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Worst Stations and Markets for Local TV

WNWO in Toledo. Low-rated for years and has a long-running dispute with the major cable company in Toledo. I'm somewhat surprised NBC hasn't yanked their affiliation from them.

I mentioned WNWO in an earlier post. Frankly, I don't think NBC has a lot of options in Toledo. The CW affiliate is cable-only, MyNetworkTV is low power, and WLMB has a short transmitter tower that's farther away from the city. And I don't think WLMB's owners would ever want to sell.
 
I mentioned WNWO in an earlier post. Frankly, I don't think NBC has a lot of options in Toledo. The CW affiliate is cable-only, MyNetworkTV is low power, and WLMB has a short transmitter tower that's farther away from the city. And I don't think WLMB's owners would ever want to sell.

There are three options if NBC yanks its affiliation:
1. Lure WUPW to NBC from FOX
2. Either WTOL, WTVG, or WUPW starts an NBC subchannel
3. Pipe in an out of market affiliate
 
There are three options if NBC yanks its affiliation:
1. Lure WUPW to NBC from FOX
2. Either WTOL, WTVG, or WUPW starts an NBC subchannel
3. Pipe in an out of market affiliate

Then what happens to FOX?
 
There are three options if NBC yanks its affiliation:
1. Lure WUPW to NBC from FOX
2. Either WTOL, WTVG, or WUPW starts an NBC subchannel
3. Pipe in an out of market affiliate

This contains quotes from my comment from an earlier post that I would like to share with WNWO and Buckeye Cable System viewers and I don't meant to be very negative about my idea and my opinions at all:

If LIN/Media General would ever see KRON losing the MYNET affiliation to KICU, then there could be a chance for LIN/Media General to give up on KRON ever since after acquiring it from the Media General/Young merger deal since KRON wouldn't fit right in at all with the combined LIN/Media General merger spectrum with all the ex former Young stations included as well.

LIN/Media General would be better off swapping out the would be turn independent for the 2nd time KRON to Sinclair for Sinclair swapping out WHOI/WYZZ, WICS-WICD/WRSP-WCCU, WLUC, WPBN-WTOM/WGTU-WGTQ, WEYI/WBSF, WKRC/WSTR, WWHO, WNWO(it is being mention from my earlier post), WTOV, WJAC, WSTM/WSTQ LD, WGME/WPFO, WCHS/WVAH, WRLH, and WTTA all to LIN/Media General in addition to LIN/Media General purchasing WHTM from the Sinclair-Allbritton deal so Sinclair can keep WHP while Nexstar can keep WLYH for years to come and go.

KRON fits better with Sinclair due to ownership of stations in Fresno, Bakersfield, Reno, Las Vegas and other areas close to KRON footprint while WHOI/WYZZ,
WICS-WICD/WRSP-WCCU, WLUC, WPBN-WTOM/WGTU-WGTQ, WEYI/WBSF, WKRC/WSTR, WWHO, WNWO(it is being mention from my earlier post), WTOV, WJAC, WSTM/WSTQ LD, WGME/WPFO, WCHS/WVAH, WRLH, and WTTA fits better with LIN/Media General due to ownership of stations where LIN/Media General already has presence or will have a presence close to those TV stations respective TV markets.

A LIN/Media General control WNWO and WEYI/WBSF would improve both WNWO and WEYI/WBSF with WNWO back on Buckeye Cable without any difficulties unlike what Sinclair is doing with both WNWO and Buckeye Cable

There could be a chance that both ABC and NBC might not be very happy with Sinclair ownership of their stations affiliated with ABC on KDNL and WXLV & NBC on WNWO and WEYI.

