Most network affiliates on a single cable system

[M.J.]

Would there not have been a time when NYC cable systems carried five PBS stations? There are of course WNET, WLIW and NJN, but there was also WNYE/25 up until a few years ago, and it is my understanding Channel 31 used to show some PBS programs back when it was WNYC. Of course all five were local market stations, but still, that's a lot from one network in one place.

[mleach]

Even though it has been a year since I have seen the local cable system there but according to The Winchester ( Virginia ) Star..as of last week their line-up offers...

ABC: Winchester & Washington DC
NBC: Hagerstown (MD), Washington DC and Baltimore
CBS: Washington DC, Baltimore and for a few viewers..Richmond
FOX: Washington DC
MY TV: Washington DC
CW: Washington DC ( though back in the WB days...Hagerstown, MD too )
ION: Martinsburg (WV)
PBS: Staunton (VA ) and Washington DC

Until 2003 I believe there was a cable system in Franklin County, PA, I am not sure if it was Chambersburg or Waynesboro but whoever itwas they offered the big four nets from not only Baltimore and Washington but also from the Harrisbug-York-Lancaster market too. And NBC25 from Hagerstown, MD.

[rch66]

Until 2003 I believe there was a cable system in Franklin County, PA, I am not sure if it was Chambersburg or Waynesboro but whoever itwas they offered the big four nets from not only Baltimore and Washington but also from the Harrisbug-York-Lancaster market too. And NBC25 from Hagerstown, MD.

According to Comcast's site, the system in Waynesboro has
NBC from Hagerstown-DC(WHAG) and Harrisburg-York(WGAL)
CBS from DC(WUSA), Harrisburg-York (WHTM) and Baltimore (WJZ)
ABC and FOX from DC and Harrisburg.
And, with Dish Network and DirecTV, WRC is offered, Dish also carries WHAG.

And for Chambersburg, its
NBC from Hagerstown-DC(WHAG), DC (WRC) and Harrisburg-York(WGAL)
CBS, ABC and FOX from DC and Harrisburg.

I know that county has flipped back and forth from the DC and Harrisburg market.

I think like WMGM, WHAG doesn't have a region where its an exclusive NBC affiliate.   Now I presume Comcast not wanting to offer say WBAL (NBC) in Chambersburg as it'd be too many NBC stations, and DC and Harrisburg are essentially required.   

Comcast offers HD from the York-Harrisburg market, and not DC, it appears in both Chambersburg and Waynesboro.

I have a Series II TiVo unit, and it permits the option of basic cable and satellite.   So, I get Philly from cable, and NY from satellite, and TiVo integrates it into one lineup, so I get a virtual Central NJ cable lineup.   It only permitted me to choose NY and Philadelphia based
on my zip code for satellite, so I couldn't do it with another market other than those two based on my zip.  The newer HD TiVo units don't integrate satellite however, DirecTV under Rupert Murdoch originally sidestepped TiVo, but now its mended as TiVo has a deal with DirecTV now for a DirecTV Tivo HD box, and TiVo is in litigation with Echostar (so is not encouraging the TiVo service with a competitor, Dish).

[BRNout]

CBS: Washington DC, Baltimore and for a few viewers..Richmond

I know that Front Royal, VA is one of those places.  While staying in a fully cabled motel there (last year), I was shocked to see network affiliates from Washington, Baltimore, the Shenandoah Valley AND Richmond's WTVR!  What a great lineup - with few (if any) blackouts!  Nice. 

[mleach]

Until 2003 I believe there was a cable system in Franklin County, PA, I am not sure if it was Chambersburg or Waynesboro but whoever itwas they offered the big four nets from not only Baltimore and Washington but also from the Harrisbug-York-Lancaster market too. And NBC25 from Hagerstown, MD.

I think like WMGM, WHAG doesn't have a region where its an exclusive NBC affiliate.   Now I presume Comcast not wanting to offer say WBAL (NBC) in Chambersburg as it'd be too many NBC stations, and DC and Harrisburg are essentially required.   

Hagerstown, MD's WHAG NBC 25 is a very strange cookie. Actually the station does have an area where they could "claim" exclusive status..though by default. Cumberland ! ! In that part of of Maryland, WHAG is pretty much the only NBC game in the area even though as recently as five years ago the local newspaper there showed listings from a number of other NBC affilates in the region like DC's WRC, Johnstown's WJAC , Clarksburg, WV's WBOY, Baltimore's WBAL and even Pittsburgh's WPXI even though four of those stations ( WRC, WBAL, WBOY and WPXI ) are very tough catches to pick up there OTA much less the chance of seeing these channels on cable. I have heard that WJAC can be picked up there, well their analog signal anyway but not their digital.

In their homebase of Hagerstown, WHAG is, we can say "its there". Yes they have some viewers but I have been told that WRC has more. WHAG in recent years seems to consider thier hometown as a "third market we serve" as the station seems to build itself as more of a "Frederick, MD" station ( despite that city's strong ties to both DC and Baltimore, both WRC and WBAL are on cable there ) and somewhat a "West Virginia" station as well since WHAG does a lot of stories on the news from the Eastern Panhandle. There have been a few times I can remember watching their news and rare do they do a Hagerstown based story as its usually Martinsburg or Frederick.

Re: WBAL, one of those systems ( Chambersburg or Waynesboro ), when they dropped WBAL ( could very well be the reason you gave ), WBAL actually bought time on the local radio there trying to get viewers to demand the system tobring back WBAL. Dittos ( or so I have been told ) with WBFF thought I don't remember their ads.  Either way it didn't work.

Around the same time ( 2002-2003 ) WMAR was dropped too but WMAR could have cared less.

[rch66]

Until 2003 I believe there was a cable system in Franklin County, PA, I am not sure if it was Chambersburg or Waynesboro but whoever itwas they offered the big four nets from not only Baltimore and Washington but also from the Harrisbug-York-Lancaster market too. And NBC25 from Hagerstown, MD.

I think like WMGM, WHAG doesn't have a region where its an exclusive NBC affiliate.   Now I presume Comcast not wanting to offer say WBAL (NBC) in Chambersburg as it'd be too many NBC stations, and DC and Harrisburg are essentially required.   

Hagerstown, MD's WHAG NBC 25 is a very strange cookie. Actually the station does have an area where they could "claim" exclusive status..though by default. Cumberland ! ! In that part of of Maryland, WHAG is pretty much the only NBC game in the area even though as recently as five years ago the local newspaper there showed listings from a number of other NBC affilates in the region like DC's WRC, Johnstown's WJAC , Clarksburg, WV's WBOY, Baltimore's WBAL and even Pittsburgh's WPXI even though four of those stations ( WRC, WBAL, WBOY and WPXI ) are very tough catches to pick up there OTA much less the chance of seeing these channels on cable. I have heard that WJAC can be picked up there, well their analog signal anyway but not their digital.

In their homebase of Hagerstown, WHAG is, we can say "its there". Yes they have some viewers but I have been told that WRC has more. WHAG in recent years seems to consider thier hometown as a "third market we serve" as the station seems to build itself as more of a "Frederick, MD" station ( despite that city's strong ties to both DC and Baltimore, both WRC and WBAL are on cable there ) and somewhat a "West Virginia" station as well since WHAG does a lot of stories on the news from the Eastern Panhandle. There have been a few times I can remember watching their news and rare do they do a Hagerstown based story as its usually Martinsburg or Frederick.

Re: WBAL, one of those systems ( Chambersburg or Waynesboro ), when they dropped WBAL ( could very well be the reason you gave ), WBAL actually bought time on the local radio there trying to get viewers to demand the system tobring back WBAL. Dittos ( or so I have been told ) with WBFF thought I don't remember their ads.  Either way it didn't work.

Around the same time ( 2002-2003 ) WMAR was dropped too but WMAR could have cared less.

From what I understand though, Comcast is the provider of Cumberland Co. MD, and Franklin County PA.  The NBC retransmission agreement between NBC (WRC) w/ Comcast, applies covering any system in the DMA, so by defacto the station WHAG has no exclusive right.   If the cable company remained an independent operator, then its possible for another scenario - like the independent operator not wanting to pay WRC retransmission but instead taking the free WHAG.   But in that case, its possible for NBC to offer WRC for free in the outlying areas, but just charging the local metro area systems and the satellite companies, the retransmission fee.

WHAG's benefit gets is the small advertising revenue being the only local outlet in the area, but I could see the approach to attract Frederick viewers in the neighboring more populated county.    The same thing with Wildwood licensed WMGM that knows more HH are in Atlantic County.

The benefit the DC stations get is WHAG reaches Franklin Co. as the most local station, and other far out points, its get tied to DC DMA, and the DC DMA remains #7 or #8, with a few more HH: greater value of the DC stations over the next market on the list, with more HH reach, without doing more effort like putting up translators.

The Fox network and Sinclair's WBFF relation appears now oriented as: WBFF is the Baltimore DMA Fox affiliate, with exclusivity in Baltimore City and County, WTTG though gets dually carried in surrounding Baltimore DMA counties as well, but anywhere outside of the Baltimore market, despite WBFF's signal reach, WTTG is the big cheese, and in Elkton/Cecil, WTXF 29 from Philadelphia gets dually carried instead of WTTG.

Dish network carries WHAG in DC DMA, and now DirecTV carries WMGM in Philly DMA.   I wonder if WHAG was on both Dish and DirecTV, WMGM both on Dish and DirecTV, which would make a significant reach, if the NBC owned WRC and WCAU would care that a passerby using the Channel Up / Down might catch NBC network programming not 4 or 10.

[rch66]

Would there not have been a time when NYC cable systems carried five PBS stations? There are of course WNET, WLIW and NJN, but there was also WNYE/25 up until a few years ago, and it is my understanding Channel 31 used to show some PBS programs back when it was WNYC. Of course all five were local market stations, but still, that's a lot from one network in one place.

I could be wrong but I think NJN covers the NJ side and Manhattan, WLIW reaches more of the NE side of the market within NY, so there might not be too many systems, except satellite, carrying both NJN and WLIW, as the ancillary PBS source, but both WLIW and NJN retain the ancillary status to WNET.

What's annoying in Philadelphia is that WLVT 39 from the Lehigh Valley schedule is more a primary PBS (primetime just like WHYY 12 and WNET 13), but WHYY 12 as a primary doesn't feel the need to run some programs like Charlie Rose because anyways WLVT 39 carries it.   But WLVT doesn't reach the entire market like how WHYY does.  I think the same might be true with MPT and WETA 26, that both run the PBS and one doesn't operate ancillary to the other, but MPT won't show certain programs because they don't want their primetime too similar to WETA, but not all the MPT homes can get WETA.

[rch66]

[deleted]

[fortmill]

Staunton/Waynesboro/Augusta County and Harrisonburg/Rockingham County VA on Comcast: 
NBC---WVIR/29, Charlottesville, WRC/4 Washington, WSLS/10 Roanoke, WWBT/12, Richmond
CBS---WTVR/6 Richmond, WUSA/9 Washington
ABC---WHSV/3 Harrisonburg, WRIC/8 Richmond
FOX---WTTG/5 Washington, digital subchannel of WHSV, Harrisonburg
CW----digital subchannel of WVIR, Charlottesville
MY----digital subchannel of WHSV, Harrisonburg
PBS---WVPT/51 Harrisonburg
High Def service----WHSV ABC, WUSA CBS, WVIR NBC, WVPT PBS, WTTG Fox

NO BLACKOUTS

[RobertAnthony]

Here's how Cablevision of CT Norwalk (my system) is broken down


CBS--2 (WCBS; WFSB--but in Fairfield County, some local commercials air on WFSB Fairfield County, a digital subcarrier)

NBC--2 (WNBC; WVIT)

Fox--2 (WNYW; WTIC)

ABC--2 (WABC; WTNH)

PBS/Ed--4 (WEDW 49; WNET 13; WLIW 21; WNYE 25)

My Net--2 (WWOR; WCTX--but must have a box)

CW--2 (WPIX; WTXX)

Ind--1 (WLNY)

Ion--1 (WPXN)

Other--1 (WSAH)

Not counting the 3 Spanish stations (WNJU, WFUT, WXTV)


The HD signals are of the NYC stations 2,4,5,7,9, 11,13 and 21 since Fairfield County is the NYC market.