WPIX on Comcast of South Jersey

[JayR]

Does Comcast of South Jersey (Pleasantville) still carry WPIX? If so, why? What programs do they air that compels Comcast to continue carriage? I ask because when I was there almost two years ago, it was blacked out every time I tuned in to the channel. Granted, back in the day WPIX was in the clear...but that was before SyndEx. I can understand if an out-of-town/national feed of WPIX was available, but that's not the case.

 

[Red_Bull_Ed]

Not sure on that system, but on Comcast in Atlantic City which serves most of Atlantic County, WPIX CW 11 New York is carried on digital cable channel 253 or 254 (i forgot which) and I believe it is also carried on The Cape May - Wildwood system on digital cable as well. It makes sense on the shore system in south Jersey to carry a New York station or two with so many people from North Jersey / NYC vacationing down the shore in the summer and visiting Atlantic City. WPIX has a great morning newscast from 5:00am to 9:00am as well as the 10pm News. Plus lots of Mets games on the weekends and those would be of interest to the summer residents at the shore as well as South Jersey Phillies fans.

Its the same in North Jersey as WPSG CW 57 from Philly is carried on Patriot Cable in Hunderton and Somerset Counties (channel 16 or 17 i believe) and on some Service Electric and Comcast systems in Hunderton, Warren, and maybe even extreme western Morris County. Phillies games, CW 57 morning news, ect.

WTXF FOX 29 from Philly also gets a lot of cable carriage in New Jersey's NYC DMA. It's on in Warren County (Comcast ch. 12) Hunderton, Somerset (Patriot ch. 16) Monmouth, Middlesex (Cablevision ch. 19) and of course Ocean County Comcast (all Philly stations should be carried in Ocean County) More systems have it, Verizon Fios TV in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties, but don't feel like listing them all. Maybe that's why there is so many damn Eagles fans are up here in Giants territory. I don't think WNYW FOX 5 from NY has as much Philly DMA cable coverage as FOX 29 in NYC DMA execpt in Trenton / Mercer County areas and the Allentown, Bethlem, Easton areas in the Leigh Valley.

 

[JayR]

Not sure on that system, but on Comcast in Atlantic City which serves most of Atlantic County, WPIX CW 11 New York is carried on digital cable channel 253 or 254 (i forgot which) and I believe it is also carried on The Cape May - Wildwood system on digital cable as well.

WPIX was on basic cable when I was in Pleasantville.

 

[rch66]

Atlantic City is on the same system as Pleasantville, and WPIX is exclusively on digital there.

I wonder if the seasonal Shore visitors take digital cable. The hotels/motels aren't likely giving WPIX to the New Yorker shore visitors.

The difference with WPSG, WTXF in Central and Northwest NJ is that the Philly stations are still receivable over the air in those areas. Those areas are within 60 over the air miles from Philly, not up at 90 miles.

WPIX doesn't reach the Southern shore area over the air. It is considered a superstation however, which makes it possible for Comcast to continue carrying the channel down there.

I'd be surprised if the Philly stations are requesting blackouts for WPIX in Cape May County, given the distance.

The Allentown cable systems get NYC stations, without blackouts to my knowledge. Allentown is 80 miles from NY, and it isn't within the over the air range.

Comcast Pleasantville services some areas in western Atlantic County, like Egg Harbor City - 42 miles from Philly.

Given that Philly is within 50 miles of both A.C. and Allentown, and NY is 80 miles or more from both those areas - I find it odd that Allentown residents get NYC stations without blackouts but those in Atlantic County get only WPIX, and with blackouts enforced.

 

[JayR]

Atlantic City is on the same system as Pleasantville, and WPIX is exclusively on digital there.

I believe you when you state that but at the time I was there it was on basic analog; my g/f's sister didn't have digital cable then and doesn't have digital cable now.

When I visited some friends in Deerfield Beach (FL) around '97, the local cable company back then would air WPEC News ("News 12" out of West Palm Beach) on one of their channels; they did not carry WPEC itself. The rest of the time they would air local and/or paid programming (community, religious, etc.). Why doesn't Comcast of South Jersey do this? Are they prohibited from doing it?