Another idea of my is that Scripps out of Cincinnati making a play of purchasing WNWO and WEYI/WBSF away from Sinclair due to the close proximately of WXYZ/WMYD in Detroit with also putting WNWO back on Buckeye Cable more sooner than under Sinclair control. Scripps could make a deal with ABC for their porgramming to be on WNWO and WEYI with the NBC affiliation being moved to WJRT in Flint and WTVG in Toledo under Lilly/SJL ownership control structure with WJRT and WTVG being more qualified to be ready as NBC affiliates then WEYI and WNWO under Sinclair control. My idea of wanting Scripps for WNWO and WEYI and turn them into ABC affiliates would boost the ratings on the stations that Sinclair couldn't do at all and also have the luxury of being able to air Big 10 college football games including their home state universities with WEYI airing Michigan and Michigan State and WNWO airing Ohio State plus ABC telecasts of Detroit and Cleveland NBA games that Sinclair also couldn't do at all as well.

Another idea is that Lilly/SJL buy the programming assets and inventory of WEYI/WBSF and WNWO from Sinclair with WEYI/WBSF and WNWO at risk of going off the air and going dark due to WNWO being on RF channel 49 and WBSF being on RF channel 46 with WBSF being able to move to WEYI RF channel 30 airing CW programming on 46.1 and Bounce TV on 46.2 mapping to RF channel 30 with WJRT managing WBSF on the behalf of WJRT and Lilly/SJL. WJRT and WTVG would be able to air NBC programming in 1080 HDTV on 12.1 and 13.1 respectively & WJRT being able to air WEYI programming with ABC in 720 HDTV on 12.2 and WTVG being able to air WNWO programming with ABC in 720 HDTV on 13.2 as a great replacement for the Live Will Network currently shown on WJRT 12.2 in Flint and 13.2 in Toledo.

David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, Sinclair Broadcast Group has been way too busy on trying to focus on lobbying and bribing to the FCC in getting their acquisition of TV stations from the Allbritton deal done with allowing Armstrong Williams taking control of WABM in Birmingham, Alabama, WMMP in Charleston, South Carolina, and possibly WLYH in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for Armstrong Williams to operate under the Howard Stirk Holdings company being operated under David Smith where Allbritton stations WBMA/WCFT/WJSU, WCIV, and WHTM also operate and overlap where both Sinclair and Allbritton both have TV stations over there in the same TV DMA market then trying to give Buckeye Cable System the proper chance at allowing them to have carriage of WNWO again.

As for retransmission consent with Sinclair at the top at $1.07 from each subscriber per month while Sinclair is demanding Buckeye cable $2.40 to $3.00 from each subscriber per month for the privilege and right to carry WNWO and is forcing them to carry a cable news channel not yet launched from the not yet been approved Sinclair-Allbritton deal that likely will ultimately get cancelled and called off for good as a condition for Buckeye cable to carry WNWO.

Buckeye Cable and WNWO viewers it is still not too late to tell to the FCC to reject the Sinclair-Allbritton deal because it will cause David Smith, Barry Faber, David Amy, and Sinclair to fail to allow all the small, medium, and large size and scale MSOs to carry their stations without Sinclair's permission till the MSOs is willing to agreed to pay $2.40-3 (($.50 NBC, ABC, or FOX), ($.90 CBS), ($.25 CW, or MYNET), $1.00 local and syndication, $.90-1.50 to help launch the cable news channel Sinclair is launching) dollars for the privilege and right to carry Sinclair's stations and agreed to carry the new cable news channel that Sinclair is using to take WJLA's News Channel 8 into a national news channel for Sinclair that isn't yet on the air that Sinclair wants all the cable and satellite to carry the cable channel on cable and satellite basic tier as part of all retransmission consent contracts by engaging in a take it or leave it deal using old rigid Paramount Pictures block booking and blind bidding and old RKO General bribery and dishonest behavioral practices in retransmission consent deals to put their news and opinions on the planned news channel that Sinclair will launch if their planned acquisition of TV stations from Allbritton were to go through the FCC, the FTC, and the DOJ by gambling and self destructing their business future themselves by playing Russian Roulette.

