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Which of the big 4 OTA network goes away fist?



We need more GM's and CEO's of local TV stations around the country say the same thing that they are ending their affiliation due to their current economic state type situations as we seen with WPLG and WANF-TV. But that requires that message to be said 210 times in 210 markets and we will see one of the OTA Networks go away.
 
I'm not entirely sure you can bet on any of those networks going away anytime soon. We've seen this before. When cable came along and took viewers away from networks, the networks bought or created cable channels to recapture the viewers. The same thing is happening with cord cutting and streaming. The networks and local stations are investing in streaming to reclaim viewers. Local stations are seeing local shows outperform syndication or network shows in the daytime so they're adding more local shows. They're adding local streaming shows too. But fundamentally, the networks do provide important resources for them: news programming and affiliate services, plus highly rated sports programming. While some affiliates (Like WPLG and WANF) are ditching the networks for financial reasons, there are other stations that think they can make the network affiliations work financially. But, if a network owner winds up with too much debt and decides to sell the station group, then yes that would be a sign. CBS would be the only one I think would be in danger of doing that, but even then that's too risky for the rest of their investment.
 
CTListener said:
How about Frank Fontaine as Crazy Guggenheim, the drunk? He and Gleason did a barroom sketch on every show.
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That was the same character that Fontaine developed on the Jack Benny radio show in the 1950s, as John L.C. Sivoney. In 1962, Gleason needed someone to replace Art Carney, and liked Fontaine's Sivoney character. He left the show in 1966 when Carney returned, and The Honeymooners was revived.
 
KeithE4 said:
That was the same character that Fontaine developed on the Jack Benny radio show in the 1950s, as John L.C. Sivoney. In 1962, Gleason needed someone to replace Art Carney, and liked Fontaine's Sivoney character. He left the show in 1966 when Carney returned, and The Honeymooners was revived.
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I wouldn't have watched the show before that.

Not five minutes after I post that, his orchestra plays his theme song on online radio.
 
Y2kTheNewOldies said:


We need more GM's and CEO's of local TV stations around the country say the same thing that they are ending their affiliation due to their current economic state type situations as we seen with WPLG and WANF-TV. But that requires that message to be said 210 times in 210 markets and we will see one of the OTA Networks go away.
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WANF needs to add local home and away games of the Atlanta Braves, Hawks, Dream, Falcons preseason and future NHL Atlanta games to fill air time.
 
tested said:
I'm not entirely sure you can bet on any of those networks going away anytime soon. We've seen this before. When cable came along and took viewers away from networks, the networks bought or created cable channels to recapture the viewers. The same thing is happening with cord cutting and streaming. The networks and local stations are investing in streaming to reclaim viewers. Local stations are seeing local shows outperform syndication or network shows in the daytime so they're adding more local shows. They're adding local streaming shows too. But fundamentally, the networks do provide important resources for them: news programming and affiliate services, plus highly rated sports programming. While some affiliates (Like WPLG and WANF) are ditching the networks for financial reasons, there are other stations that think they can make the network affiliations work financially. But, if a network owner winds up with too much debt and decides to sell the station group, then yes that would be a sign. CBS would be the only one I think would be in danger of doing that, but even then that's too risky for the rest of their investment.
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True too given where we are now.
 
tested said:
I'm not entirely sure you can bet on any of those networks going away anytime soon. We've seen this before. When cable came along and took viewers away from networks, the networks bought or created cable channels to recapture the viewers. The same thing is happening with cord cutting and streaming. The networks and local stations are investing in streaming to reclaim viewers. Local stations are seeing local shows outperform syndication or network shows in the daytime so they're adding more local shows. They're adding local streaming shows too. But fundamentally, the networks do provide important resources for them: news programming and affiliate services, plus highly rated sports programming. While some affiliates (Like WPLG and WANF) are ditching the networks for financial reasons, there are other stations that think they can make the network affiliations work financially. But, if a network owner winds up with too much debt and decides to sell the station group, then yes that would be a sign. CBS would be the only one I think would be in danger of doing that, but even then that's too risky for the rest of their investment.
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Regarding what you had said about local stations adding more locally produced shows The area where I live in (The Pittsburgh PA area) the ditching of syndicated programming by any of the stations in favor of more local shows had occurred since right after the turn of the century.
 
TVCOOL said:
WANF needs to add local home and away games of the Atlanta Braves, Hawks, Dream, Falcons preseason and future NHL Atlanta games to fill air time.
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Well, they already have the Braves and Dream games. They will just have to move them over from WPCH, that way CW programing will no longer be pre-empted anymore.
 
I don't see it anytime soon in my opinion. And it will be hard to see which one would fold in my opinion as well as along all The Big 4 has O&O's I don't see CBS, NBC, FOX, or ABC going away.
 
Megatron said:
I don't see it anytime soon in my opinion. And it will be hard to see which one would fold in my opinion as well as along all The Big 4 has O&O's I don't see CBS, NBC, FOX, or ABC going away.
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If your definition of "soon" is "this decade" I definitely agree with you. I think we will have to see what happens in the next few years before making any kind of educated guess.

I do think I have come up with what might be an indicator, and that would be if any of the big 4 started selling off their smallest market stations ... like if ABC were to sell KFSN/30 in Fresno, for example.
 
I don't think any of them will go away, their just changing to a platform that will cost them less money. CBS (which looks to be in trouble and cutting costs much like what The CW done by airing imports and Sports) will just air mostly Sports and possibly shows from the streaming networks (Peacock, Paramount+, Disney+ and Hulu)

NBC and Fox airs more Sports than what they use to. CBS still airs Sports on weekends with alot of it going into overtime. NBC will be airing Sports on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays this fall and Fox has Sports on Saturdays and Sundays (daytime) but have it on Fridays as well.
 
Cool_guy81 said:
I don't think any of them will go away, their just changing to a platform that will cost them less money. CBS (which looks to be in trouble and cutting costs much like what The CW done by airing imports and Sports) will just air mostly Sports and possibly shows from the streaming networks (Peacock, Paramount+, Disney+ and Hulu)

NBC and Fox airs more Sports than what they use to. CBS still airs Sports on weekends with alot of it going into overtime. NBC will be airing Sports on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays this fall and Fox has Sports on Saturdays and Sundays (daytime) but have it on Fridays as well.
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Fox also airs sports on Fridays in the fall as they air college football games. Then college basketball and some other sports like nascar trucks. They don't have any sports to air Friday nights during the summertime.
 
DavinaR said:
Fox also airs sports on Fridays in the fall as they air college football games. Then college basketball and some other sports like nascar trucks. They don't have any sports to air Friday nights during the summertime.
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I'm surprised Fox hasn't plugged boxing or MMA into some of its schedule's summertime dead spots. Didn't Fox televise boxing regularly a few years ago, the PBC (Professional Boxing Champions) promotion?
 


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