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WWE Smackdown! on MY...Your thoughts?

KML0224

KML0224

Tonight was the debut of WWE Smackdown! on MY, which is the show's third network since it debuted in 1999. I noticed that the MY logo bug wasn't in the corner, at least on the HD feed anyways. Now I only caught about 5 or 6 minutes tops of tonight's episode. I can't imagine the commercial load being any different than for when WWE airs on USA. Kind of strange to see USA get advertised on a FOX-owned network like that! Now then, reserving your judgment on wrestling for a later time, did your market air the show in "real time"? We have a full-time MY station here in Hartford/New Haven. As for this network's coverage in New England, I only know of three primary affiliates:

WCTX-TV channel 59/DT 39 New Haven [Hartford/New Haven market]
WZMY-TV channel 50/DT ?? Derry, NH [Boston/Worcester market]
WPME-TV channel 35/DT ?? Lewiston, ME [Portland/Poland Spring market]

I may be wrong, but I think WNAC-TV (FOX) channel 64/DT ?? of Providence, RI airs the MY programming on a secondary basis after their 10 PM news.
 
KML-224 said:
I may be wrong, but I think WNAC-TV (FOX) channel 64/DT ?? of Providence, RI airs the MY programming on a secondary basis after their 10 PM news.
Click to expand...

As does LP WFVX the Fox affiliate for Bangor (actually they run the block at 11:05 after one of the tv news mag shows). No affiliate for Presque Isle, I don't even think My is carried on cable up that way
 
Smackdown lost Mobile Alabama (market #60) in the My Move

Down here in Pensacola and Fort Walton (part of Market #60, Mobile, AL), Smackdown was shown at it's scheduled time. They did show the My 35 bug in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

The problems:
1) Our My affiliate, WFGX, is a low power, full power station that covers no more than 30% of the population in the Mobile TV market, so 70% of the people that watched it on CW can't get it anymore. It is not available OTA or on cable in some parts of Florida, or anywhere in south west Alabama or south east Mississippi and is only available to Cox cable customers in Pensacola, no Dish or DirecTV. OTA reception is limited to a 20 mile radius from Fort Walton Beach, wasting half the signal over the Gulf of Mexico. In WFGX's defense, their tower options are very limited because they are surrounded by the largest Air Force base in the world.
2) WFGX's DT signal is in SD, not HD.
3) About half of the commercial break time was black screen, dead air, unsold spots, or just mistakes. The only local commercial I remember seeing was for a bail bonds man, it was a pretty corny commercial. I guess that is Smackdown's target audience?

The oddities:
1) WEAR, our full market ABC and WFGX's duopoly partner, has been advertising the Smackdown move for several weeks. Teasing people that would not be able to watch the show on MyNet's very limited signal.
2) WEAR has had their DTV facilities built out to full power for five years, yet they don't multicast. They had The Tube on 3-2 for a few months, so they should have all the necessary equipment laying around. There's plenty of room for them to add MyNet as a DT-2 to cover the entire market with a much better signal than CW-WBPG offered, yet they don't...why?

The Good:
Smackdown's old home WBPG was analog only with very bad sound problems, so IF you can get WFGX (and WFGX-DT has a stronger signal than analog), Smackdown's picture is now clearer and the sound is normal for the first time since UPN died.

Is there any chance that FX would offer a Saturday morning/noon or even late night replay of Smackdown? It would probably help get the show out to many people that can't watch it now.
 
Nice idea, but not that I've read about. I guess we're one of the lucky ones here in Hartford/New Haven. We enjoy a 5 million watt analog signal from Madmere Mountain in Hamden, CT, which is just north of New Haven. They are the sister station of WTNH-TV/DT (ABC) channel 8/D 10. I'm not sure if WWE was cross-promoted on their station or not.

As for WWE themselves, I guess if this option wasn't available, they could've gone to USA or debut on FX? Hmmmmmm!
 
KML-224 said:
Tonight was the debut of WWE Smackdown! on MY, which is the show's third network since it debuted in 1999. I noticed that the MY logo bug wasn't in the corner, at least on the HD feed anyways. Now I only caught about 5 or 6 minutes tops of tonight's episode. I can't imagine the commercial load being any different than for when WWE airs on USA. Kind of strange to see USA get advertised on a FOX-owned network like that! Now then, reserving your judgment on wrestling for a later time, did your market air the show in "real time"? We have a full-time MY station here in Hartford/New Haven. As for this network's coverage in New England, I only know of three primary affiliates:

WCTX-TV channel 59/DT 39 New Haven [Hartford/New Haven market]
WZMY-TV channel 50/DT ?? Derry, NH [Boston/Worcester market]
WPME-TV channel 35/DT ?? Lewiston, ME [Portland/Poland Spring market]

I may be wrong, but I think WNAC-TV (FOX) channel 64/DT ?? of Providence, RI airs the MY programming on a secondary basis after their 10 PM news.
Click to expand...
We had the my logo here in Philly. My network doesn't put up the logo, its the local stations.

I think wwe/my/usa made a deal. USA let WWE advertise smackdown going to my, in exchange for some raw ads on my. Thats what I assume atleast. I remember when smackdown first came on the air, usa didn't let them promote UPN, so wwe had to say check your local listings whenever promoting it. However USA was mad at wwe at the time for creating a brand new a-show, so that might be the reason they didn't let them promote the network.
 
I happen to live in between two TV markets--Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama. Mobile, as poledo explained, has no true MyNet affiliate at all. Montgomery has one from the Troy-licensed WRJM "My 67", but no signal reaches my hometown, and it isn't carried on any local cable or satellite system.

