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Which market needs a Independent Television station real bad

S

spencerkarter85

I had this thought IMHO, which markets needed a 'real' independent station real bad one day?

In the Greenville, SC marktet #36 we didn't had a real indie since WNEG-32 went off the air as a commercial station and becoming non-commercial WUGA. Unfortunately, WNEG/WUGA had a inadaquate signal/pay-tv coverage in this market. The only indepdendent station we have is WGGS-16 out of Greenville, SC (which is mostly non-commercial religious). I think we needed a real indepedent station one day in the future. Reason #1 Our market isn't carrying off-network reruns of Ugly Betty, Punk'd, The Hills, Chapelle's Show, Storm Stories, DaVinci's Inquest, Reno 911, Til' Death, and the current season of the first-run syndie Wendy Williams in this market. And I think, that Greenville, SC is racist for not airing syndicated talk shows hosted by African-Americans since Oprah went off the air in May 2011. Reason #2 Just like the good ole days of an average independent station in selected areas when they broadcast a big three (now big four) network program not cleared by their affiliates. Our ABC station WLOS 13 does not air Litton's Weekend Adventure on Saturday Mornings from ABC. It would be nice that if we had an indie (with consent from ABC) they should picked up the Litton's block, and other network programs pre-empted by the affiliates for local sporting events (like college basketball for example, as you may know they pre-empted General Hospital for that earlier today). That would be something. You know the ecomony isn't good, but recovering.
 
I agree to some extent but another independent would probably not make things much better.

Greenville SC has 3 independents in a way - 21 WHNS the Fox affiliate, 62 WYCW which is the CW affilliate, and 40 WMYA which is actually an independent being My Network TV stations are technically not network affiliates. Fox stations only have 2 hours a day of network shows and a couple hours more on weekends so they are programmed locally over 21 hours a day on average. CW offers 4 hours a day leaving 20 hours for other shows.

So the main need in this market is for shows you mentioned to be carried on one of the existing station rather than paid programming a couple hours a day on each. Yes they could use another commercial station but really do not need one anymore. Classic TV shows would fit well on another station but they do not sell well either.

Other markets I think could use another independent include Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Miami, and St Louis.
 
By the way, FOX, TheCW, and MyNetworkTV are minor networks. The latter mostly shows syndicated type reruns. It'll be a good idea that Greenville, SC stopped being a Informercial Happy market and air uncleared syndicated shows.
 
Other markets in nearby places (like Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia, and Augusta) airing Til' Death in syndication for example, but why not Greenville, SC? Other show I've forgot to mention Cash Cab is a NO show in Greenville, SC either. NYC isn't airing it too. On Til' Death syndicated reruns, Baltimore, Maryland isn't airing it at all. I hate that Greenville/Spartanburg, SC to be sides with I hate to say it Baltimore, MD. No offense to Baltimore, but Atlanta would be like related to Balitmore than Washington, DC.

Years ago in the 2007-08 syndicated TV season, when Program Partners bought the US Syndie rights to the cult-Canadian teen favorite Degrassi: The Next Generation with the one and only Miriam McDonald as Emma! I've found out that markets in nearby places like Altanta, Charlotte, Knoxville, Columbia, Augusta, and Charleston, other placees like Washington, DC, NYC, LA, Chicago, and Tampa cleared it. But sadly, Greenville, South Carolina DMA passed on that offer. I was so disapointed. Also, I hate to say this Balitmore didn't clear Degrassi:TNG syndie reruns as well as Orlando, and Nashville. Once again, GSP and Baltimore don't mixed! Also no offense Baltimore. But a year later, then-Indie WNEG-32 acquired the rights for D:TNG in this market. But unfortunatley WNEG-32 had inadaquate cable/satellite coverage and inadaquate OTA signal. Sadly WNEG is now non-commecial WUGA.
 
True indies are really rare on the ground these days.

Case in point; I don't think there is one in the entire state of New York. In the big city, every station is affiliated with some network-2 is CBS' main O&O, 4 is NBC property, 5 is Fox, 7 is ABC's flagship, 9 is MyNet, 11 is CW, 13 PBS, 21 a satellite of 13, 25 is a PBS secondary with school programs during the day, 31 is Ion, 41 is Univision, 47 is Telemundo. The last independent in the area, 55 on Long Island, was recently bought by CBS.

Upstate, every full power station has some network feeding it programming for at least some of the day, and that's the situation in most of the 200+ markets with TV service in the US today..

For a true indie with full market coverage you have to go south to DC, or west to Detroit or LA.
 
^ I wonder what is the smallest market with one true "indie" that is not CW/My/an LP.....Jacksonville FL w/ WJXT?

cd
 
WJXT is one example. I wished that WJXT would affiliate with MyNetworkTV in the first place in 2006 rather than on digital subchannel of FOX affiliate in Jacksonville.
 
spencerkarter85 said:
Cash Cab is a NO show in Greenville, SC either. NYC isn't airing it too.
Click to expand...

Yet the show takes place in New York City. Yes, Discovery Channel is airing it in first run, but still...
 
The Hartford/New Haven DMA was likely helped being sandwiched between New York City and Boston. The old channel 20 of Waterbury/Hartford aired some of the Mets games from WWOR. The old channel 26 aired the Yankees games from WPIX around 1990 or so. Some of the Red Sox games back in the day from WSBK would air on channel 30 of New Britain, usually on a Friday evening, depending on what NBC was offering on channel 30. The Celtics NBA games produced by WLVI would air on channel 61 on Hartford in their last days as an indie and their early days as a charter FOX affiliate.

Today, we have the following in the market...

WCCT-TV (CW) channel 20 Waterbury, the sister station of WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford.
WHPX-TV (ION) channel 26 New London.
WCTX-TV (MY) channel 59 New Haven, the sister station of WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven.

WCCT-TV carries select New York Mets games produced by WPIX-TV (CW) channel 11 of New York City. They also air a few games of the AHL's Connecticut Whale hockey club. WCTX-TV carries the New York Yankees games produced by WWOR-TV (MY) channel 9 of Secaucus, NJ.

As for WHPX-TV, I don't see them airing any specialty programming outside of the ION programming.

Since Cash Cab and Wendy Williams were mentioned, I can tell you that both shows air on WCTX-TV (channel 59).
 
There was supposed to be a station in the Quad Cities over 10 years ago, but a petition filed by the owners of KLJB and KGCW prevented channel 53 from signing on the air. Now it has 'til this July to complete construction and sign on or it might never be able to! And with UPN gone, it looks like channel 53 will go independent (unless it steals The CW or My Network TV...)
 
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