I feel the corporate culture over at Sinclair Broadcast Group is to blame for Sinclair aggressiveness in wanting to get the Allbritton done deal real badly and difficulties in getting the Buckeye Cable System in Toledo, Ohio for carriage of WNWO which Sinclair wants Buckeye to not just pay up to $2.40-$3.00 for WNWO and also be required to carry a brand new cable news channel that has not yet been launched from the not yet been approved Allbritton deal that Sinclair will launch if the Allbritton goes through the FCC, FTC, and the DOJ as a pre condition for Buckeye Cable for the privilege and right to carry WNWO under David Smith, Barry Faber, and David Amy control at Sinclair Broadcast Group in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

WNWO and Buckeye Cable System viewers in the Toledo, Ohio have the right to praise me on my own ideas in trying to get WNWO back on Buckeye Cable System the sooner the better.
 
Pretty much any station in New Mexico outside the Albuquerque/Santa Fe metro.

KOBR Roswell – satellite of KOB
KOBF Farmington – satellite of KOB
KOBG Silver City – satellite of KOB (now off-air)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOB#Satellite_stations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOBR

KOCT Carlsbad, KOFT Farmington, KOVT Silver City
Satellites of KOAT, all now off-air
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KOAT-TV#Satellite_stations

KBIM Roswell – satellite of KRQE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KRQE

KRWB Roswell – satellite of KWBQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KWBQ

KTEL Carlsbad – satellite of low-power analog KTEL-LP Albuquerque (Telemundo)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTEL-LP
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...req=0.0&contour=41&city=CARLSBAD&state=NM.kml

KRTN Durango CO – satellite of low-power KRTN-LD Albuquerque (MeTV)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KRTN-LD#KRTN-TV
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...freq=0.0&contour=41&city=DURANGO&state=CO.kml

KTYO Las Cruces – was UPN affiliate for El Paso before switching to Telemundo in 2004
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTDO

KVIH Clovis – satellite of KVII Amarillo TX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KVII-TV

KUPT Hobbs – satellite of low-power KMYL-LD Lubbock TX
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KUPT
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...T&freq=0.0&contour=41&city=HOBBS&state=NM.kml
 
God’s Learning Channel – four stations in Texas with short towers, crappy signals, crappier shows.

KMLM Odessa – flagship station; smaller signal than many of the market’s other stations.
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...&freq=0.0&contour=41&city=ODESSA&state=TX.kml

KPCB Snyder – supposed to serve Abilene, but barely gets out of Snyder. It used to have a translator in Abilene, but it’s now off the air.
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...&freq=0.0&contour=41&city=SNYDER&state=TX.kml

KPTF Farwell – at the far end of the Amarillo market; also covers some counties in the Albuquerque DMA.
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...freq=0.0&contour=41&city=FARWELL&state=TX.kml

KPTB Lubbock – same situation as the Odessa station.
Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...freq=0.0&contour=41&city=LUBBOCK&state=TX.kml

Schedule: http://glc.us.com/site/schedule.php
 
KAUT in Oklahoma City just can't seem to keep an owner or affiliation for more than 7 years.

Affiliations:
Independent (1980-1986, 2012-)
Fox (1986–1991)
PBS (1991–1998)
UPN (1998–2006)
MyNetworkTV (2006–2012)

Owners:
Golden West Broadcasters (1980-1985)
Rollins Communications (1985-1986)
Heritage Media (1986-1991)
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (1991-1998)
Paramount Stations Group (1998-2005)
The New York Times (2005-2007)
Local TV (2007-2013)
Tribune Company (2013-present)
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned KUQI in Corpus Christi TX, FOX affiliate since 2008. Crappy signal, piss-poor picture quality, no local newscasts. Its owner is in bankruptcy, which explains why a deal to sell the station fell through. Corpus Christi has never had a decent FOX affiliate. The previous affiliate, low power K47DF, was (and still is) analog-only, doesn't cover the entire city, and it isn't even simulcast on a subchannel of co-owned KRIS. I guess we could call Corpus Christi a cursed market.

