WJAR adding "RETRO TV NETWORK"

[Radio68]

According to a news item on TVNEWSDAY, WJAR will begin to offer Equity Broadcasting's Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel in Early 2008.  The Retro Television Network is Equity Media Holdings Corporation's system of television stations primarily airing classic television programming from the 1950s through the 1980s, such as My Three Sons, The Wild Wild West, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Get Smart, Happy Days, and Laverne and Shirley.   So WJAR will offer 10.1 WJAR HD, 10.2 NBC Weather Plus, 10.3 RTN.  Any signs of life on the subchannels for WLNE, WPRI, WNAC or WLWC?

[necrat123]

WLNE has a simulcast of it's main programming on "6.2" but the PSIP info indicates this was a simulcast of the RI News Channel that's on COX.

[Peter Q. George (K1XRB)]

According to a news item on TVNEWSDAY, WJAR will begin to offer Equity Broadcasting's Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel in Early 2008.  The Retro Television Network is Equity Media Holdings Corporation's system of television stations primarily airing classic television programming from the 1950s through the 1980s, such as My Three Sons, The Wild Wild West, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Get Smart, Happy Days, and Laverne and Shirley.   So WJAR will offer 10.1 WJAR HD, 10.2 NBC Weather Plus, 10.3 RTN.  Any signs of life on the subchannels for WLNE, WPRI, WNAC or WLWC?

That is excellent news!  I hope that Comcast will put the 10.3 stream of WJAR on all of the systems that carry WJAR-proper, already.  I've been waiting for a long time to get RTN. It WILL be a preset on this guy's TV sets! Thank you, WJAR!

[Runrigger]

Do any of you guys know if Channels 10, 12, & 6 already broadcast in digital? My Mom uses rabbit ears & I'll have to get her a converter early next year as I know she won't get cable or buy a new TV. There's a good link on turnto10.com about the upcoming conversion, but apparently I can get a head start on this for her if the TV stations she watches are now digital as well as analog. I'd just as soon print the discount coupons & do it now rather than wait. Also, is cable necessary for these digital subchannels or will the converter take care of it? Just trying to get ready for the angst over with as soon as possible when I explain to her that she has no choice but to get the converter.

[necrat123]

Everything in Boston & Rhode Island is broadcasting digitally.

The only southern New England market that doesn't have a  DTV station on the air is CPTV Hartford, CT, IIRC.

[HD Ready]

According to a news item on TVNEWSDAY, WJAR will begin to offer Equity Broadcasting's Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel in Early 2008.  The Retro Television Network is Equity Media Holdings Corporation's system of television stations primarily airing classic television programming from the 1950s through the 1980s, such as My Three Sons, The Wild Wild West, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Get Smart, Happy Days, and Laverne and Shirley.   So WJAR will offer 10.1 WJAR HD, 10.2 NBC Weather Plus, 10.3 RTN.  Any signs of life on the subchannels for WLNE, WPRI, WNAC or WLWC?

What a waste of bandwidth, their HD must be as bad as cable HD.

[kenwood101]

Does anyone know if these digital channels like WJAR's "Retro Network" are considered "Must Carry" by CAble Companies?

[chuckydoll]

DT subchannels do not fall under "Must Carry". If cable and/or satellite airs a DT subchannel it's to fill a hole in an OTA network.

(Example: In Salisbury MD, Fox 21 Delmarva airs on a subchannel of WBOC-16. The Fox affiliation ensures cable carriage for that subchannel throughout the Salisbury DMA and as far north as Dover DE.)

[KML-224]

I'm assuming that this FOX channel is technically WBOC-DT 16-2? Springfield, MA is about to get a FOX affiliate of its own via WGGB-DT 40-2. As for Dover, DE, isn't that still a portion of the Philadelphia/Wilmington DMA?

[rch66]

Yes, Dover (Kent Co.) is part of Philadelphia DMA.   

Apparently, Comcast Dover does carry WBOC-DT2 FOX21 ON CH.16, even though Dover (kent co.) is in the Philadelphia market, and WTXF already provided coverage into Kent, prior to much more recent event of WBOC-DT2 picking up FOX.    They used to carry UPN and were not on cable in Dover.

Perhaps its because Salisbury, MD (and WBOC-DT2) is technically closer in distance to Dover, DE than WTXF/Philadelphia, PA.  City of License is 10 miles closer, and transmitter is 20 miles closer.   wikipedia lists WBOC's transmitter in Laurel, DE.

There is an FCC duplicating network clause that gives favor to the "closest network affiliate" even if its not necessarily of the same DMA.   That goes by city of license, not transmitter location though.    Nonetheless, WBOC-DT2 is the closest FOX affiliate to Dover.   UPN affiliation didnt count towards network affiliation.

And its a football coverage thing where that FOX is more like the D.C. FOX station in terms of football coverage (perhaps all Redskins games), so its something else offered from that station besides the duplicating FOX programming from WTXF.   

That seems to be the only way the WBOC owners could be able to get WBOC-DT2 got on cable all the way up in Dover.     WBOC already has DE news (and a Dover studios/offices) which helps in that front as well.     

It's probably not a big loss to WTXF, since that county has such a small population and is quite away from the more nearby Philly metro area which FOX 29 really cares about.   As that county probably gets more newscoverage from the Salisbury Delmarva stations - I wonder if there is warranted support for Nielsen to shift that county into Salisbury, MD DMA.