TV Station Channel Brands After DTV Conversion?

[tripinva]

It would on analog cable.  Just ask WBBM-DT, who was on cable 3 because of ingress from their analog on 2, then had to be relocated up to channel 22 when their digital on 3 signed on and destroyed reception on cable 3.

- Trip

[Lkeller]

I suspect that the heritage NBC stations (e.g., WNBC, KNBC, WMAQ, etc.) will keep the NBC# (or even "Channel #") branding.  KNTV (NBC 3, NBC 11, NBC Bay Area...) hasn't been an NBC station all that long (only several years), rather than 50+ years...

KNBC still airs "The Channel 4 News" - and folks in southern California know that NBC is on channel 4 (regardless of physical channel number), just like folks in Utah know that ABC is on Channel 4 (even on analog with translators on different channel numbers).  It's all branding.

Once the dust settles, you may see some requests to change virtual channel numbers (most likely to a lower number - maybe to match local cable systems?), but we'll let that scenario rear it's head off in the future...

Jim

You could be right - I haven't been in any other cities since the NBC changeover, so I can't comment.  when KNTV first became an NBC affiliate (later an O&O), they branded as "NBC3," (their Comcast Cable position), then went to "NBC11" (broadcast dial position because they share some north Bay broadcast territory with KCRA - NCB3 in Sacramento.  And the station is presumably in a different dial position if you have satellite, and different still if you are watching them in HD.

All things considered, it just seems simpler to go with "NBC Bay Area.". 

This seems to be a trend -at least here in the San Francisco Bay Area - because our CW affiliate is now branding as "CW Bay Area,", and independent station always known as "TV20" has shrunk the "20" to a tiny font and is emphasizing their "KOFY" call letters (pronounced "Coffee," naturally) as their brand. I expect the "20" to disappear at any time now...

[kenrayc]

Many upper VHF stations ,Los Angeles for example are switching there DTV Frequencies back to there original Frequencies Example KABC-7,KHJ-9,KTTV-11and,KCOP 13. In Fresno KAIL 53 is Digital channel 7 and has decided to identify it as Channel 7,partly because the DTV band end at channel 50, on the flip side ABC30 (KFSN) is DTV channel 9 but will switch Digital frequency back to 30 2/17/09.The rest of the stations in will keep there DTV frequencies and map there original channel numbers. One more exception KNSO 51 (DTV ch.5) will switch to DTV  11 and call it that.

[Scott Fybush]

In Fresno KAIL 53 is Digital channel 7 and has decided to identify it as Channel 7,partly because the DTV band end at channel 50, on the flip side ABC30 (KFSN) is DTV channel 9 but will switch Digital frequency back to 30 2/17/09.The rest of the stations in will keep there DTV frequencies and map there original channel numbers. One more exception KNSO 51 (DTV ch.5) will switch to DTV  11 and call it that.

The rules don't allow KAIL or KNSO to do what you say they're doing. Whether those rules will be strictly enforced, or whether the FCC will leave stations alone unless someone complains, remains to be seen.

[kenrayc]

KAIL actually has been branding them self as MY-7 for a year now, the Fcc hasn't said nothing about it.One reason is to let averybody know they need a VHF antenna in a All UHF market.I talked to Chief Engineer at KAIL about this. One confusing thing though is that KAIL is on channel 13 on cable and the CBS affiliate KGPE 47 is on channel 7.One more thing KAIL is mapped as 7.1 and 7.2 for there second channel NOT 53.1 and 53.2.

[Mark]

Cable people don't have issues with channels moving. Dish and Cable move channels and people find them OK.

Older people and poorer people who don't travel may have more issues. I took a friend of mine on a trip to San Francisco and she called me from her room and said "Mark what channel is channel two here?" Well to her channel 2 is CBS, channel 5 is NBC and channel 7 is ABC.

I have tried my digital TV in various locations and the PSIP in Chicago is awful. It moves and it really is irritating on an RCA TV I have, cause you cannot just type in a channel, you have to do a full scan. For instance, WCIU 26.4 will move to 26.6 and shows up fine. So I scan the TV and it's fine. Then WCIU 26.6 will go to 26.7 and I can't just punch in 26.7 it shows up as "Broadcasting signal" with nothing on it. So I have to do a complete rescan, to pick up the channel number.