KUQI Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KUQI
KUQI Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...0&contour=41&city=CORPUS_CHRISTI&state=TX.kml
K47DF Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K47DF
K47DF Contour Map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...0&contour=74&city=CORPUS_CHRISTI&state=TX.kml
 
I'm surprised FOX hasn't affiliated with a full-power affiliate in the market and become a .2 subchannel. Unless cable/satellite penetration in the market is very high and all that matters is delivering a signal to head-ends.
 
I'm surprised FOX hasn't affiliated with a full-power affiliate in the market and become a .2 subchannel. Unless cable/satellite penetration in the market is very high and all that matters is delivering a signal to head-ends.

Since Gannett already acquired KIII from the Gannett-London deal in which Gannett not only gain KIII in Corpus Christi, but also gained KCEN in Temple/Kileen/Waco-KAGS in Bryan/College Station, KXVA in Abilene, KIDY in San Angelo, KYTX in Nacogdoches/Tyler/Longview, and KBMT in Beaumont/Port Arthur. KBMT runs ABC on 12.1, NBC on 12.2, and Cozi on 12.3 all in 720 HDTV and runs METV on 12.4 in 480 while KUIL-LD runs MYNET on 12.5 in 720 HDTV and MundoFOX on 12.6 in 480.

Gannett would be eligible to purchase KUQI under a failed station waiver to allowed KUQI to be combined with KIII with KIII bring able to keep KUQI going under Gannett control. It would allow Gannett to have a real duopoly of an ABC station and a FOX station in a small size TV market in the Corpus Christi market. Cordillera/Evening Post is maxed out due to ownership of KRIS and operational control of KZTV with Sagamore Hill.

I might be surprised if Brian W Brady under Eagle Creek who already sold off KZTV jointly to Sagamore Hill and Cordillera/Evening Post would allowed Cordillera to fully purchased KVTV in Laredo as a way for KVTV to become a sister station to KZTV again and also to KRIS in the future. In my opinion Brian W Brady has no chance of being able to continue to operate ownership of his own stations throughout his Stainless, Bristlecone, Eagle Creek, Blackhawk, and Northwest Broadcasting banners of his ownership group structures. Recently Brady's Blackhawk outsourced operations of the ex former late James (Jimmy) Rogers-Intermountain West Communications Company/Sunbelt station KYMA and ex former Harry Pappas-Pappas Telecasting Companies station KSWT in Yuma to News Press Gazette station KECY in Yuma as NPG has the resources to keep KSWT and KYMA going under KECY and NPG control than KSWT and KYMA together operated seperately under Brady's Blackhawk control.

I feel all of Brian W Brady's own and operated TV stations can somewhat be cursed as well.
 
WDHS Iron Mountain, MI. This station hasn't been on consistently in many years and when they're on, it's usually religious of some kind. They signed on in 1986 and could have affiliated with NBC at that time (in 1986, WJMN was ABC and WLUC was CBS). It could have grabbed ABC when WLUC dropped it for NBC (WJMN and WLUC swapped affiliations in 1992, but WLUC dropped ABC in 1995). It could have grabbed FOX after WBKP signed on as the ABC affiliate in 1996.. I could see WLUC buying it, which would result in one of these things happening:
1. WLUC moves to RF 8 (WDHS's digital channel). WDHS is licensed for 22kW, while WLUC's digital signal on RF 35 is only 63kW. Channel 8 could easily move closer to Marquette. A Channel 8 facility at, say, 30kW from WLUC's current tower would cover more than Channel 35 covers at 63kW.
or
2. WLUC puts their FOX subchannel on 8.1 (with NBC SD on 8.2), giving FOX UP an OTA HD signal and WLUC improved OTA service in the southern portion of the market, although it would barely reach Marquette.

Contour map: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t....0&contour=36&city=IRON_MOUNTAIN&state=MI.kml
 
Update on NPG's Yuma consolidation from the Yuma Sun:
http://www.yumasun.com/news/yuma-tv...cle_02029c12-0adf-11e4-a2be-0017a43b2370.html

And this from Raymie on tvnewstalk.net:
It's one of the few cases where this was warranted.

