What was the largest market that waited the longest time...

[genius]

Delaware is not a market.  (It really shouldn't be a state either but that's another topic.)  New Castle and Kent counties are part of the Philadelphia DMA market.  Sussex is part of the Salisbury DMA market. 

Wow Fred sounds like you have it out for the first state...but you are correct and I believe the Salisbury stations have bureaus in Dover don't they?

[jvparent]

Eureka, CA finally got an ABC station when KAEF-TV switched from FOX in 1994.

[jvparent]

Grand Junction, CO (nowhere near the top 150, but as long as we're on the subject) was a one-horse town from the time KREX-TV started in May 1954 (joined by KREY Montrose in 1956 and KREZ Durango in 1965).  It was a primary CBS station, since KMGH (then-CBS) in Denver was such a weak station that no cable or translator system carried it to the Western Slope.  It also had its choice of NBC and ABC shows.  It has since LMA'd the Fox station KFQX-4, and owns/operates CW27 KGJT-LP.

KJCT, of Harry Hoth's Pikes Peak Broadcasting, launched on 11/22/1979 as the ABC affiliate.  Most of its programs came from mother-ship KRDO Colorado Springs via a complex microwave link; it did (and still does) have a quality local news operation and has always been very strong in the technical area (first with LIVE remote capability for news).  They've since launched a Telemundo station on their digital tier and have created a local newscast for it.

KKCO-11 signed on under local ownership in 1996 and took the NBC affiliation.  It's since been sold to Gray and has launched MyNetworkTV on its' digital tier.

[fredflintstone]

Wow Fred sounds like you have it out for the first state...but you are correct and I believe the Salisbury stations have bureaus in Dover don't they?

Yes, they do.  And both provide extensive coverage of Dover and the two downstate counties.

North and south of the canal have little in common and should not be considered part of the same geographic or political region.  Wilmington and Delaware north of the canal is clearly in Philadelphia's metro orbit, however Rand McNally draws their maps.  South of the canal is more like a part of Maryland's eastern shore region.  Politically, Delaware acts more like a county than a state.  Even the one congressman and two senators act like local ward heelers and show up at any opportunity to cut ribbons, shake hands and kiss babies (partly because Delaware is so small and party because Delaware is close enough to DC they can commute to work).

[ixnay]

Wow Fred sounds like you have it out for the first state...but you are correct and I believe the Salisbury stations have bureaus in Dover don't they?

Yes, they do.  And both provide extensive coverage of Dover and the two downstate counties.

I believe, unless it moved, WBOC is on the northbound side of US 13 as you make your way from Camden, DE up to State Street.  Where is WMDT's bureau?

North and south of the canal have little in common and should not be considered part of the same geographic or political region.  Wilmington and Delaware north of the canal is clearly in Philadelphia's metro orbit, however Rand McNally draws their maps. 

Or AAA.    Or the US Geological Survey.     Or Mason and Dixon. 

South of the canal is more like a part of Maryland's eastern shore region. 

Right down to being serviced, depending on the area, by either Delmarva Power or Choptank Electric Cooperative or Delaware Electric Cooperative, except for municipalities like Dover, Milford and a few others that have their own electric utilities.  If said Messrs. Mason and Dixon had drawn their line down the middle of Chesapeake Bay instead of where they did, there'd be nine more sales-tax free counties on Delmarva (well, maybe eight, if the two Kent Counties consolidated [they border each other]).

Politically, Delaware acts more like a county than a state.  Even the one congressman and two senators act like local ward heelers and show up at any opportunity to cut ribbons, shake hands and kiss babies (partly because Delaware is so small and party because Delaware is close enough to DC they can commute to work).

Oh yeah.  I've seen Senator Carper at two different Blue Rocks home openers.  And as Governor, he showed up one Friday at the small-company imaging facility where I was working at the time.

ixnay

[ixnay]

Here is the list of FCC TV Allocations

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/47cfr73.606.htm

Of course with DTV it's all on hold and will be adjusted

As for markets, when they were established no one had any idea there would be anymore than 2 networks. So in the East and Midwest were the populations were denser markets were simply established. As the West grew, markets were larger because at the time they had less people. For instance in 1950 San Jose had only 95,000 people. Today it is hovering under 950,000 people. San Jose would've been its own market today but it's too late for that now.

So markets are arbitrary, some like DC and Providence are political. DC and Baltimore could easily have been one. Perhaps one could say for Boston and Providence. (Locating the transmitters halfway) But because they are capitals there is politcal factors to consider.

Twenty years ago a cousin of mine wondered aloud, to no one in particular (though I heard her say it) why both Baltimore and Washington had TV stations (I forget exactly how she phrased it but it was to that effect).

ixnay

[dhett]

Here is the list of FCC TV Allocations

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/octqtr/47cfr73.606.htm

Of course with DTV it's all on hold and will be adjusted

Here is a more recent analog allocation list, as of October 1, 2006.

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2006/octqtr/47cfr73.606.htm

Minor changes, including the reassignment of channel 11 in Holbrook AZ as a non-comm allocation, and channel 39 in Phoenix as commercial.