Just heard on a recent WCVB newscast that games on NFL Network and ESPN involving the Patriots will air on WCVB locally this year, including the game from Germany on Nov 12 against the Colts,, Mon Dec. 18 against KC and Sun Dec 24 at Denver. This will avoid the mess last year when NBC10 Boston and WFXT carried these games which were not seen in Bristol County due to the stupid FCC rule putting Bristol County in the Providence DMA. The Dec 7 Thursday Amazon Prime game at Pittsburgh will be on WFXT. Let's see what happens this time.
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WFXT and WNAC airing different NFL games
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
The reason why local broadcasters simulcast local teams' games not on ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox is due to an NFL rule ensuring that everyone in a local market can watch their team's games for free (using an antenna). In the case of the Patriots, it's a bit odd because their home stadium is in between Boston and Providence. But the Boston stations have a strong OTA signal that covers all (if not most) of Bristol County MA. They can also be picked up in RI, NH, and even parts of CT!
How do you know WFXT will simulcast the Pats-Steelers TNF game this season?
Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season, and WFXT and WNAC are already airing different games, and at different times!
Fox has the singleheader, and WFXT is airing Packers-Falcons at 1 PM, while WNAC is airing Giants-Cardinals at 4 PM. But wait - usually when this happens (singleheader games at different times), it's WFXT that airs the 4 PM game, "protecting" a 1 PM Patriots game airing on CBS.
And even more perplexing, the Patriots are playing at 8 PM on NBC this week! So why are residents of Mansfield, MA stuck watching the NY Giants, the team that denied the 2007 Patriots their perfect season, while Foxboro residents get to watch a more appealing game?
Source: 506sports.com - Home
Fox has the singleheader, and WFXT is airing Packers-Falcons at 1 PM, while WNAC is airing Giants-Cardinals at 4 PM. But wait - usually when this happens (singleheader games at different times), it's WFXT that airs the 4 PM game, "protecting" a 1 PM Patriots game airing on CBS.
And even more perplexing, the Patriots are playing at 8 PM on NBC this week! So why are residents of Mansfield, MA stuck watching the NY Giants, the team that denied the 2007 Patriots their perfect season, while Foxboro residents get to watch a more appealing game?
Source: 506sports.com - Home
Ancient history, but Boston used to get ALL Giants games for a long time, going back to the NFL/AFL days.
Next Thursday's Amazon Prime Game with the Patriots-Steelers will be locally broadcast on WFXT in Boston. I hope the genius' at Comcast do not block WFXT in Bristol County thinking a Fox national program is airing which normally occurs making us tune to WNAC in Providence. WNAC would not carry the Patriots because it is a secondary market. If that happens, I will have to go off cable and watch it over the air.
Comcast still only carries WFXT in 4:3 letterboxed SD in Bristol County. You're best going off cable (either over the air or Amazon) to watch Thursday's Patriots game.
Meanwhile, why is WFXT still carried on cable in that area when:
- The feed is downconverted and doesn't fill a 16:9 TV screen.
- Comcast still has to pay Cox Media Group (WFXT's owner) a retransmission fee.
- The station is blacked out every evening.
Lastly I should mention that the Boston DMA actually lost households recently - Windham County VT was re-assigned to the Burlington VT DMA. If the market wants to make up this loss, it would be in its best interest to get Bristol County included in its coverage area.
What's the logic in that? Brattleboro is 30 miles closer to Boston than it is to Burlington as the crow flies.
I have been saying in prior posts that the FCC should reassign Bristol County to the Boston DMA ensuring we get ALL Boston stations. I live in MA and pay taxes here, I do not care to watch Providence news programs especially from WJAR and WNAC. MA residents need to contact Senators Warren & Markey to facilitate this petition to the FCC.
Probably for exactly the same reason people are saying Bristol county should be in Boston… people there care more about what is going on in their own state.
Is this accurate? Boston's household totals actually increased, according to this article.
Considering that Windham County's population was just under 46,000 in the last census, the loss of those people to the Boston market is insignificant in the big picture. Birth rates are much higher in metro Boston than in rural Vermont, anyway, rendering the loss of Windham County even less impactful.
Leave it to Comcast again in Bristol County, they blocked the Thursday Night Football game with the Patriots-Steelers. I went off cable and watched it over the air. I guess Comcast doesn't care about their viewers in Bristol County knowing that a non Fox program was airing and not to block the signal. Please FCC, reassign Bristol County to Boston so this doesn't happen again.
Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, and right out of the gate WFXT and WNAC are airing different games!
And again WFXT airs the more lucrative game (Pittsburgh at Atlanta), while WNAC will air a game between 2 teams that look to be bottom feeders (Minnesota at NY Giants).
And of course this affects Bristol County MA residents as they are "stuck" with a crappier game. And it seems like WNAC tends to favor the Giants, reminding me of how they ruined the Patriots' bid at a perfect season, then beat them again in the Super Bowl 4 years later...
And again WFXT airs the more lucrative game (Pittsburgh at Atlanta), while WNAC will air a game between 2 teams that look to be bottom feeders (Minnesota at NY Giants).
And of course this affects Bristol County MA residents as they are "stuck" with a crappier game. And it seems like WNAC tends to favor the Giants, reminding me of how they ruined the Patriots' bid at a perfect season, then beat them again in the Super Bowl 4 years later...
I would think you would be able to pick up the over-the-air signal of WFXT in Bristol County. Might be worth picking up an antenna.
You can probably get all the major Boston stations in Bristol County since Boston to New Bedford are less than 70+ miles each.
Just checked the Comcast Program guide for the September 19 Amazon Thursday Game between the NE Patriots and the NY Jets. It will be locally on WFXT Boston 25 (Fox Boston). I'm willing to bet the farm that Comcast in Bristol County will block the Boston 25 signal thinking it is a Fox national program and pick up the game at 10PM when Fox national is over. If the local broadcast would be on WBZ, WCVB, WHDH or WSBK, this would not be an issue. Please FCC, reassign Bristol County from Providence to Boston. I will also utilize an antenna and go off the cable to watch the game on WFXT.
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That is a good solution. Reassigning Bristol county to the Boston market would cause the Providence market to lose area and revenue. I would also consider these facts: The Providence TV stations have their transmitters in Rehoboth in Bristol county, and the stations identify themselves as Providence-New Bedford, which is in Bristol county. Most of the stations in the Boston and Providence areas can be received in each others markets fairly well. TV Guide, when it has local listings, for several years before their final edition in 2005, merged their Boston and Providence editions together, so you had channel listings from Boston,Providence, Worcester, as well as some stations in southern New Hampshire and Connecticut. So merging the markets could make sense.
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