Yuma is the nation's worst economy, and likewise its TV stations were technically not performing well — just one station is HD is not a record to be proud of, and even though I'm not a fan of the virtual set deal it's probably the most effective thing for the market. I'm sure that there was better-quality television to be had from Mexicali.
 
A market that’s cursed on many fronts: Burlington VT/Plattsburgh NY, near the Canadian border, with only five full-power commercial stations, one of which doesn’t cover the whole market.

Much of the Big 4’s audience comes from Quebec, which is not reflected in the Nielsen ratings (and the stations are subject to simsubbing on cable). WCAX and WPTZ are the dominant stations. WPTZ had its COL changed from North Pole to Plattsburgh in 2011 (North Pole was merged into Lake Placid with the 2000 Census).

The market didn’t have a FOX affiliate until August 1997 when WFFF signed on from Terry Mountain after it couldn’t get permission to transmit from Mount Mansfield. Its digital stick is now on Mount Mansfield with the market’s other Big 4 stations.

WVNY preempted many ABC programs for infomercials in the ‘90s. It did the same for Jimmy Kimmel from 2003-2005. It also had off-and-on newscasts (1980s, 1999-2003, 2005-present). It’s now WFFF’s junior partner, and it could be moved to WFFF’s subchannel if the FCC has its way (BTW, both ABC and FOX broadcast in 720p).

I mentioned WFFF-DT2 in an earlier post, it signed on in September 2007 with carriage on Comcast Burlington, but wasn’t picked up by Charter Plattsburgh until December 2008, and was never carried on Time Warner Saranac Lake (it had WPIX). It lost The CW to WPTZ-DT2 in March 2013 and became an independent station called “44.2 EFFF”. It was finally replaced in October with an SD simulcast of 44.1.

The CW shares time with MeTV on WPTZ-DT2. CW programming is aired in pattern, except for Bill Cunningham who’s delayed to 12:30 a.m. And all this time, The CW never aired in HD in Burlington/Plattsburgh.

And there’s WNMN, which airs MyNetworkTV on its third subchannel! (RetroTV is on 40.1) Its transmitter is in COL Saranac Lake, so its signal doesn’t reach Plattsburgh or Burlington. It has four translators, all analog-only. This was rumored to be the market’s CW affiliate, but was passed over in favor of WFFF (and later WPTZ).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCAX-TV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPTZ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WVNY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WFFF-TV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNMN
 
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Some more that could qualify:
Alexandria-Willmar-Bemidji, MN (merged into Minneapolis-St. Paul market)
Roswell-Carlsbad, NM (merged into Albuquerque market)
Farmington, NM-Durango, CO (merged into Albuquerque market)
Tuscaloosa, AL (merged into Birmingham market)
Anniston-Gadsden, AL (merged into Birmingham market)
Selma, AL (merged into Montgomery market)
Hays-Great Bend-Garden City, KS (merged into Wichita market)
Flagstaff, AZ (merged into Phoenix market)
 
An example of a cursed submarket: Atlantic City NJ, which has fallen on hard times recently, and where four casinos have closed or are about to close.

Of course, there’s WMGM (actually COLed to Wildwood), which I mentioned on the “Cursed TV Stations” thread. It got sold to a spectrum speculator last year and will lose its NBC affiliation at the end of this year.

There are three stations licensed to Atlantic City that target Philadelphia. WACP (which signed on in 2009) airs infomercials 24/7, and now has a sister station in Dover DE (moved from Seaford) which also airs infomercials 24/7.

WMCN also airs infomercials most of the time, but in 2012 added some syndicated and community-interest programming.

WWSI is Philly’s Telemundo affiliate-turned-O&O. Until recently, its transmitter was in southern Ocean County (NYC DMA) but was not carried on cable in that county. Even today, the signal mainly covers southern New Jersey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMGM-TV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WACP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMCN-TV
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWSI
 
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