 

[amfmsw]

rc---while not a jamming signal, Ch11 most certainly does reach the South Jersey Shore. As does 5,2,4,7,9 and 13. You may not be old enought to remember EVERY house, cottage, motel with the 50' towers in the backyard, all mounted with huge Wineguard and LPV-12 antennae, amplifier boxes, and or course the obligatory Alliance Tenna-Rotor.

From here, I can also pull in OC MD TV and much of the time, Baltimore's WJZ-TV13 and Lancaster's WGAL-TV8. UHF, however, is a crap shoot. Many times, even the Philly signals are hit and miss, causing the need for cable or sat for RELIABLE HDTV reception.

 

[rk6781]

I live in Easton we are 65 or so miles from NYC with a ridiculous influx of NYC and North Jersey residents moving here in the last 7 or so years. I'm 20 and when I was younger I remember being able to watch every major NYC channel and Philly channel. Since then they took WCBS 2 and WABC 7 off the regular channel lineups, but we still do have WNBC 4, WPIX 11, WWOR 9, and WNYW 5 as well as all of the Philly stations and I don't see the removal of any of those stations, in fact its more likely to see the additions of WCBS and WABC coming back in the next few years. We don't get YES, SNY, or FSNY 1 or 2. But head over the Delaware River in Phillipsburg and you can get everything. Same thing with my girlfriend in Toms River, NJ. She gets everything NYC and Philly. If you like some choices in the far suburbs: NW and Central Jeresy is the place to be.

 

[rch66]

CH.11 also reaches Burlington County, and its stronger in Burlington County than by Atlantic County. However, its not avail in Burlington County. In fact, Comcast Burlington didn't carry any NYC signals - even when the system south of it[the Garden State Cable-Cherry Hill one] carried 9 and 11 for a long time.

Apparently the Allentown area has a lot of NY area migrants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Valley
Read the paragraph under Counties Adjacent to the Delaware Valley.

However, you won't see the NY media being able to really grasp it. For example, the Philadelphia sports teams will keep exclusivity - you won't see Yankees and Mets being able to consider the Allentown area part ot its local viewing area anytime soon, even though Allentown is closer to NY than say Scranton is, and Scranton isn't under Philadephia's full exclusivity - Scranton is shared with NY equally.

Another really close city is Baltimore, for people in Delaware. However, the Delaware cable systems don't carry any Baltimore TV - and not sure if they ever did. Baltimore itself is a smaller city, so it becomes regional. And perhaps the lack of DE in the actual Baltimore market and news, which is totally [Northern] MD centric, leaves little appeal for Baltimore TV in DE? If Delaware wasn't its own state and just 3 more counties within MD, it could be different.

 

[Red_Bull_Ed]

Baltimore TV is on many cable systems in Delaware. I will use Middletown, DE as an example (zip code: 19709) which is located in northern Delaware about 5 miles west of Odessa and 15 miles south of Newark, located in New Castle County the same county Wilmington is in. The cable system carries both Philadelphia and Baltimore locals including WMAR ABC 2, KYW CBS 3, WPVI ABC 6, WCAU NBC 10, WBAL NBC 11, WJZ CBS 13, WNUV - Baltimore O's games, and WPSG - Philadelphia Phillies games, WHYY, WMPT, ect. You get the idea. Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and SportsNet Baltimore / DC are both offered. This is very common in Delaware and parts of eastern Maryland. Elkton, MD in Cecil County located about 60 miles from both Philly and Baltimore carries both citys TV and even some Lancaster, PA TV. In central Delaware, systems around Dover in Kent County carry both Philly, Baltimore, and of course Salisbury, MD stations and in southern Delaware (Sussex Co.) some cable TV systems carry stations from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington DC.

 

[chuckydoll]

Not in basic and here's why

Comcast South Jersey carries WPIX-DT, which is subject to Network Non-Duplication and Syndicated Exclusivity rules.

The only reason WPIX would be on Comcast South Jersey is for newscasts and Mets baseball.