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What is the future of RTV?

C

carolinaradio

I can't help but wonder...how much longer will RTV last in its current state? With two more channels entering the digital TV business (Antenna TV and Me-TV [I've noticed two new music subchannels popping up also; Country Network and The CoolTV]) with similar strategies, much better programming, and owners with deeper pockets, will RTV be able to continue?

I like some of their shows, but they really went downhill when they lost the CBS/Paramount library deal (that library will be seen on the upcoming national Me-TV). The presentation lacks, and I don't really care for the way each channel has a different schedule...what's the point? As far as I know, they are the only digital channel that is doing that. Makes it impossible to do stunts, marathons, etc like Antenna and Me will.

Unless they do something...will RTV fall victim to the very similar Antenna TV and Me-TV? They need some new shows/more sitcoms and improved presentation.
 
As sorry as they are, they still seem to be top dog. RTV covers 95% of the US and has about 150 affiliates. Antenna-TV has about 33 so far, and Me-TV 3, I think.

RTV is even expanding......they now have TUFF-TV (westerns and shows geared towards men). I
think TUFF has about 15 affiliates. They have plans to launch PB&J (a kids channel).

But yes they do need some new shows and they need to repair their image (not with affiliates)
but with the viewing public which has witnessed their technical issues. They should probably
try to fix what they have, before expanding any further...........otherwise everything might
collapse.
 
RTV needs to have their shows licensed on a national level instead of the customized local level. I have yet to see RTV, due to the Chicago area affiliate being on an LP station mainly covering the northern suburbs of Chicago. MeTV on a national level could actually hurt RTV, since Weigel Broadcasting has done a good job with programming MeTV in Chicago (their shows aren't repetitive, like RTV's shows are). It's possible they could do the same thing on a national level too. I'm still curious about what's happening with MeTV that's programmed locally in Chicago (also MeToo) & Miwaukee, plus an unbranded MeTV in South Bend Indiana. I haven't found any information is those markets will stay with their local MeTV, or if they'll be part of the national MeTV. I hope Chicago will stay local, & the national MeTV is for outside of Chicago.
 
One advantage Antenna TV has is, is that they are already cleared in big markets before launch...NYC, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc. Hopefully the smaller markets will follow suit- RTV was built the other way around, with smaller markets carrying them first then larger markets picking it up after the digital transition. I think Antenna TV will easily catch on, so will Me-TV but maybe not as quickly because they aren't backed by a big company like Tribune. However, Me-TV's sister network is THIS TV, which was picked up in a lot of markets at a decent pace.

RTV needs to get new shows and stop repeating the episodes of what they have. Nationalize it - if ION, This, MeTV and Antenna TV can do it, they can I'm sure. If Luken can't even run the main network properly, I can't imagine what TUFF is like. I wonder if we will see any stations drop it to replace it with Antenna TV or Me-TV. I really could care less, because they repeat the same episodes all of the time. The others look like they will be much more professional.

Dave, I read on Sitcoms Online that Chicago/Milwaukee/South Bend will keep the local schedule and have the national feed also.
 
Dave said:
RTV needs to have their shows licensed on a national level instead of the customized local level. I have yet to see RTV, due to the Chicago area affiliate being on an LP station mainly covering the northern suburbs of Chicago.
Click to expand...

Same deal in NYC. RTV is on a LP station (WKOB-LD), that also happens to be VHF channel 2, which makes RTV almost impossible to receive. I can see the NYC skyline from my house and I can barely pick up WKOB even with an outdoor antenna. They also have no cable carriage in the area as far as I know.
 
RTV does have a national feed. Locals have the option to substitute or punch in another show
if the program is already carried on another local station. There is no local schedule for Miami,
Houston, or anywhere else, they all work off the same feed (just as ABC, NBC, etc.).
 
I think a degree of local control helps. In Chicago, "Good Times," "The Jeffersons," and "Sanford and Son" have been winners for ME-TV. This is largely due to the urban African American audience. They can get the low power as they reside in the city. (OK now with digital most people can get ME-TV on subchannel WCIU)

ME-TV started out very slow. It took a long while to catch on. They originally were from 12 noon to 3pm. Then they slowly expanded hour by hour.

I think ME-TV was really helped by having TWO channels in Chicago. One for comedy and one for drama.

ME-TV in Milwaukee seemed rather generic and bland to me compared to Chicago. I recall when ME-TOO started it was virtually all public service ads. It took Weigel a good six months to get from that to mostly paid ads.

