WILL RTV SURVIVE ?

[arnoldevns]

Me-TV has a long way to go before we can put a nail in RTV's coffin. Me-TV is not available in many large markets where RTV already has a presence. I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and we don't have Me-TV, but we do have RTV and Antenna. Me-TV us just not quite the national player the other two are...yet.

 

[carolinaradio]

The problem with RTV's presence in larger markets is that they are on low power stations in a lot of them, like Atlanta, NYC, Chicago, and LA.

 

[tripinva]

A lot of RTV affiliates are jumping ship to MeTV. While RTV still covers a lot of people, it's got a lot of affiliates that are LPTV stations, so while they may have carriage on K31GL-D in Dallas, they're invisible to the 60% or so of the market that has no TVs with antennas. I definitely don't think RTV is going away, but I would definitely say its time of being a major player is over.

MeTV and Antenna TV have just about the same amount of national coverage, so I would find it hard to say one is a national player while the other is not.

- Trip

 

[carolinaradio]

MeTV's benefit over Antenna TV is that they are adding affiliates pretty quickly - yeah, Antenna TV has added a handful since their launch, but not like Me has. Theirs are mostly Tribune/Local, their parent company's stations.
If MeTV could get in to NYC (which will be hard for them IMO) and some other large markets, I think they can get a lead over Antenna TV, and will eventually.

 

[azumanga]

While RTV still covers a lot of people, it's got a lot of affiliates that are LPTV stations, so while they may have carriage on K31GL-D in Dallas, they're invisible to the 60% or so of the market that has no TVs with antennas. I definitely don't think RTV is going away, but I would definitely say its time of being a major player is over.

Even though RTV will be increasing the number of stations, many of these are LPTVs, which are exempt from must-carry or compensation laws, meaning that it will still lose viewers as RTV leaves cable. RTV's only hope is if more viewers cut the cable and go back to antenna, which some analysts predict will happen the next few years. And even at that, with LPTV, it does not have the same coverage as most full-powered television stations.

 

[TomParks]

MeTV is adding some big named shows for this fall....Star Trek, Lost In Space, Voyage to the bottom of the sea...a better classic line-up than the Sci-fi channel has, and is adding Peter Gunn, The Rifleman, and Daniel Boone......maybe to compete for RTV's remaining slots.

 

[Frank Ferreri]

Certainly hope RTV survives. Like watching grass grow or paint dry, the evolution of TV shows doesn't really have an impact until you see Naked City or Route 66. Well acted with wonderful plots. Also, the number of today's superstars can be seen in almost every episode. Even the novelty trucker show Movin' On had nice story lines. Also is interesting to see the changes in our society.

 

[JeeperOne]

I hate to see RTV go down, but they wrote their own ticket. They have nobody to blame
but themselves as their ship continues to take on water.

I think RTV's collapse started much earlier than today, when Equity Broadcasting sold RTV to Luken, and later booted RTV from Equity's satellite space, forcing Luken to find replacement programming for RTV's affiliates.

The fact that most of RTV's programming are now second-rate, that they are switching to a uniform schedule for all its affiliates, and that many of their key affiliates are dumping RTV in favor of Antenna Tv or MeTV are signs that RTV is not long for this world. And buying a slew of LPTVs to guarantee coverage of RTV and Luken's other networks are futile at best, not only because of their coverage areas, but the fact that cable carriage of LPTVs are not guaranteed.

And then there are former affiliates like KCDO 3 who are merely purchasing local rights to many of the same programs that are on RTV's schedule & running them WITHOUT all the technical glitches from the network (Sometimes at the same time as the network)

Cheers

 

[carolinaradio]

RTV is losing yet another affiliate. WKRG, the Mobile, AL affiliate owned by Media General, is dropping them next month for MeTV.

A ton of channels are adding ME next month. I bet that by October, they will have more affiliates than RTV.

 

[JeeperOne]

Why do people LOVE to Kick a network when it's down,but not out?

I don't think they will lose more than another 15-20 affiliates, and that's mostly Media-General and Cox stations at this point. They will still be stable and in key markets. MeTV doesn't even have an affiliate in NYC!

And they won't have one either unless Tribune "Pix" it up for PIX 11 (Get it?)

Antenna TV can also forget about an NYC affiliate as long as News Corp. owns WNYW 5 & WWOR 9 because there's NO WAY they'll add subs for Diginets

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

I was watching an episode of Police Story Thursday and half way through the program the audio went out. I stuck with it for about 10 minutes and then went to bed. Not a good way to build an audience.