The only way I'll be watching SmackDown on MyNetworkTV (first run) will be to make friends with a Slingbox owner, or move.
 
I Personally was pleased with the way Smackdown was shown.

The program was very solid, a lot of REAL WRESTLING MATCHES on this one.

To me, the show feels more relax than it has been in 5 years.

I know some areas didn't get My Network TV, which is a small issue, hopefully the DTV transition in February will change that in my opinion.

I'm really glad to see USA allow themselves to be advertised on My Network TV for Monday Night Raw.

There wasn't much change from a commerical standpoint because they're still showing the same old bowflex commericals from last week a 20 billion times ;D!

Maybe it will help the ratings slide to go away no everybody will know where Raw is at.

The best pure match of the night was the 4-man tag team with Batista, Rey Mysterio, JBL, MVP, Jeff Hardy, etc.

I still think it's possible that will see more influence from the WWE on My Network TV down the road, one look at the other nights will tell the story.

I like the new opening, it builds the show up a lot.

But my big hope is that it beat the CW on that night. That will tell the story.
 
Here in New York, it was back on the channel that used to show it when UPN existed. The real problem is to exist in April, when it's going to be bumpted to Saturday nearly every week during Yankee season. I think this is the reason why last night was the first MyNet telecast, as Yankee season is over (they wouldn't have aired any games in any case even if the Yankees made the playoffs).

And yeah, this was the first time in ages that they really made Smackdown look important for a special occasion. Certainly a far cry from the first Friday episode in 2005 and the first CW episode in 2006, when they didn't care as much. I think overall this is the most they've cared about Smackdown since around Wrestlemania 20 in 2004.
 
liradioisbad said:
Here in New York, it was back on the channel that used to show it when UPN existed. The real problem is to exist in April, when it's going to be bumpted to Saturday nearly every week during Yankee season. I think this is the reason why last night was the first MyNet telecast, as Yankee season is over (they wouldn't have aired any games in any case even if the Yankees made the playoffs).
Click to expand...

Same here in Hartford. WCTX picks up the Yanks from WWOR. They even have a similar name as WWOR. WWOR is MY 9. WCTX is MY TV 9. In the case of WCTX, 9 represents the Cable Position. They're on 59 OTA.
 
WWE Smackdown! on MY

Here in the Fort Myers/Naples market, if you don't have cable (Comcast) or DISH Network (WWOR "My 9" channel 238 on the Superstation Package), you're s.o.l.
 
Here in the Greenwood-Greenville, MS area, the local ABC affilaite showed Smackdown on their DT channel. WABG-DT 10 is a Fox affiliate but is secondary with MY. They pre-recorded Smackdown from Friday night and aired it at 10pm Saturday nights after all the Fox programs were completed.
 
...my thoughts? It's still WWE product, and as such muddy old tapes of Angelo Poffo's ICW promotion when they taped in a studio in Kentucky (and their rings sometimes collapsed in mid-match at house shows) are still better...
 
Well.............according to Prowrestling.com, the night before the WWE aired a special Wrestlemania 24 review to hype up Smackdown's debut. It drew a 1.2 rating.
What's worse, is that it was followed up by hack magician The Masked Magician a.k.a. Valentino in another installment of Magic Secrets Revealed. That drew a slightly higher 1.4. WWE wasn't happy about that.
 
KML-224 said:
As for WWE themselves, I guess if this option wasn't available, they could've gone to USA or debut on FX? Hmmmmmm!
Click to expand...

From what I've heard the 'wrestling press' say, the only suitors for SmackDown were MyNet and Superstation WGN/WGN America. Fox (the network) was apparently interested once, but only if it aired live each week.
 
Friday Night Smackdown apparently had about the same numbers as it did on CW.
A press release from the network says they had 3.2 million viewers (1.9 hh rating) and topped the broadcast nets in men 18-34.

That's the best ratings ever for My Network TV.
 
tested said:
Friday Night Smackdown apparently had about the same numbers as it did on CW.
A press release from the network says they had 3.2 million viewers (1.9 hh rating) and topped the broadcast nets in men 18-34.

That's the best ratings ever for My Network TV.
Click to expand...

And most people didn't think MyNet would survive for the first year. That Australian Murdock guy seems to know what he's doing.
It would have been cool for MyNet to simulcast the first month of Smackdown on Fox so people would know it was out there. Do any of you people that read the insider boards know if Fox might get a "Saturday Night Main Event" out of their new WWE relationship? I bet NBC would pay Fox to take those shows off their hands.
 
poledo said:
Do any of you people that read the insider boards know if Fox might get a "Saturday Night Main Event" out of their new WWE relationship? I bet NBC would pay Fox to take those shows off their hands.
Click to expand...

I doubt that'd happen anytime soon. WWE has a pretty solid deal with NBC Universal, and though SNME hasn't done so greatly on NBC, remember these events are primarily for Saturday nights, where NBC would be running some repeat or rehashed Dateline episode anyway. There's little risk in letting the WWE take these spots over.

SmackDown is the only domestic WWE program that airs outside of NBC Universal, and that's probably by design, dating back to its slot on UPN. They probably don't want all of their programs contractually housed by one media company as they'd probably get less money or some other undesirable stipulation as a whole, like funky timeslots, creative censorship, etc. For that matter, USA and SciFi might not want to give up additional hours for SmackDown or SNME when they've already got Raw and ECW. But, if its necessary or lucrative to do so someday--Fox or FX might be options, like MyNet is now.
 
I have a feeling angry wrestling fans will help MyNet get more cable coverage in those few markets without it now.
 
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