTA TV, Vega$ being a good example, along with Cannon and others. I'm not sure there is enough inventory for the narrow niche defined by StartTV to sustain a channel for very long.
 
EricStein said:
Weigel might say they have new affiliates for Decades, but they will be on their newly-acquired (and several are now low-power) properties like KAZA and KFFV. They won’t be on cable either.
Click to expand...
Both KAZA and KFFV are still classified as full power. KAZA may be sharing on a low powered station, but they are still considered full power. And who says they wont be on cable? Low powered stations, much like subchannels, do not qualify for must carry. Can they be carried? yes
There are some full powered subchannels that arent on cable here in Minneapolis
 
unclehonkey said:
I dont think its a failure as they will keep it going. They said that Decades will move to new stations
However, according to Weigel’s VP of Marketing Will Givens, Weigel remains committed to Decades and has already lined up new affiliates in Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere
Chicago it can move to probably WWME (Weigel owned)
LA it will go to KAZA (Weigel Owned)
NY it could go to WLNY (CBS owned)
Dallas to co-owned KTXA
Miami could go to co-owned WBFS
Philly to co-owned WPSG
San Fran to co-owned KBCW
Boston to WSBK
Detroit to WKBD
Pittsburgh to WPCW

The only ones that are "screwed" are Denver, Baltimore and Minneapolis as CBS only owns the CBS there. The other ones noted (Seattle, Tampa, Atlanta, etc) its not a CBS station but CBS owns it. They (CBS) could do 2 subs if they wanted to. The big thing for the new sub is pretty much instant cable coverage as Decades is probably carried on most cable systems in those markets.
Click to expand...

I think Decades moves to KCAL here in Los Angeles; they have no subchannels. They and KTTV are the only legacy Los Angeles VHFs without subs; a standard definition rebroadcast of 11.1 is on 11.2, and Light TV is 11.3, but both subs come from KCOP's digital spectrum.

At least in my area of town, I can't pick up KAZA especially once they went channel-sharing with one of these low-powered Spanish stations. Weigel really miscalculated this channel-sharing plan; as it is, the only way you could receive KAZA in most of the rest of the L.A. basin is through cable and satellite, but thankfully MeTV kept its affiliation with KDOC to at least ensure they have full-market OTA coverage throughout Southern California.
 
unclehonkey said:
ThisTv lost affiliates due to Sinclair starting their own diginets and putting them on their own stations.
Click to expand...

The first setback for ThisTV was when Tribune assumed Weigel’s role as MGM’s partner. They moved to a different transponder and were wooed away by Weigel’s Movies! (which was on ThisTV’s old transponder, which made it an easier transition). They haven’t really added many strong affiliates since, and are still losing them.

Another “what if” is whether or not Tribune will keep Sinclair’s diginets, especially TBD, if the merger falls through.
 
That's a shame. I kind of like Decades.

I watch Laugh-In reruns and marvel that my mom used to let me watch that
when I was in the low single-digits.
 
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