WUVG's coverage on analog vs. digital

[livingfruitvirus]

How is WUVG allowed to operate its transmitters the way it does? Its digital tower is actually in Atlanta on the field with WKLS and WUBL while its analog stick is in Buford on the field with WSRV, meaning its digital and analog patterns are completely different. In fact, its digital signal almost doesn't even cover its city of license of Athens. So someone could pick up WUVG in Toccoa, but WUVG-DT is not receivable.

 

[RickRose]

Numerous TV stations across the country are taking advantage of digital to modify their signals in ways to improve market coverage that thier analog signals would not allow

 

[ssnake]

I live in east Athens, and I assure you that WUVG-DT doesn't provide city-grade coverage to Athens.

I have a CM 4228 with 7777 preamp, at about 40 ft. AGL, which is about the best UHF setup out there, and I can only get WUVG-DT roughly about 20% of the time. From my location, it's a lot weaker than WGCL-DT, WTBS-DT or WAGA-DT, which come in about 80% of the time.

On the other hand, WUVG's analog comes in very well, even with rabbit ears. With my antenna set up, it's so strong that adjacent channel interference is a problem with WUNF channel 33 in Asheville.

It is of course a shame that the only station receivable in Athens without a large antenna isn't even in English....

WHSG is another example of the differing coverage areas. Analog is perfect on my setup, but DT only comes in about 20% of the time.

The only station that purports to serve Athens is WNEG 32, but their analog is weak and snowy, and they threatened the FCC that they would rather shut down than to construct a DT facility before the cut-off.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

I live in east Athens, and I assure you that WUVG-DT doesn't provide city-grade coverage to Athens.

I have a CM 4228 with 7777 preamp, at about 40 ft. AGL, which is about the best UHF setup out there, and I can only get WUVG-DT roughly about 20% of the time. From my location, it's a lot weaker than WGCL-DT, WTBS-DT or WAGA-DT, which come in about 80% of the time.

On the other hand, WUVG's analog comes in very well, even with rabbit ears. With my antenna set up, it's so strong that adjacent channel interference is a problem with WUNF channel 33 in Asheville.

It is of course a shame that the only station receivable in Athens without a large antenna isn't even in English....

WHSG is another example of the differing coverage areas. Analog is perfect on my setup, but DT only comes in about 20% of the time.

The only station that purports to serve Athens is WNEG 32, but their analog is weak and snowy, and they threatened the FCC that they would rather shut down than to construct a DT facility before the cut-off.

At least WHSG's signals serve its city of license, which is Monroe. You can receive WUVG analog without problems because its transmitter is in Buford between I-985 and GA 13, but its digital transmitter is off Druid Hills Road north of midtown Atlanta with a bunch of other radio and TV stations. If the station can't even be viewed in the city that it's licensed to, I'd imagine that would be something to complain about with the digital conversion coming. Even WPXA, which is licensed to Rome, has its sticks in Waleska and both serve Rome effectively.

And if WNEG claims to serve Athens then maybe they should stop. Their transmitter is in Toccoa, which is also their city of license, so it's basically trying to serve a town that's 50 miles away. They also claim to serve Gainesville but the signal is heard fine there.

 

[ssnake]

And if WNEG claims to serve Athens then maybe they should stop. Their transmitter is in Toccoa, which is also their city of license, so it's basically trying to serve a town that's 50 miles away. They also claim to serve Gainesville but the signal is heard fine there.

Well, WNEG is carried on the cable system in Athens, and they feature news from Athens on their newscasts, so I'll give them credit for that. I'd probably be able to receive them reliably if they brought the DTV online, but they refuse to do that.

Ideally, the Atlanta stations ought to bring some digital translators on in Athens. They claim Athens in the Atlanta market (even though GSP stations are stronger), and I see news remotes in downtown Athens all the time. But truthfully, with satellite, no one really cares about us OTA-only viewers anymore.

And WUVG cares even less about me -- they don't even have SAP or CC in English.

I'm a fan of rimshots, so I disagree with the WHSG-DT move also. If they are licensed to Monroe, they ought to put a powerful signal there. In that way, the eastern segment of the Atlanta metro would have more TV service. WATC doesn't reach Athens at all.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

Not even I can receive WATC. Rather odd because I'm well within its pattern and semi-close to the transmitter on Sweat Mountain. For some reason this area is a black hole for receiving WATC.

 

[FloydB]

And if WNEG claims to serve Athens then maybe they should stop. Their transmitter is in Toccoa, which is also their city of license, so it's basically trying to serve a town that's 50 miles away. They also claim to serve Gainesville but the signal is heard fine there.

Ideally, the Atlanta stations ought to bring some digital translators on in Athens. They claim Athens in the Atlanta market (even though GSP stations are stronger), and I see news remotes in downtown Athens all the time. But truthfully, with satellite, no one really cares about us OTA-only viewers anymore.

