I don't know if Tribune has the means to start a movie network. The company isn't exactly in great shape. I was surprised they started ANTENNA TV; however, I think it has been a letdown, seeing that there isn't much interest in it in terms of new affiliates outside of Tribune/Local TV (and they do offer it). MeTV sort of stole their thunder, launching 2 weeks before they did (seemed like a knee-jerk reaction to me).mysticnitekatt said:
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
WILL RTV SURVIVE ?
- Thread starter gregg75
- Start date
carolinaradio said:
I believe that will happen with Comcast in Pittsburgh about the same time Lucifer is hospitalized for hypothermia ... which is a pity as I enjoy WBGN (infomercials largely but daily Mass at noon, late afternoon/evening syndicated shows on 59.1; HSN on 59.2; RTV on 59.3; Universal Sports on 59.4) when I can snatch it over the air.
I think RTV's days are numbered. They were at their best 3-4 years ago when they had CBS shows, and they have steadily declined ever since. They have clearly moved in the wrong direction over the last few years. They added affiliates but their program library has shrunk. That doesn't spell success.
carolinaradio said:
Don't think of it as a network as much as just a channel carried only on Tribune and Local LLC sub channels - an in-house thing to supply uniform programing to their stations. Licence some films from Sony and/or whomever cleared for those markets. Lower cost as they only need to clear films for those markets.
MeTV was caught off-guard - the clearly was ramping up for a launch that would have been a slower role out.
ansky212 said:
So their programing has become a eclectic, but they'll ride this out. The affiliate defections will lessen and station counts will stabilize by years end. The only stations they've lost to Antenna TV were the Tribune/Local LLC ones. The remaining "loses" to MeTV will settle down by January. By that time, there will be few RTV affiliates in markets without MeTV.
Antenna TV is not a threat to RTV, or MeTV for that matter.
These are the RTV affiliates that I consider to be the most endangered (that haven't announced a switch to anyone else, but I guess it could happen). WTVM/Birmingham, WSFA/Montgomery, WKRG/Pensacola, WFLA/Tampa, WSAV/Savannah, WJBF/Augusta, WCMH/Columbus, WJAR/Providence, and KFOX/El Paso. Most of these are owned by Media General and neither MeTV nor Antenna TV are in these markets, to my knowledge. Media General has been one of RTV's biggest carriers.....the "Daytime" show originates from affiliate WFLA, so that could be a factor with their carriage of it, I have no idea. Their WSPA in Greenville/Spartanburg, my area, is dropping RTV for MeTV when the contract runs out soon.
Antenna TV is launching in Charlotte later this month. WJZY 46.2. Hopefully they will start expanding a little more to non-Tribune stations.
Antenna TV is launching in Charlotte later this month. WJZY 46.2. Hopefully they will start expanding a little more to non-Tribune stations.
I remember when more than 20 years ago, HBO launched "The Comedy Channel" while MTV launched "HA: The Comedy Network". Within a year or two, both networks merged and become "Comedy Central". Maybe the same will happen to "Antenna TV" & "MeTV"? The combination of those two would surely kill off RTV?carolinaradio said:
No, that would be like Pepsi and Coke joining hands. Plus there would be too much overlap.
Carolinaradio: WTVM is in Columbus, Ga. (Raycom) which I think is also in the pact with
Me-TV. RTV is on WRBL in Columbus.
Why is Antenna TV not doing so well in the south? In Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North & South Carolina they only have 7 affiliates.
Considering those states probably have about 300+ stations, that's a really low number.
Carolinaradio: WTVM is in Columbus, Ga. (Raycom) which I think is also in the pact with
Me-TV. RTV is on WRBL in Columbus.
Why is Antenna TV not doing so well in the south? In Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana,
Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North & South Carolina they only have 7 affiliates.
Considering those states probably have about 300+ stations, that's a really low number.
I guess since most of the Antenna TV affiliates are on Tribune/Local TV stations, it just depends on where they have stations. They don't have a ton in the south.gregg75 said:
Thanks for the correction.
mysticnitekatt said:
Thanks for joining us, Mr. Luken!
Look, "eclectic" is kind. What popular programming is left on RTV? I haven't gone through the entire schedule, but it would appear the loss of the Universal catalog has dealt a body blow to the network's schedule.
