HD Alert - All TV returning to Black & White

[waltinvt]

Sound silly - read on.

What if your local network affilliate said we want the law to say that our station can be your only choice for viewing that network ?

However we've decided that we just can't see our way clear to providing you with the same picture as the national network. Until we can get our feet on the ground, we'll only be transmitting in black & white and mono sound. Hopfully in a couple of years we'll be able to do stereo but 5.1 is out of the question for the forseeable future.

However the FCC has mandated we somehow find a way to get some of that color back into the signal. We are persuing that and think we've found a way but it will require us to reduce our power to one quarter impulse.........

What if the NAB were paying congress big bucks to insure the affilliate's right to do this ?

That's not unlike what's happening here.

This bill just wants to allow satellite compaines to provide customers the same digital signal the national network is broadcasting until the local affilliate is able to get that same signal to it's customer.

Check it out at:
http://www.digitaltransitioncoalition.org/digital/
Then let congress know how you feel at:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

I know some are spewing crap about this bill, etc; some whine it doesn't go far enough but you know what - it's probably the best offer we're going to see during this session of congress and it may not survive. If you think it ought to go further - call congress and tell them that but don't sit on your collective butts doing nothing.

The important thing here is for satellite viewers to start making noise to congress. We're tired of being discriminated against when it comes to viewing choice. We've invested in the equipment, the networks want to provide the HD programming, the government wants the digital transition to take place but the NAB and local affiliates only want to circumvent the process. They basically want their cake and eat it too. They want to be your ONLY source for network programs but they want to water it all down before it gets to you.
WaltinVt

[summerfun]

Be careful what you wish for, you may not like the end results.

If you are allowed to by-pass the local affiliates and watch the networks directly, it will be the beginning of the end of the local stations.

There goes your local news, your local sports, your local programming and your local advertisements. If you are a business owner and want to advertise your business, you will never again be able advertise on local television.

Most communities have very good local affiliates. Every one in our area is already HD and has been for some time.

I would suggest that if a community does not have a good affiliate, then a subscriber should be allowed to view another neighboring community’s affiliate until such time their local is up to speed. This would cover the gap until everyone is up to speed and put some pressure on the locals to move things up quicker to get their viewers back.

I don’t think the answer is to allow direct viewing of networks ultimately putting local stations out of business. Don't give the big networks more power than they already have, keep your local stations.

A good analogy is buying a car. If you don't like your local dealership, you can go to the one in the next town, but you can't go directly to the manufacture. Give the Sat customers a choice to go to the next town for their HD, but not go directly to the network.

[gparris]

I wouldn't mind watching the national HD versions of the WB and UPN networks as our pathetic local stations (same owner) don't and won't deliver them in Milwaukee.
May it be an incentive to get with the programme and deliver HD broadcasts so local HD set owners don't do without.
AS for the rural guy who cannot obtain a decent digital or HD local signal due to interference or distance, at least he (or she) can get the networks in HD from a satellite delivery system in place with this provision.
Either way, depending on who administers the waivers and how the laws are finally written, everybody gets HD/Digital network delivery. Local station operators obstaining from getting the free spectrum they have long received for digital transmission will have to "put out" or be "shut out" (by distant HD locals), I don't really care which!

[summerfun]

gparris,

Hey buddy, as we are in the same community, I agree that I would love to see the UPN and WB in HD. My point is however, I think we should be allowed to watch a local affiliate from outside of Milwaukee rather than directly from the network, preserving the local affiliate distribution model. Then when the local UPN and WB comes on board, we switch back.

I think all cable and sat customers should be able to receive locals. Too many issues with antennas and low power transmission. If a local does not offer HD, then your sat or cable company should be allowed to offer you a neighboring community affiliate that does.

[gparris]

summerfun: I agree: You should get the local HD station when and IF you can. BUT: if the station is on low power (which means the local is being cheap and stupid) with his station and since you STILL cannot get it (OTA) and, providing cable HD source for that local is not available to you, you should be allowed to get it from a national network HD source. Maybe then the spectrum they received for free will be delivered to the viewing public as it should be. I could give one d---about their power bill.

[waltinvt]

<snip....>If you are allowed to by-pass the local affiliates and watch the networks directly, it will be the beginning of the end of the local stations.
This bill provides a lot of protection for the locals that are providing a decent, full power digital signal. It only wants to provide distant digital to viewers that can't receive a local digital.

