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WESH 2 and WKCF 18

HGN2001

HGN2001

WESH 2 and WKCF 18 are co-owned, correct?

WESH 2 is saddled with a real channel of 11, on VHF, but WKCF uses 17, soon to be 23, a UHF signal. Receiving VHF signals these days is somewhat problematic. Here where I live, a little south of Disney, I get all of the Orlando full-channel signals EXCEPT WESH 2. I've tried all manner of antennae, but nothing works to bring in WESH 2.

WKCF 18 booms in here with a great signal, and because it's UHF, I assume that there aren't many with signal reception problems on 18. Surely, the powers that be at WESH 2 and WKCF 18 know about this, don't they. If nothing else, why not swap frequencies between the main NBC channel with the lesser-watched CW affiliate. Put WESH on 18, let CW flounder on 11. With the repack coming, OTA viewers will be scanning their TVs anyway. It would be a great time for WESH to move up to UHF and get better coverage. I think NBC could use all the help it can get.
 
Not only is WESH on a VHF channel, their power is far less than other TV stations in the market. WESH is licensed for 54.9 kW while WFTV and WKCF are licensed for 1000 kW. That's a huge difference.
 
HGN2001 said:
WESH 2 and WKCF 18 are co-owned, correct?
Click to expand...

Yes. WESH 2 and WKCF 18 are properties of Hearst Television.

For comparison to WESH's 52.9 kW at 1,677 feet...

WFTV... 1,000 kW (though put in a CP at 924 kW) at 1,614 feet
WRDQ... 1,000 kW at 1,565 feet
WKCF (its sister station)... 1,000 kW at 1,549 feet
WVEN... 1,000 kW (though put in a CP for 600 kW) at 1,614 feet
WUCF... 950 kW (though put in a CP for 1,000 kW - this is a Public TV station for god sakes that has higher power than WESH!) at 1,247 feet
WKMG... 944 kW at 1,693 feet
WRBW... 763 kW at 1,691 feet
WOFL... 607 kW (though put in a CP for 700 kW) at 1,375 feet
WDSC... 308 kW at 1,610 feet
WEFS... 300 kW at 1,611 feet
WOTF... 120 kW (still higher than WESH) at 1,404 feet
WTMO... 15 kW (WESH gains a victory) at 411 feet
 
WESH is above the VHF power limit for its height. (49.1 kW would be the limit; it is authorized for 54.9 kW.) VHF and UHF power limits are different. To compare them in the manner that has been done here is like saying a 10 watt LED bulb is dimmer than a 40 watt incandescent because 10 is less than 40.

- Trip
 
Is there a way to explain why maximum power for a digital UHF signal is 1 million watts? I know it was 5 million watts in the analog days. Without getting super technical? A good example here was WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford, CT. They signed on in 1984 with the maximum 5 million watts.
 
I don't care about power levels and wattage. I care about ease of reception. In the digital television age, UHF signals are easier to receive with simpler antennae. That's all.

Why wouldn't the owners want their higher profile NBC station to be easier to receive than their also-ran CW station?

With the ability to still call themselves WESH2 with PSIP masking, I would think this would be a no brainer.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to watch neither. 2 is unreceivable to me, and 18 is unwatchable by the nature of its programming.
 
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