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Spectrum Auction Results


tyrannical bastard

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That's what I was gonna say. WNBC is the biggest surprise to me on this list. New York stations aren't supposed to do this. You don't see LA's major ones on here.

 

I wonder what will happen to all those well-known stations like WKBN, WNBC and a few others.

Remember that WNBC has a Telemundo sister in WNJU. This was a no-brainer.

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I would think Nexstar would acquire the stations outright, since the stations affected (WYTV and WLAJ) wouldn't be much of a cap hit as it is.

 

Looking at the list, I am a little bit worried to see WFMZ on it. I hope WFMZ doesn't go the route of WBIN and go completely out of business, including their news operation.

 

WFMZ's owner is in the process of acquiring KJWP, but that deal has been pending at the FCC for over a year now (probably because the deal is contingent on the incentive auction).

 

EDIT: TVNewsCheck has an article about NBC selling the spectrum of WNBC, WSNS and WWSI. NBC said that WNJU, WMAQ and WCAU provide "superior coverage".

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WFMZ's owner is in the process of acquiring KJWP, but that deal has been pending at the FCC for over a year now (probably because the deal is contingent on the incentive auction).

 

That's true. To me it would seem a little weird for a Delaware-licensed station to consist of programming geared towards the Lehigh Valley, but I'll take that over the station going completely out of business like WBIN did.

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Remember that WNBC has a Telemundo sister in WNJU. This was a no-brainer.

 

In addition, there is high cable penetration in DMA 1, so for most folks, it will be transparent and not have any impact. (Altice/Comcast/Charter are fiber connected). Only OTA viewers will be impacted. It is pretty similar to 9/11 - only OTA viewers were impacted when the WTC went down. This time there won't be a wait for a new signal, as it will be a Telemundo 47 subchannel.

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Wow, I didn't expect so much change in Milwaukee;

 

WMLW sold off; merging with WDJT's spec (foregone)

WCGV sold off; merging with WVTV's spec (foregone)

WMVT sold off; merging with WMVS's spec (confirmed already)

WVCY...sharing (not in HD and already used existing spectrum to stretch signal as far as possible, it's a thrifty operation to begin with)

 

Nothing in Green Bay so we'll see what happens in Milwaukee, but probably little outside of WMVS moving to 3.0 to accommodate their existing subs. At least the scourge of Chicago's cable systems, WWTO, finally threw in the towel and cashed out (though that figure is absurd); TBN must be really struggling.

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Wow, I didn't expect so much change in Milwaukee;

 

WMLW sold off; merging with WDJT's spec (foregone)

WCGV sold off; merging with WVTV's spec (foregone)

WMVT sold off; merging with WMVS's spec (confirmed already)

WVCY...gone entirely (but likely to buy a subchannel lease elsewhere; not in HD and already used existing spectrum to stretch signal as far as possible, it's a thrifty operation to begin with)

The biggest problem with WMLW is how they repack everything. I mean, Weigel currently runs 8 (!) distinct channels/subchannels in the area. Additionally, other than WDJT, their other two remaining (WYTU and WBME) are both low-power stations.

 

I'm completely shocked *not* to see WIWN getting in on this. I mean, I was convinced that was why the current owners bought the station and basically put it into "cruise control."

 

I'm also a little surprised that WPXE didn't get in either. Not quite as much as WIWN, but a little. I wonder if they'll look to lease some of their subchannels to someone else.

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Was sorta hoping just to get a direct answer not a "read the rest of the thread" reply.

 

WNBC on channel 28 is going away. They will probably repack onto WNJU's channel (36) where they will still identify as WNBC.

 

It's "going off the air" as much as WNBC "went off the air" during the DTV transition.

 

Not that surprised about Milwaukee really. I had a hunch those three duopolies were going to get in on this.

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Here's a question...

 

Since KRON is staying on the air by moving to a VHF channel, will it have an effect on the "UHF discount" they enjoy?

 

Even if it is, it's only by 1 percent (at the 2.169% reach San Francisco has), but it may be another moot point once the rules are likely changed...

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I'm completely shocked *not* to see WIWN getting in on this. I mean, I was convinced that was why the current owners bought the station and basically put it into "cruise control."

 

I'm also a little surprised that WPXE didn't get in either. Not quite as much as WIWN, but a little. I wonder if they'll look to lease some of their subchannels to someone else.

 

WIWN was already on low VHF so they weren't likely to get much in a sale anyways. They've found a niche in making money in networks very few in the market watch, but I'm sure they're probably a part of WVCY's channel share plans and that will get them something.

 

The other shocker in this is WSJV/South Bend didn't win at all (nor did any South Bend station, unless there's a later announcement coming). How do you justify running that station now when you've reduced it to such a bare-bones operation?

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WIWN was already on low VHF so they weren't likely to get much in a sale anyways. They've found a niche in making money in networks very few in the market watch, but I'm sure they're probably a part of WVCY's channel share plans and that will get them something.

I question who WVCY will be willing to partner with. Their *extremely* conservative Christian beliefs may mean they might be reluctant to enter a business relationship with anyone else who doesn't share their particular conservative Christian beliefs... you know, "do not yoke yourself together with non-believers," etc.

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I question who WVCY will be willing to partner with. Their *extremely* conservative Christian beliefs may mean they might be reluctant to enter a business relationship with anyone else who doesn't share their particular conservative Christian beliefs... you know, "do not yoke yourself together with non-believers," etc.

 

I forgot that; WVCY is a very, very particular broadcaster, even for religious television (they basically regard CCM on the same level as Megadeth, for instance). They even take off preachers if their opening titles contain CCM. But with the founder passing away two years ago they might be a bit more open than they were in the past; Vic Eliasson would have likely rejected the auction if he was alive.

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So, looking at that list quickly I only count 11 licenses/stations that are truly "going off the air." Welcome to the era of Channel Sharing Agreements. I didn't expect that many... looking at that list some of the "Spectrum speculators" entered into Channel Sharing Agreements as well which is interesting.

 

broadcastfan9751 summed it up well (re-quoted below.) I think we really need to stop thinking about 1 licence/station per transmitter/antenna. We are entering a world where one transmitter/antenna will house multiple licenses/stations.

Yes, if they channel-share, WIVB and WNLO would continue to be separately licensed stations and would continue to map to 4 and 23, respectively. But they would both broadcast on WNLO's RF channel.
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Looking at the list, I am a little bit worried to see WFMZ on it. I hope WFMZ doesn't go the route of WBIN and go completely out of business, including their news operation.

WFMZ will be channel sharing with KJWP. It was part of the asset purchase agreement. The agreement called for WFMP to enter and accept a "go off the air" bid the buyer and seller will be splitting the proceeds. The agreement also called for WFMZ to enter into a channel sharing agreement with KJWP acting as "host". So, both WFMZ and KJWP will exist just like today with the only change being they will share the KJWP transmitter/antenna.

 

The other shocker in this is WSJV/South Bend didn't win at all (nor did any South Bend station, unless there's a later announcement coming). How do you justify running that station now when you've reduced it to such a bare-bones operation?

I assume it's pretty cheap to run now. They could run it from a broom closet. Only real expense is the electric bill for the transmitter.

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WIVB and WYCW caught my eye as a former Buffalo and Greenville resident.

 

For WIVB, I have to imagine they're moving CBS to 23.1/.2 and bumping Bounce TV to 23.3. CW programming in Greenville is likely headed to WSPA's channel space on 7.2.

 

I always felt WYCW had value as a satellite of WSPA more than as a separate station, given the geographical size of the market. I believe CW is already on 7.2. They might want to consider an LD for Asheville.

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The other shocker in this is WSJV/South Bend didn't win at all (nor did any South Bend station, unless there's a later announcement coming). How do you justify running that station now when you've reduced it to such a bare-bones operation?

 

Weigel might as well just buy WSJV, and move the ABC (and/or) CW outlet to the full-power signal. Might have room for one of those LPs after repack, but not all three.

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I realize the whole WNBC deal is a business decision and that there will be no effect on viewers. It's just the whole history of the channel.

 

I realize that WNJU will be the parent station and that WNBC will retain their calls as a separate station. For those of us sentimental could they change WNJU's calls to WNBC and have WNJU as the channel sharing?

 

I believe someone mentioned earlier that some duopolies weren't going off air. This is likely because they may not have been eligible to participate in the auction.

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I realize the whole WNBC deal is a business decision and that there will be no effect on viewers. It's just the whole history of the channel.

 

I realize that WNJU will be the parent station and that WNBC will retain their calls as a separate station. For those of us sentimental could they change WNJU's calls to WNBC and have WNJU as the channel sharing?

 

I believe someone mentioned earlier that some duopolies weren't going off air. This is likely because they may not have been eligible to participate in the auction.

 

Even though both stations will share the same frequency, the callsigns & virtual channels of the stations will stay the same, as if they were separate channels.

 

So for example WNBC is selling its spectrum on RF 28. That spectrum is going dark. WNBC's programming will move to a frequency of WNJU (which is moving from RF 36 to RF 35). At the end of the move, both stations will keep its same callsign & virtual channels (WNBC 4.1 & WNJU 47.1).