Most communities have very good local affiliates. Every one in our area is already HD and has been for some time.
What percentage of viewers beyond a 30 mile radius can receive that signal ?
What percentage of the national network signal is passed on to viewers exactly the way the national network is broadcasting it ?
If anyone in your area can not get that signal, should they not be allowed to get it direct from the network just for the sake of the survival of the local?[/QUOTE]

I would suggest that if a community does not have a good affiliate, then a subscriber should be allowed to view another neighboring community’s affiliate until such time their local is up to speed. This would cover the gap until everyone is up to speed and put some pressure on the locals to move things up quicker to get their viewers back.
There is specific wording in the bill about just that. It goes on to provide specific timelines and notification procedures for when locals are up to speed.

I don’t think the answer is to allow direct viewing of networks ultimately putting local stations out of business. Don't give the big networks more power than they already have, keep your local stations.
The only locals that might be adversly affected by this bill are the ones that are not meeting their obligation to their viewers. Is that fair to viewers and the other affilliates that are meeting their obligations?

A good analogy is buying a car. If you don't like your local dealership, you can go to the one in the next town, but you can't go directly to the manufacture. Give the Sat customers a choice to go to the next town for their HD, but not go directly to the network.
I agree that there should be some consideration for neighboring DMAs and there has been some legislative talk about that. I'm betting there will be more on that in the House version.

However, to use your own analogy but substitute newspaper for car:

If you don't like your local paper or the delivery person doesn't service your street or the paper skews or leaves out (pre empts) national news and substitutes coverage of the local bake sale or whatever; you can not only go to the next town and buy their paper, chances are your local drug store sells many of the big city papers too.

WaltinVt

[summerfun]

I think we are mostly in agreement on this. My main point is, give the sat and cable customers a chance to get another affiliate from another community rather than going directly to the networks.

I think all sat and cable companies should be allowed to re-broadcast local stations, that takes away all the low power issues. Then it becomes only an issue of what locals you are offered. If a local is HD, then you should be given that local. If a local has not gone HD yet, then you should be offered another community’s local until your local gets their HD up and running.

[waltinvt]

I think we are mostly in agreement on this. My main point is, give the sat and cable customers a chance to get another affiliate from another community rather than going directly to the networks.

I think all sat and cable companies should be allowed to re-broadcast local stations, that takes away all the low power issues. Then it becomes only an issue of what locals you are offered. If a local is HD, then you should be given that local. If a local has not gone HD yet, then you should be offered another community’s local until your local gets their HD up and running.

What if none of the locals (except PBS) in my area are providing HD or expect to for at least a year or two ?

What if when they finally do go digital, their plan is to only multicast half a dozen stations, none of which will be HD, for as long as they can get away with it ?

WaltinVt

[kevinw]

This may be minor but we are talking about the HD feed of the national vs the digital OTA feed of the local.
Having the national feed available is not going to make your local move any faster towards providing a digital signal. Until it is mandatory to shut off the analog some stations will not make the equipment expenitures. 90 percent of the population still watch the analog delivered to them by the must carry rules over cable or by spot beams of the satellite companies.

[kevinw]

What if none of the locals (except PBS) in my area are providing HD or expect to for at least a year or two ?

What if when they finally do go digital, their plan is to only multicast half a dozen stations, none of which will be HD, for as long as they can get away with it ?

WaltinVt
The rules as they are do not require HD, only digital.

[summerfun]

What if none of the locals (except PBS) in my area are providing HD or expect to for at least a year or two ?

What if when they finally do go digital, their plan is to only multicast half a dozen stations, none of which will be HD, for as long as they can get away with it ?

WaltinVt
First of all, you should put your location in your name so we know where you are.

Second, your situation is exactly what I am talking about. If your community does not have HD yet, you should be allowed to receive a different community affiliate television stations through your cable or sat company, but I don't think you should be allowed to get the network directly.

[kevinw]

First of all, you should put your location in your name so we know where you are.

Second, your situation is exactly what I am talking about. If your community does not have HD yet, you should be allowed to receive a different community affiliate television stations through your cable or sat company, but I don't think you should be allowed to get the network directly.
Probally VT since his name is is Walt in VT ..just a guess :)

[summerfun]

Probally VT since his name is is Walt in VT ..just a guess :)
Could be, but that would make you KEV in W. :rockon: