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Why No RTV?

F

FredLeonard

Guest
Comcast and FIOS carry This, Antenna and ME but not RTV (Retro TV), which is terrestrial 63.4. They carry 69.3, ME TV, but not 63.4, RTV? Anybody know why not? I emailed them at their "contact us" link but they don't contact back. I've read here about "must carry" rules, so why do they take the main channel and ME but not RTV?
 
A station can only claim must-carry on one program -- 69.1, 69.2, 69.3, or 69.4.

Usually, if more than one program from a given station is on cable/satellite/FIOS, it's because of "retransmission consent". The station has opted to waive its must-carry rights and attempt to negotiate an agreement where the cable operator provides the station something of value in return for permission to carry the station. The idea was that the "something of value" would be cash, but as it turns out often that "something of value" is instead an agreement to carry more than one program.
 
Must carry only applies to the main channel. The subchannels would have to be negociated for cable carriage (whatever it might be). Though Allentown is far from Philadelphia, they have Retro TV, while on Monday, Polnet Communications dropped Retro TV from their LPTV station, & is no longer available in the Chicago market. Polnet was the only company that showed interest in the network in Chicago, but the fact the programming is reduced to mostly public domain programming, means that no one really wants to carry Retro TV. Polnet might be looking to dropping Tuff TV & TNN from their station as well, since they seem to want to focus more on networks for Korean & Chinese speaking viewers (besides serving their own viewers who speak Polish with Polvision). I won't be surprised if WFMZ drops Retro TV when their affiliation agreement is up. They probably want to drop the network, but can't until the contract is up. That's probably why WFMZ never negociated for the network to be on cable.
 
Retro TV is on my FiOS system, channel 480. The Cisco Kid is airing now, with Hopalong Cassidy coming up at 6PM.
 
I also have it on FiOS channel 480 in Paoli, PA. It is also on FiOS at my parents' house in Cherry Hill, NJ. FiOS carries all 3 of channel 69's subchannels. I don't think it is carried on either Xfinity system. They both only carry 69.1 & 69.3.
 
You guys are correct. When I switched from FIOS it did not have RTV. Comcast still does not. Apparently DirecTV and Dish have none of the above (ME, RTV, This, Antenna and Cozi).

Which makes me even more curious. FIOS now has both WFMZ sub-channel networks, but Comcast only takes one? If this is all about the deal the station makes with the cable provider, why both channels to FIOS and only ME (not RTV) to Comcast? And why not the Accuweather channel, either? Especially since channel six stopped having it on one of their sub-channels.

If I were suspicious I'd say maybe since Comcast now owns the Weather Channel, they don't want the Accuweather Channel offering competition.
 
Comcast actually carried Me-TV from WFMZ before Fios did by over a couple of months. Comcast obviously passed on RTV.

Fios in trying to make up for their tardiness in getting Me-TV to it's customers finally carried Me-TV and threw in RTV from WFMZ as well.

It should be noted that Comcast doesn't offer Me-TV from WFMZ in the Atlantic City area of the market, because it doesn't offer WFMZ's primary signal down there.

I wonder if WMCN could get the Me-TV affiliation as well, since their OTA areas are different, and on cable, Atlantic City-Cape May-Vineland lacks Me-TV service. With basic rabbit ears antenna, it's also not possible to receive WFMZ's signal in Center City and So. NJ.

Ideally, Me should broadcast from the center of the market, not from a outskirt station, but I'm not complaining really. Some markets don't have Me-TV at all.
 
It appears that Comcast is carrying both of channel 29's subchannels, Movies on 29.2 and MundoFox on 29.3. Verizon is not carrying either at this point. Both Comcast and Verizon are not carrying 3.2, CBS Philly Plus.
 
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