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Even though both stations will share the same frequency, the callsigns & virtual channels of the stations will stay the same, as if they were separate channels.

 

So for example WNBC is selling its spectrum on RF 28. That spectrum is going dark. WNBC's programming moves will move to a frequency of WNJU (which is moving from RF 36 to RF 35). At the end of the move, both stations will keep its same callsign & virtual channels (WNBC 4.1 & WNJU 47.1).

 

I realized that.

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Weigel might as well just buy WSJV, and move the ABC (and/or) CW outlet to the full-power signal. Might have room for one of those LPs after repack, but not all three.

They could just channel share with WSJV. They effectively upgrade to a full power signal. And, WSJV gets someone to help with the electric bill while maintaining their license (and must carry rights.) Win-win-win.

 

Just to elaborate on your other post. In a lot of ways this is similar to the digital transition. WNBC didn't go away when they moved from RF 4 to RF 28 in the digital transition. Likewise, WNBC isn't going away by moving from RF 25 to RF 35. The only difference is WNJU will also be licensed to RF 35. So, they get to "share" an RF channel (or, transmitter/antenna if you will.) Too many people are making a big deal out of the "go off the air" thing. The FCC views surrendering the license and channel sharing the same in the auction context...The station is giving up their 6 MHz. That doesn't mean the station is giving up their license or becoming a "subchannel", though. They can keep their license and "shack up" on another RF Channel with another licensee or licencees.

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One more standout; nothing for WMGM in Atlantic City; if you're an Atlantic Citizen, you're not happy LocusPoint lost that bet at all. Yes, you still have your local news source, but it's between hours of infomercial hell and you lost a local NBC affiliate for the ultimate in bad bets. And two out of ten of their signals won for a total of $15 million from the FCC, and now you have to keep running stations the public isn't watching. OTA Broadcasting came out well, but pureplay broadcasters basically pulped all the speculators here.

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Hi folks! Long time lurker, first time poster.

 

Anyhoo...

 

1. WNBC, and the other potential channel-sharers, are not going away. WNBC willkeep the same license they've had since 1941, and the same virtual channel (4.1). They will merely share spectrum with their sister station, which has a more powerful signal. It works for NBC, which doesn't really do much in the subchannel department (Cozi TV and Telexitos).

 

2. I'm a bit surprised about Weigel dumping WMLW's spectrum. I thought it would be WBME, which is kinda redundant. Weigel is a small operator in only three markets. But they are a big programmer of subchannel networks. They currently operate or co-operate four (MeTV, Movies!, H&I and Decades). Three of those are subchannels of their Milwaukee flagship, WDJT (CBS58). Movies! was handed off to Hearst and WISN 12. In addition, WMLW carries three subchannels of their own - Bounce, This (a former Weigel partnership) and Telemundo. Oh? Speaking of Telemundo, Weigel currently airs them on 49.4 (in SD) and the original low-power station (in HD). Considering how they actually spend money on T63 (they actually program a separate newscast), where do they figure in to this whole scenario? Kinda strange to dump WMLW when WBME-CD merely exists as an extra MeTV feed.

 

3. Also a little baffled about Sinclair's consolidation. Especially coming so soon after the launch of two new subchannel services (in addition to Comet). Not to mention their current subchannel agreements (in Milwaukee, they carry Get TV and Grit between both stations). They must be hedging their bets on ATSC 3.0.

 

4. Speaking of subchannels, Milwaukee PBS carries even more of them between their two stations than Weigel. Granted, the weather radar and traffic camera are basically fluff, but I do like the classical music and jazz channels on 36.

 

5. WVCY (can you tell I'm from Milwaukee?) was a no-brainer. It's an SD operation with no subchannels. And probably a very small audience. If they do intend to carry on post-Eliason, I'm sure they struck a deal with WIWN, which currently programs multiple subchannels of garbage like SonLife, infomercials and home shopping.

 

6. Finally what the hell happened with the spectrum speculators? NRJ sold a few, but what happened to LocusPoint? They spent all that money for failing stations and didn't even bother to sell them! I read an article earlier about how KCSM wasn't even submitted, and how lawsuits are flying back and forth because of this total screwup. They also own WMGM in Atlantic City, which was obvious auction-bait. Had to reread the Philly listings to make sure they weren't there. And, of all the Milwaukee stations, I thought LocusPoint's WMKE-CD was a sure goner. Apparently, their non-submitted stations must be doing well with SonLife and Rev'n.This is clearly the biggest surprise of the auction - venture capital spectrum speculators that don't even bother to sell their stations.

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