We have an RTV affiliate here, but it's a combo of low-power outlets with spotty cable carriage, so I can't see RTV here unless I go into the "RTV Viewing Position" with my antenna, with a nod to "Married...with Children". (Which, by the way, is on Antenna TV now.)
Name one mainstream "retro" show on RTV after the Universal dump.
I'm sorry, I don't consider the Canadian "Police Story" and assorted public domain B&W programming "mainstream". When you sit down and watch a show on one of these channels, you watch because you watched and remembered the show back when it was on.
I know "All in the Family" and "Maude" and the like (Antenna TV) or "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "MASH" (Me-TV). Is there even one show in this category now on RTV? When they had the Universal library, they had shows like "The Rockford Files" and "Kojak". What's there now?
Programming libraries are CRUCIALLY important to these "retro networks". They're aiming at boomers like me, who want to visit their old favorites. RTV has NOTHING now.
The other problem for RTV, vs. Me-TV and Antenna TV, is the groups.
RTV will never be on any Tribune/Local TV LLC stations as long as that group runs Antenna TV.
Cox dumped RTV nationwide for Me-TV. I suspect if Me-TV makes more group deals (they already have some) those "losses" will grow, not stem.
Me-TV already has its nose in the tent with many individual stations in big groups - they're about to launch here on Raycom's WOIO/19 (CBS).
I do wonder if Antenna TV plans to expand on a larger basis beyond Tribune/Local TV LLC...maybe they are content as an in-house subchannel for the group, with a handful of outliers.
Anyway, even forgetting Me-TV and Antenna TV's own fate...RTV's programming is bottom of the barrel now. It needs "the hits", not table scraps, and without those, it's another LPTV programming feeder like A1/UATV/etc. The mere fact that Me-TV and Antenna TV are AVAILABLE to big market subchannels will stunt RTV's growth, and imperil its existence.
WTOV/9 Steubenville/Wheeling's page on RTV 9.2, at launch:
http://www.wtov9.com/rtv/index.html
Not any more, as all of those shows have exited the RTV lineup.
What's left? Here's the current schedule for our local RTV affiliate, WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland, the aforementioned LPTV pair:
http://myretrotv.com/prog_schedules/WAOH.pdf
Basically, "Highway to Heaven" and "Starsky and Hutch" are the only two shows I'd put in that above category.
There's a slew of older, B&W shows ("I Spy", "Route 66", "Daniel Boone" and the like), sure to bring in the greatgrandparent demo. Some people who watched those shows originally may not even be alive now.
And there's "The Bill Cosby Show", which I'm going out on a limb and assuming is not the NBC megahit "Cosby".
http://www.wtov9.com/rtv/index.html
Not any more, as all of those shows have exited the RTV lineup.
What's left? Here's the current schedule for our local RTV affiliate, WAOH-LP 29 Akron/W35AX Cleveland, the aforementioned LPTV pair:
http://myretrotv.com/prog_schedules/WAOH.pdf
Basically, "Highway to Heaven" and "Starsky and Hutch" are the only two shows I'd put in that above category.
There's a slew of older, B&W shows ("I Spy", "Route 66", "Daniel Boone" and the like), sure to bring in the greatgrandparent demo. Some people who watched those shows originally may not even be alive now.
And there's "The Bill Cosby Show", which I'm going out on a limb and assuming is not the NBC megahit "Cosby".
tripinva said:
Oops, a mental block on my part. WTOV normally operates in lock step with WPXI, which has indeed dumped RTV for Me-TV. I thought that link I found on the WTOV site was old.
RTV is indeed carrying the first "Bill Cosby Show":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill_Cosby_Show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill_Cosby_Show
You are totally voicing my thoughts. However, I think as long as there are LPTV affiliates for RTV, they will stay around. Just like America One. The programming may not be top notch, but it's cheap and I guess it's better than nothing. I see no future for RTV on full-power stations, though. It's just crap like the other Luken "networks." I bet we will see those Media General stations I mentioned on the other page bail on them next.OhioMediaWatch said:mysticnitekatt said:
Thanks for joining us, Mr. Luken!
Look, "eclectic" is kind. What popular programming is left on RTV? I haven't gone through the entire schedule, but it would appear the loss of the Universal catalog has dealt a body blow to the network's schedule.
We have an RTV affiliate here, but it's a combo of low-power outlets with spotty cable carriage, so I can't see RTV here unless I go into the "RTV Viewing Position" with my antenna, with a nod to "Married...with Children". (Which, by the way, is on Antenna TV now.)
Name one mainstream "retro" show on RTV after the Universal dump.
I'm sorry, I don't consider the Canadian "Police Story" and assorted public domain B&W programming "mainstream". When you sit down and watch a show on one of these channels, you watch because you watched and remembered the show back when it was on.
I know "All in the Family" and "Maude" and the like (Antenna TV) or "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "MASH" (Me-TV). Is there even one show in this category now on RTV? When they had the Universal library, they had shows like "The Rockford Files" and "Kojak". What's there now?
Programming libraries are CRUCIALLY important to these "retro networks". They're aiming at boomers like me, who want to visit their old favorites. RTV has NOTHING now.
The other problem for RTV, vs. Me-TV and Antenna TV, is the groups.
RTV will never be on any Tribune/Local TV LLC stations as long as that group runs Antenna TV.
Cox dumped RTV nationwide for Me-TV. I suspect if Me-TV makes more group deals (they already have some) those "losses" will grow, not stem.
Me-TV already has its nose in the tent with many individual stations in big groups - they're about to launch here on Raycom's WOIO/19 (CBS).
I do wonder if Antenna TV plans to expand on a larger basis beyond Tribune/Local TV LLC...maybe they are content as an in-house subchannel for the group, with a handful of outliers.
Anyway, even forgetting Me-TV and Antenna TV's own fate...RTV's programming is bottom of the barrel now. It needs "the hits", not table scraps, and without those, it's another LPTV programming feeder like A1/UATV/etc. The mere fact that Me-TV and Antenna TV are AVAILABLE to big market subchannels will stunt RTV's growth, and imperil its existence.
KIRO-TV in Seattle is a Cox station that is still carrying RTV. MeTV and Antenna TV are already locked up in that market, so they probably have no other choice.
RTV has a very small, but extremely dedicated group of supporters. Just look at their Facebook page, rather amazing. They could go away today and you could not get a tear from my eye....more room for MeTV and Antenna TV!
I'll add that I don't even remember when most of these shows aired, and I love them (the stuff on Me, not RTV, that stuff seems so ancient). I doubt I'm alone.
I thought someone said here that "Police Story" is NOT the NBC series, but a Canadian import. I'm not about to stay up at night and twist my body into all sorts of unnatural positions with an antenna just to confirm this on our local LPTV RTV affiliate.
Maybe you're right, and being another LPTV fill-in network is RTV's future. It's gonna get squeezed off the full-power/DTV subchannels by Me-TV (and Antenna TV, to what extent Tribune goes out of the Tribune/Local TV loop for affiliates).
So, it's not RTV worrying about its two big competitors, it's America One worrying about losing affiliates to RTV!
Take a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MeTV_affiliates
...and look at the big groups that have signed up at least some stations with Me-TV.
Cox has already flipped some RTV subchannels to Me-TV (WPXI, WSB) and I would not at all be surprised to see it flip the remaining RTV subchannels.
Hearst, Media General, Hubbard...Media General is apparently already flipping RTV to Me-TV in Spartanburg SC.
You have nailed it. Even though you don't remember some of the shows on Me/Antenna, the RTV shows (post-Universal) seem like they're being transmitted via wax cylinders.
carolinaradio said:
Maybe you're right, and being another LPTV fill-in network is RTV's future. It's gonna get squeezed off the full-power/DTV subchannels by Me-TV (and Antenna TV, to what extent Tribune goes out of the Tribune/Local TV loop for affiliates).
So, it's not RTV worrying about its two big competitors, it's America One worrying about losing affiliates to RTV!
Take a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MeTV_affiliates
...and look at the big groups that have signed up at least some stations with Me-TV.
Cox has already flipped some RTV subchannels to Me-TV (WPXI, WSB) and I would not at all be surprised to see it flip the remaining RTV subchannels.
Hearst, Media General, Hubbard...Media General is apparently already flipping RTV to Me-TV in Spartanburg SC.
carolinaradio said:
You have nailed it. Even though you don't remember some of the shows on Me/Antenna, the RTV shows (post-Universal) seem like they're being transmitted via wax cylinders.
- Status