It was most likely an issue on the affiliates end!

But that's something that went out in like the late 1980s !!!

Did they have a graphic that said something like TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.....PLEASE STAND BY on the screen ??

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

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?

Naah. I think it would likely be the combination of Antenna TV (Comedies & other shows) & ThisTV (Movies) that would do the trick IMO.....

Cheers

 

[dave73]

Why do people LOVE to Kick a network when it's down,but not out?

I don't think they will lose more than another 15-20 affiliates, and that's mostly Media-General and Cox stations at this point. They will still be stable and in key markets. MeTV doesn't even have an affiliate in NYC!

And they won't have one either unless Tribune "Pix" it up for PIX 11 (Get it?)

Antenna TV can also forget about an NYC affiliate as long as News Corp. owns WNYW 5 & WWOR 9 because there's NO WAY they'll add subs for Diginets

Cheers

Antenna TV is already available in New York on WPIX (a Tribune owned station). So I believe you meant MeTV not being able to get on WWOR & WNYW as long as they're owned by Fox. Not many stations they'd be able to get on in Chicago. The way it looks, getting on a low power station will likely be their only choice if they really want to be in New York.

 

[JeeperOne]

RTV still has retro shows that people watch. Has long as their are people watching those shows, RTV has something not nothing.

It may as well have nothing. Most of those shows are not even in the same league as the shows on Me-TV and Antenna TV, or the Universal shows RTV just lost. Peter Gunn? Who under the age of 70 even remembers that show?

I do appear to be wrong about my "public domain" comment, but just about everyone agrees the post-Universal RTV lineup is significantly weaker.

Not really. Peter Gunn & A NUMBER of other Classic TV shows are not only in the public domain but are also DOWNLOADABLE from the Internet Archive

Just search under their Classic TV section.....

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

Why hasn't CBS Syndication offered MeTV "Our Miss Brooks",or even "Amos and Andy" (Not that Sabin would risk trying to air that!)

One problem to that

While educators would LOVE to see OMB see life on the airwaves again, I'm afraid the ACLU would just assume see A&A stay right where it is - Buried in the library

JMO.....

Cheers

 

[JeeperOne]

Me-TV has a long way to go before we can put a nail in RTV's coffin. Me-TV is not available in many large markets where RTV already has a presence. I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and we don't have Me-TV, but we do have RTV and Antenna. Me-TV us just not quite the national player the other two are...yet.

MeTV is also not in #18 Denver either (And likely won't be unless Gannett picks it up for KTVD 20)

JFYI.....

Cheers

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

A lot of RTV affiliates are jumping ship to MeTV. While RTV still covers a lot of people, it's got a lot of affiliates that are LPTV stations, so while they may have carriage on K31GL-D in Dallas, they're invisible to the 60% or so of the market that has no TVs with antennas.

in NYC, RTV's "major market presence" is on a low-VHF low-power outlet that can probably be clearly received by about as many people as are reading this thread. And as far as I know, WKOB-LD has no cable carriage at all.

At least Antenna TV on WPIX/11 probably has decent cable carriage.

 

[mysticnitekatt]

Only a couple of episode of PETER GUNN are in the public domain, the rest are not.

RTV still has retro shows that people watch. Has long as their are people watching those shows, RTV has something not nothing.

It may as well have nothing. Most of those shows are not even in the same league as the shows on Me-TV and Antenna TV, or the Universal shows RTV just lost. Peter Gunn? Who under the age of 70 even remembers that show?

I do appear to be wrong about my "public domain" comment, but just about everyone agrees the post-Universal RTV lineup is significantly weaker.

Not really. Peter Gunn & A NUMBER of other Classic TV shows are not only in the public domain but are also DOWNLOADABLE from the Internet Archive

Just search under their Classic TV section.....

Cheers

 

[mysticnitekatt]

RTV is losing yet another affiliate. WKRG, the Mobile, AL affiliate owned by Media General, is dropping them next month for MeTV.

A ton of channels are adding ME next month. I bet that by October, they will have more affiliates than RTV.

RTV lost 6 Affilates in just the last MONTH!

 

[mysticnitekatt]

The way its going MeTV will be the only real player in town. RTV is basically dead and Antenna TV is on its way.

Antenna TV isn't going away as long as Tribune and Local TV LLC see it as programming for their own stations.

Right! Even of Tribune and Local TV LLC were the only stations they would be VERY Strong market wise and survive.

Remember, MeTV DOES NOT have a NYC affiliate!