KYW TV back on Comcast of Central NJ in Middlsex County on ch 256

[Danfm]

KYW TV (Then a Group W owned NBC Station) which was taken off Comcast/Storer of Central New Jersey on August 31st 1993 at the request of WNBC TV, as of December 5th 2007 has returned to Comcast of Central New Jersey on digital channel 256.

[JayR]

KYW TV (then a Group W owned NBC Station), which was taken off Storer (now Comcast) of Central New Jersey on August 31st 1993 at the request of WNBC TV, has returned to Comcast of Central New Jersey on digital channel 256 as of December 5th 2007.

It's been a few years since KYW TV carried NBC. Why pick the channel up now?

Outside of news, what other programs (local and/or syndicated) does KYW carry that isn't carried on WCBS?

[rch66]

Perhaps KYW is still legally significantly viewed and Comcast decided they'd just round out the cable lineup there and place KYW back on the dial- on digital where space is ample.   The Philly news of course will show highlights of the Philly sports, which NY stations won't cover and NJ coverage Trenton and south, which has some ancillary purposes in Middlesex County.   Still suprising though.

They should put WWOR and WPIX back on the dial in Southern NJ on digital, even if they have to delete the network and syndicated programming and put a blank Comcast screen or something else.    The WPIX and WWOR weather and news would be useful, since there are a South Jersey commuters who get into Manhattan during the day and back at evening/night via Greyhound (Quicklink discount between Mt.Laurel and New York) or via driving up to Hamilton and taking the NJ Transit train.     Comcast is losing business to Verizon, and they have to come up with ways for customers to stick around with them.   

[rmadara]

I am just overjoyed that KYW is back on Comcast in Central Jersey. It was removed some years ago over a protest from WNBC in NY that claimed exclusivity to the central jersey market. Not long after that, WCAU and KYW switched affiliations. I have complained for years about this to no avail. Suddenly KYW just shows up on my cable a couple of days ago...I found it by accident. One of the great reasons for having both the Philly and NYC affiliates represented on our cable is that yesterday, I got to see the NE Pat's/Pitt game instead of the lousey Jets game. There have been lots of occaisions where some local interest broadcast pre-emted the CBS network broadcast in NYC...now I can just switch over to Philly.

[JayR]

They should put WWOR and WPIX back on the dial in Southern NJ on digital, even if they have to delete the network and syndicated programming and put a blank Comcast screen or something else.

When I was in Pleasantville just over two years ago, WPIX was on Comcast Cable's analog lineup. Has this changed since? I saw no purpose for WPIX to be on because it was blacked out a majority of the time. If Comcast filled the blacked out hours with paid programming/infomercials, I can see carrying it for their news programs. Better yet, why didn't they "split" the channel to accommodate two networks? This is what some cable companies used to do with some networks.

[mdamico25]

Does anyone know if KYW-TV was restored to Comcast in northern Monmouth County as well? Back in the day, in Hazlet, we used to get most of the Philadelphia stations on our cable along with the NY stations. Gradually, one by one, they were discontinued in the late 80s/early 90s with the last holdouts being WTXF and WCAU (then a CBS affiliate). It was a shame, because back then, the NY stations would not carry anything related to Monmouth County (they think NJ ends south of Woodbridge, LOL!!), and all, if not most of the Philadelphia stations can be viewed in Monmouth with a good antenna. Ironically, for several years, if you looked at the "TV Station" listings in the Red Bank, NJ Verizon yellow pages, the only two TV stations who paid to have their ad there were WHSP/65 in Vineland, NJ and WCAU. Neither station was available on cable in the area, but could be picked up with an antenna.

Trivia question- does anyone know why WHSP was listed in the Monmouth County yellow pages? (Hint: Think of its former ownership when it was WSJT)...

-Mike
 

[chuckydoll]

I am just overjoyed that KYW is back on Comcast in Central Jersey. It was removed some years ago over a protest from WNBC in NY that claimed exclusivity to the central jersey market. Not long after that, WCAU and KYW switched affiliations.