WTTW (PBS), WLS (ABC) and WCPX (ION) are all all like that, the subchannels are constantly moving.

On another note when I wrote the FCC to ask them the replied in an email, that a TV station could choose to map to their old analog number or just to their new digital channel if they chose. I do see WYCC in Gary IN, saying WYCC-DT channel 17. (It's NTSC number is 56). WYCC (PBS) IDs itself as 20 WYCC / WYCC-DT 21

The problem with mapping is tuners vary. I know someone with a TV tuner and he could get two channels 2. One from NYC and one from Baltimore. On one set the tuner would pick up BOTH channel 2s. Both the NYC and Baltimore stations are mapping to channel 2. But the other set (another brand) depending on the scan, he can only get station mapped to channel 2 at a time.

Except in the big three (Chicago, NYC and LA) channels numbers aren't that strong as they used to be.

[kenrayc]

I have to add that it was the FCC that assigned KAIL Channel 7 for DTV.What is interesting is that KABC in Los Angeles and KGO in San Francisco will be using there old frequency after 02/17/09. With KAIL 7 in Fresno located at 4500 ft elevation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains theres going to be some over lap of signal being SF is about 150 miles away and LA 200 miles. So there will be 3 stations using the actual channel 7 digitally and all 3 mapped at 7.1 all with in 350 miles.

In Fresno KAIL 53 is Digital channel 7 and has decided to identify it as Channel 7,partly because the DTV band end at channel 50, on the flip side ABC30 (KFSN) is DTV channel 9 but will switch Digital frequency back to 30 2/17/09.The rest of the stations in will keep there DTV frequencies and map there original channel numbers. One more exception KNSO 51 (DTV ch.5) will switch to DTV  11 and call it that.

The rules don't allow KAIL or KNSO to do what you say they're doing. Whether those rules will be strictly enforced, or whether the FCC will leave stations alone unless someone complains, remains to be seen.

[Robnoxious]

I have to add that it was the FCC that assigned KAIL Channel 7 for DTV.What is interesting is that KABC in Los Angeles and KGO in San Francisco will be using there old frequency after 02/17/09. With KAIL 7 in Fresno located at 4500 ft elevation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains theres going to be some over lap of signal being SF is about 150 miles away and LA 200 miles. So there will be 3 stations using the actual channel 7 digitally and all 3 mapped at 7.1 all with in 350 miles.

I don't foresee a huge problem to the South for sure. Bakersfield has never been able to pick up any OTA LA tv channels ever that I can recall nor Fresno for that matter without an elaborate rig. Fresno can be doable with a tall bird but LA is right out. KMPH-26 is high in the mountains and I never received it in Bako. Visalia/Tulare was the strong middle ground between receiving both Fresno and Bako signals. With DTV having a shorter reach over analog, I doubt Fresno is going to get over or even close to the Tejon Pass to cause a problem. Frazier Park might get unique crossover every once and a great while but probably not enough to cause alarm or concern.

To the North I have no clue what could be possible.

[w9wi]

KAIL actually has been branding them self as MY-7 for a year now, the Fcc hasn't said nothing about it.One reason is to let averybody know they need a VHF antenna in a All UHF market.I talked to Chief Engineer at KAIL about this. One confusing thing though is that KAIL is on channel 13 on cable and the CBS affiliate KGPE 47 is on channel 7.One more thing KAIL is mapped as 7.1 and 7.2 for there second channel NOT 53.1 and 53.2.

It's perfectly legal for KAIL to brand themselves as "MY-7".  However, remapping to 7.1/7.2 is not consistent with the regulations.

Of course, many (most?) music-formatted radio stations violate the legal ID rule once an hour - you *can* ignore FCC regulations and get away with it if nobody complains. 

Where it would get interesting would be if two stations in the same market decided to remap to the same channel.

[PTBoardOp94]

Of course, many (most?) music-formatted radio stations violate the legal ID rule once an hour - you *can* ignore FCC regulations and get away with it if nobody complains. 

At the risk of driving this thread off-topic, how are they ignoring the regs?  I don't recall listening to a station that consistently failed to identify ...