When you go national with something like that, TV stations aren't apt to be so patient. They want $$$ now and if they don't get it in a couple of months will dump it for another product.

It will be interesting to see how these concepts survive. Too often they start out good and give way to the line of least resistance, which is what I feel happened to RTV.
 
I think one problem all these networks will face is cable/satellite carriage of subchannels. Cable companies usually only carry a limited number of subchannels, and satellite doesn't carry any. I'm in the #1 market and I can't watch This TV on cable because Verizon doesn't carry WPIX 11.3. The same is true for RTV. Antenna TV is coming to WPIX also, so we'll see what subchannel that ends up on.
 
All I can see happening is Antenna TV or Me-Tv buying the assets and local contract agreements of RTV. The assets are not what they would be after, seeing as how RTV's hardware must not be worth much. They would be after the local station contract agreements. If Luken is smart, they will actively market themselves to one of their deeper pocket competitors and can then be put out of their (and our) misery.
 
ansky212 said:
I think one problem all these networks will face is cable/satellite carriage of subchannels. Cable companies usually only carry a limited number of subchannels, and satellite doesn't carry any. I'm in the #1 market and I can't watch This TV on cable because Verizon doesn't carry WPIX 11.3. The same is true for RTV. Antenna TV is coming to WPIX also, so we'll see what subchannel that ends up on.
Click to expand...
THIS TV is going to 11.4 and Antenna TV will be on 11.3.

That is true. My local cable company has been decent with adding subchannels, so hopefully they'll add Antenna/Me-TV whenever I get them; if not, I'll just get them OTA - if you can't get them on cable, if you're within decent range just hook rabbit ears up to your set and you're good to go...if you have satellite, you can hook your antenna in to the satellite receiver and get all of the subchannels you can pick up (I could with Dish at least).

Al Timiter has a good idea- RTV has some good shows, they just repeat the episodes too much and have been airing them too long. I wouldn't mind seeing them bought out and folded into one of the other ones somehow.
 
carolinaradio said:
THIS TV is going to 11.4 and Antenna TV will be on 11.3.
Click to expand...

I had heard a while ago that WPIX would likely drop Estrella on 11.2 and either move This TV to 11.2, or put Antenna TV on 11.2, rather than adding a 4th subchannel. I guess we'll find out in a month.
 
for guys like me who enjoy their Old School TV (reruns from the 60's and 70's) there is no other
place to turn since they've ruined cable channels like TV Land.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
for guys like me who enjoy their Old School TV (reruns from the 60's and 70's) there is no other
place to turn since they've ruined cable channels like TV Land.
Click to expand...

Let's hope that Antenna TV or Me TV will be able to satisfy our appetites for classic tv like TV Land used to be!
 
ansky212 said:
carolinaradio said:
THIS TV is going to 11.4 and Antenna TV will be on 11.3.
Click to expand...

I had heard a while ago that WPIX would likely drop Estrella on 11.2 and either move This TV to 11.2, or put Antenna TV on 11.2, rather than adding a 4th subchannel. I guess we'll find out in a month.
Click to expand...
That is what Sitcomsonline.com is reporting, who is ALWAYS correct. Estrella will remain on 11.2.

It's nice seeing more shows from the 90s and before returning to local channels.
 
Face it, "RTV" in Indianapolis (WRTV/6) is way more relevant than RTV the network - likely helped in part by an infamous visual gaffe during a local traffic report during "Good Morning America" - search for it on YouTube, as it's NSFW for the eyes... ::)
 
... And WRTV 6 is often fourth in the local news ratings. :)
 
carolinaradio said:
ansky212 said:
carolinaradio said:
THIS TV is going to 11.4 and Antenna TV will be on 11.3.
Click to expand...

I had heard a while ago that WPIX would likely drop Estrella on 11.2 and either move This TV to 11.2, or put Antenna TV on 11.2, rather than adding a 4th subchannel. I guess we'll find out in a month.
Click to expand...
That is what Sitcomsonline.com is reporting, who is ALWAYS correct. Estrella will remain on 11.2.

It's nice seeing more shows from the 90s and before returning to local channels.
Click to expand...

The Antenna TV website has been updated and confirms that they will be on WPIX 11.3.
http://www.wgnamerica.com/shows/antenna/affiliates/

So that means This TV will have to move to 11.4 (which currently does not exist). I wonder if we'll see the subchannel go up with a test pattern soon?
 
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