Middlesex County is in the New York DMA, thus WNBC-4 can claim exclusive carriage for NBC in that county. Syndex and Network Non-Duplication, dude!

KYW-3 has been a CBS O&O since 1995. No need to carry it in Middlesex County when there's a more local CBS O&O in WCBS-2.

One of the great reasons for having both the Philly and NYC affiliates represented on our cable is that yesterday, I got to see the NE Pat's/Pitt game instead of the lousey Jets game. There have been lots of occaisions where some local interest broadcast pre-emted the CBS network broadcast in NYC...now I can just switch over to Philly.

Browns-Jets turned out to be a closer game. Steelers-Patriots was one-sided.

Incidentally, if CBS can only air one NFL game in NYC on a doubleheader Sunday it's due to the league's television policy.

[Danfm]

Since NBC took over WCAU in 1995 WNBC has never made a peep about WCAU (Comcast Ch 253) being on our system.  NBC ownes both stations and gets all the viewers. KYW was owned by Group W/Wesinghouse in 1993 and NBC could not bare to let a single viewer watch Westinghouse owned KYW insted of WNBC.

[Don]

Does anyone know if KYW-TV was restored to Comcast in northern Monmouth County as well? Back in the day, in Hazlet, we used to get most of the Philadelphia stations on our cable along with the NY stations. Gradually, one by one, they were discontinued in the late 80s/early 90s with the last holdouts being WTXF and WCAU (then a CBS affiliate). It was a shame, because back then, the NY stations would not carry anything related to Monmouth County (they think NJ ends south of Woodbridge, LOL!!), and all, if not most of the Philadelphia stations can be viewed in Monmouth with a good antenna. Ironically, for several years, if you looked at the "TV Station" listings in the Red Bank, NJ Verizon yellow pages, the only two TV stations who paid to have their ad there were WHSP/65 in Vineland, NJ and WCAU. Neither station was available on cable in the area, but could be picked up with an antenna.

Trivia question- does anyone know why WHSP was listed in the Monmouth County yellow pages? (Hint: Think of its former ownership when it was WSJT)...

-Mike
 

Yep.  It was owned by the Asbury Park Press (Press Broadcasting).  Trivia question #2: What major network was Channel 65 once supposed to affiliate with?

Always get a kick out of people who are pissed when CrapCast drops an OTA station they like to watch.  Buy an antenna, fire CrapCast, watch it free OTA!

[mdamico25]

>>Trivia question- does anyone know why WHSP was listed in the Monmouth County yellow pages? (Hint: Think of its former ownership when it was WSJT)...

>>Yep.  It was owned by the Asbury Park Press (Press Broadcasting).

Right you are. Press Broadcasting owned Channel 65 from 1984 until 1987 when they sold it to the Home Shopping Network (for more than double what they paid for it three years earlier).

>>Trivia question #2: What major network was Channel 65 once supposed to affiliate with?

   It was supposed to affiliate with ABC. In its original incarnation, Channel 65, WRBV, signed an affiliation agreement with ABC in 1978 when the station was just a construction permit. However, Capitol Cities Communications, the then owners of WPVI exerted pressure on ABC to withdraw the affiliation as they felt that they would lose viewers in South Jersey to the upstart Channel 65. Then, the owners of Channel 65 encountered legal hassles from the NIMBY residents of Waterford Works, NJ, where the tower was located up until a few years ago. Eventually, 65's tower was built, but not before ABC withdrew its affiliation and when WRBV took to the air in 1981, it was an independent with serious financial problems. It went bankrupt within a year, and stayed that way until the Asbury Park Press purchased it. In the last few years before the APP purchased it and converted it to a "traditional independent", it operated the Wometco Home Theatre (WHT) Pay TV service where the video and audio was scrambled and viewers would have to pay for the service, almost like an over-the air HBO. WHT also aired on Channel 68 Newark and Channel 67, Smithtown, Long Island.