Looking at the map, I'd say putting Bristol County in the Providence market is hardly the work of idiots. Its southern end extends well into Rhode Island, while Plymouth County, its eastern neighbor, has its southern tip terminate at Rhode Island's northern border. Makes sense to me, though the use of irregularly shaped counties as the determining factor for sports team's TV coverage limits can certainly be questioned.
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WFXT and WNAC airing different NFL games
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
I thought counties were pretty much irrelevant in New England, or at least in Massachusetts. When my folks lived in Belchertown in the early '80s, they were in Hampshire County but it didn't mean anything. All the towns were one after the other (Belchertown to Amherst to Northampton going west, for example), and there were no "unincorporated areas" or "county islands" like there are in other parts of the country.
Couldn't the individual cities and towns petition the FCC to move their market assignment from Providence to Boston? Your situation is also a good argument to scrap the idea of single-city markets. Why not allow both Boston and Providence stations onto the cable and satellite systems? They can't stop people from watching stations in both cities if they can be received, so why not?
You have a valid point, however this setup is preventing Bristol County from receiving all Boston stations. WBTS NBC10 Boston is not available due to WJAR NBC10 Providence being carried. WBZ, WCVB, WHDH, WSBK (in HD) and WFXT, except when Fox programming is on and WLVI (in SD only) are available. They are considered significantly viewed and were grandfathered in prior whereas WBTS came on a few years ago. During the height of the pandemic, I really had no interest in what was going on in RI. I live in MA and pay taxes here and I should receive my news and information from Boston. This problem needs to be remedied. The sports coverage is part of the problem as well
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Go ask the FCC, which is the cause of this territory mess. It has to do with broadcasting rights in an area. NBC10 WJAR in Providence, which Bristol County, MA is part of has the right to keep NBC10 Boston out. It is ironic since NBC10 Boston is owned by NBC which in turn is owned by Comcast. It is great idea if the individual cities and towns can have the FCC make a switch. I guess it is easier for the FCC to do this on a county basis, even though Bristol County is in MA not RI
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Are you in Bristol County?, If you are, that is why you got the Comcast is required by law to block this program. Comcast thought that the game was a national Fox program, which is normally blocked because Bristol County is part of Providence and Comcast makes you watch WNAC Fox Providence. At 10 PM, the game returned to WFXT which is blocked. This blockage is preset not allowing for any changes such as the Patriot game being carried, Blame the FCC and Comcast not seeing the change. WCVB was offered the game but refused it. I am sure they will get a lot of calls. WCVB is an original station in Bristol County.
Yes. I grew up in this part of Massachusetts. It really irks me that the FCC thinks we associate ourselves with Providence. Nowhere else in the country is there a geographical area that is within 30 miles of a major city in the same state yet said area is assigned to a TV market out-of-state.
What do you mean by "original station"? Regarding WFXT, it's been carried on cable as far back as I can remember. It didn't start getting blacked out until 2007. I don't know why folks around here didn't complain loudly when it started happening.
I'm also surprised it's still carried on cable 15 years later. For 5 years after the blackouts started its analog signal was still taking up bandwidth here, and in 2014 the station was sold to Cox Media Group.
Given the ever-so-rising retransmission costs over the past several years, I'm surprised the station was never dropped entirely. If I were a cable operator I wouldn't want to have to pay a station to carry its signal AND black it out part-time.
Well, check this out! This past Sunday, Fox switched the Boston market from the San Francisco-Tampa Bay game to "a more competitive game," which in this case was Seattle being beaten by the Carolina Panthers. You call that competitive? I call that nuts! Why didn't you just stay with the game you were feeding us originally? Ha?
Most markets across the country were switched from TB-SF to Carolina-Seattle because the Bucs were being blown out 35-0. Both WFXT and WNAC were switched, but I was still able to watch the Bucs-49ers game on the Fox Sports app.
A few weeks ago CBS switched most markets away from Cowboys-Vikings because it was a blowout, and it caused an uproar around the country because Cowboys fans couldn't watch their team.
Sadly alot of NFC markets and surrounding areas kept the dumpster fire rolling. Minnesota was one of them
too bad they couldnt have switched it out in Minnesota
its actually regional but as a Vikings fan in MN I wish they could have changed out that feed
Another part of the NFL rules mandates that occurs on double headers with CBS or Fox. The cities with the teams involved in the 4:25 game must go to that game even if the first game is running long or goes to OT. Viewers are deprived of a possibly exciting conclusion. They will show an update once the first game is finished.
Absolutely correct. The local markets must air their team's game in its entirety. No exceptions.
In the final week of the season, WFXT and WNAC are airing different games during the 1 PM window. WFXT is airing Jets-Dolphins, a game with direct playoff implications for the Patriots, while WNAC is airing Buccaneers-Falcons, a completely meaningless game.
Both stations were originally assigned Jets-Dolphins, so why did WNAC switch games?
Even worse, Xfinity in Norton, MA is blacking out WFXT when the Jets-Dolphins game is not being shown on any other channel. Twice this season an NFL game has been blacked out on cable in this area. NOT FAIR!!!!!!
Both stations were originally assigned Jets-Dolphins, so why did WNAC switch games?
Even worse, Xfinity in Norton, MA is blacking out WFXT when the Jets-Dolphins game is not being shown on any other channel. Twice this season an NFL game has been blacked out on cable in this area. NOT FAIR!!!!!!
Here in Vermont, we're getting Pats-Bills on CBS and Jets-Dolphins on Fox. Weird seeing both early network games not only from the same conference but from the same division!
I guess because of some dude named Brady. Bangor, Maine switched too
While the Jets/Dolphins game went to most AFC markets, it still doesn’t answer the fact that residents of Mansfield and Easton, MA were “stuck” watching a meaningless Buccaneers/Falcons game while residents of Foxboro and Wrentham could flip back and forth between Pats/Bills and Jets/Dolphins - a game that had playoff implications. In the end, it didn’t matter because the Patriots lost their game and missed the playoffs.
But I think this season set a record for WFXT and WNAC airing different NFL games. There was even a week this season where WBZ and WPRI aired different games! For those using an antenna, they got a lot of “bonus” games!
But I think this season set a record for WFXT and WNAC airing different NFL games. There was even a week this season where WBZ and WPRI aired different games! For those using an antenna, they got a lot of “bonus” games!
I'm not in the Boston/Providence area (I'm in Minnesota) but this year was good to us in Mankato (75 miles SW of Minneapolis). We are our own market and until this year when the Vikings were on the DH network, KEYC (our CBS/FOX) rarely would put a game against the Vikings on the SH network (unless it was the Packers)....
This year more often than not they went against the Vikes. But Minneapolis won't (or in cases cant due to being at home) so we would get 4 games.
Weeks 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 16 there were 4 games available
Weeks 11 & 17 the Vikes were on late
Week 14 for some reason we got the late game (KC/Denver) instead of an early game
This year more often than not they went against the Vikes. But Minneapolis won't (or in cases cant due to being at home) so we would get 4 games.
Weeks 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 16 there were 4 games available
Weeks 11 & 17 the Vikes were on late
Week 14 for some reason we got the late game (KC/Denver) instead of an early game
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