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WPXA Channel 16 Alpharetta
- Thread starter GA-SC-NC-TN radioguy
- Start date
All of GPTV's full-power stations are on VHF, four of them on low-VHF. Most of them had been on UHF in analog days.
I'm wondering if they found they could make more money off the incentive auction by agreeing to take VHF channels. I'm not sure how all of that worked back when the auctions were taking place. WOSU Columbus got rid of their satellite WPBO Portsmouth entirely in the auctions, and were willing to throw the far southeastern counties under the bus as regards OTA in-state public TV, but then again you don't have a network in Ohio that has a mandate to cover the entire state.
By the time of the incentive auction, only two of their stations were still on UHF, WJSP and WNGH. Both won bids to move to low-VHF, which got them a significant chunk of change.
Their other stations just opted to move to VHF as part of the digital transition process. I believe the purpose was to save on cost.
- Trip
I hadn't thought of that. Good point.
This would be a perfect test-case for migrating to ATSC-3 from ATSC-1. The stations get back their reliable coverage and, overtime, most TVs will be ATSC-3 capable any way. (This would only impact OTA viewers.)
I'm not following you here. Do you mean that WPBO could be brought back on 3.0 to cover those southeastern Ohio counties (Scioto, Lawrence, Adams, and possibly parts of Pike and Jackson counties that might have a difficult time getting WOSU OTA)? The spectrum was relinquished, and in any case, they'd have to be assigned a new UHF channel (or possibly even VHF), as OTA 42 is no more.
Whoops. I meant the GPB VHF channels.
Do you mean that, in your scenario, GPTV would go all-ATSC 3.0?
What would OTA viewers do, the vast, vast majority of whom don't have 3.0 converters? And what about delivering a signal to cable and satellite providers? Unless there's some part I'm missing, they, too, would have to get 3.0 equipment.
This would help the folks trying to destroy public and or educational TV. I wouldn't want my station to be the "bata" customer andm losing 20% (or whatever the OTS audience is).
I am not sure if there is specific language in the original issue of Radio and TV channels back in the day but IMHO:
These licenses were issued " in the public interest". If you make money OK. If not turn the license in and the FCC will auction it off to someone who thinks they can. Another issue is weather fire and other assorted emergencies. 20% of the folks (I am part of this minority that refuses to pay $150 a month plus to the cable company) will not get warnings. May we are "expendable".
Public TV stations have non-commercial licenses, and turning a profit is not an issue for them. They simply have to remain financially viable through donations and, in some cases, subsidies from various governmental entities, as they have to have enough cash flow to pay salaries, pay for programming, utilities, and so on.
Would losing 20% of the folks and their pledges help them be viable? I am not objective when it comes to GPTV. I watch it OTA on a 5 year old set. I don't plan on replacing it until it dies. They would lose me and my donation if I had to buy a new set.
I wouldn't worry about the likelihood of anything such as that happening. I predict that eventually, they are going to have to give up on ATSC 3.0. It's just not catching on.
Case in point, WCIV Charleston's 3.0 signal (36.2 rebroadcast on WGWG which is the lighthouse for that market) was frozen on a single frame for about a month and they evidently weren't aware of it until another 3.0 hobbyist in South Carolina and myself notified them. And neither one of us were even in the Charleston market. Once they were notified, evidently they rebooted the server, or whatever had to be done, and it was restored. If they'd had viewers on 3.0, certainly someone would have complained.
So is WPXA going to stay on Channel 14? Or are they going to move up to Channel 16? If they move to Channel 16, it would either force WYGA-CD to go off the air, do a channel swap with WPXA (WPXA move to Channel 16/WYGA-CD move to Channel 14), or WYGA-CD would move to a different channel if they’re serious about staying on the air. WYGA-CD, currently on Channel 16, is currently affiliated with ULFN (Universal Living Faith Network).
Trip, the channel numbers you’re referring to are the digital channel numbers for the stations. I was referring to the virtual channel numbers.
Unless it would be a question of expense, I struggle to understand why PBS stations don't stream their entire linear schedule online. There's no commercial aspect to consider, and I seriously doubt that a significant number of viewers would migrate altogether from local outlets to big-name PBS stations such as WNET and WETA.
There was some "wildcat" Roku app, name escapes me at the moment, that once streamed MPT from Maryland and KET from Kentucky, and it was good while it lasted. They eventually had to give this up, as well as streaming of commercial stations, after legal objections forced them to cease operations.
Thanks, I didn't think of licensing. I know that they do the geofencing, I would like to be able to watch PBS Appalachia Virginia (based in Bristol), but it is apparently not available outside the Tri-Cities market (or possibly just the Virginia side of that market, which in Bristol could mean on one side of the street or another).