Oh, come on, guys. We all know that the only reason anybody ever cares about Athens is because of UGA, and nothing else. It they really cared that much, then they'd also be paying attention to Locust Grove, Dallas, Blue Ridge and other outlying cities. They don't care about sending a signal out that far because they know that their target audience out in those areas can afford cable. If they can't afford cable, then they can't afford to come to Atlanta and spend money with the stations' advertisers.

 

[ssnake]

Oh, come on, guys. We all know that the only reason anybody ever cares about Athens is because of UGA, and nothing else. It they really cared that much, then they'd also be paying attention to Locust Grove, Dallas, Blue Ridge and other outlying cities. They don't care about sending a signal out that far because they know that their target audience out in those areas can afford cable. If they can't afford cable, then they can't afford to come to Atlanta and spend money with the stations' advertisers.

The Athens market has almost 200,000 people. That would put it ahead of the Albany DMA, which has three local network affiliates, and just behind the Columbus DMA, which has five network affiliates. Thus, Athens should have its own complement of stations.

Sure, you could say the same about other parts of the Atlanta market. But the Atlanta stations don't put a good signal in Athens, and Athens used to be in the Greenville-Spartanburg market. Athens is its own MSA, meaning that people in the surrounding area commute to Athens and shop in Athens, not Atlanta.

My suggestion is that the Atlanta stations ought to build a low power digital translator facility and insert local advertising. Athens is close enough to Atlanta that there is no need for full power stations, but a market with 200k people can support local advertising, as can be seen in Columbus and Albany, for example.

 

[FloydB]

Oh, come on, guys. We all know that the only reason anybody ever cares about Athens is because of UGA, and nothing else. It they really cared that much, then they'd also be paying attention to Locust Grove, Dallas, Blue Ridge and other outlying cities. They don't care about sending a signal out that far because they know that their target audience out in those areas can afford cable. If they can't afford cable, then they can't afford to come to Atlanta and spend money with the stations' advertisers.

The Athens market has almost 200,000 people. That would put it ahead of the Albany DMA, which has three local network affiliates, and just behind the Columbus DMA, which has five network affiliates. Thus, Athens should have its own complement of stations.

Sure, you could say the same about other parts of the Atlanta market. But the Atlanta stations don't put a good signal in Athens, and Athens used to be in the Greenville-Spartanburg market. Athens is its own MSA, meaning that people in the surrounding area commute to Athens and shop in Athens, not Atlanta.

My suggestion is that the Atlanta stations ought to build a low power digital translator facility and insert local advertising. Athens is close enough to Atlanta that there is no need for full power stations, but a market with 200k people can support local advertising, as can be seen in Columbus and Albany, for example.

Yeah, in a perfect world, all of us would own our own TV/Radio stations and they would actually be profitable. They won't go through all of that trouble, since most of the Athens area are comprised of students, making Athens 200k+. Also, their target audience in the area has cable, which makes them care less if there's a translator that covers the Athens area or not. In the bean-counters' minds, it's not worth the trouble.

 

[ssnake]

Yeah, in a perfect world, all of us would own our own TV/Radio stations and they would actually be profitable. They won't go through all of that trouble, since most of the Athens area are comprised of students, making Athens 200k+. Also, their target audience in the area has cable, which makes them care less if there's a translator that covers the Athens area or not. In the bean-counters' minds, it's not worth the trouble.

I appreciate your refreshing cynicism. The stations' target audience in Atlanta has cable too, so why even have OTA broadcasts? In the bean-counters' minds, it wasn't worth upgrading to digital either.

Low-power digital broadcasts (aka DTS) are in our future, and I think Athens would be an excellent test market.

 

[jonblaze]

It would be interesting if Athens was it's own TV market. I work and live in the Athens area, and the thing that gets to me about both Atlanta and Greenville tv, is Athens and northeast Georgia is overlooked in many areas reguarding news events... How many times have you turned to Atlanta tv for severe weather coverage, and they overlook us? There could be an E-F5 Tornado coming twards Athens, but Atlanta tv will go to and talk about a small thunderstorm in Peachtree City... And we know that WNEG 32 isn't going to help us there, they don't even run severe weather crawls...

On another note... I see Athens-Clarke County becoming an "Atlanta Metro" county in the next several years. The closest county in the metro area now is Barrow. I've noticed Atlanta tv covering more stories in the 4 counties in Georgia that are considered GSP market... Stephens, Franklin, Hart and Elbert. Heck, if they get these counties, Atlanta's DMA could move up to 8 or 7. If this becomes a reality, the tv stations would almost have to use a digital translators to reach the counties to the east of Athens...