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New York, NY - OTA

3M views 23K replies 1K participants last post by  LenL 
#1 ·
I've been following the NYC five boroughs thread and I don't easily find the information I'm looking for in it.


I hope those of us with antennas can start a thread restricted only to the status of Over-The-Air broadcasts from NYC to the metro area. Not CT, not PA, and not any other state a strange bounce may have enabled you to get. Antennas and amps are already covered in different threads, so let's leave them out too.


I'd also like to keep cable out of this entirely since one has to pay for cable, and not all systems carry HDTV, much less the NY/NJ channels.


So, with luck, we'll get some interested and informed members keeping us up to date on the politics and engineering efforts to restore the signals that died on 9/11. I'd like to see information on dates, power (temp low or full) and channels. I suspect there are a lot of us that would like that info too.


Please add any information you may have to the thread. If it's a bad thread, it'll die. But hey, that's evolution in action.


Rick
 
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#3 ·
I just talked to one of the maintenance guys in local. He was telling me about delays that Empire threw into the mix. Like during a site inspection, our chief walked into the room only to find a fully staffed medical office with patients!!!!! ESB is milking rent for all they can get.

November 1st is a date he mentioned. However, we have options with several transmitters in the building. We could have one up and running as soon as the combiner is set up.

I didnt hear about Fridays conference call. It was to have been about legal and operations issues with the CE's.

More when I find out.

GT
 
#6 ·
Thanks, George. I'm wondering if you have any information on the radiated power and coverage of the new ESB transmitters. I'm hoping they'll be close to the ones on the WTC so I can receive them here in NJ.


Unfortunately, given the ugly politics that have cropped up about the location for a new antenna, or even a temporary one on Governors Island, I wouldn't be too surprised to see the new transmitters at a much lower power than the old ones, or with different footprints that ignore much of NJ, while the NYC stations wait to see what happens when the dust clears.


Rick
 
#9 ·
Joe - I think that's a good question but I don't think it belongs in this thread. I think a better question would be "Does anyone know when WPIX will go back to their originally-assigned UHF channel, and what its power level and coverage will be compared to pre-9/11."


I miss the Mets' broadcasts too, but in this thread the schedule is really irrelevant. Even when WPIX does resume broadcasting, I would like this thread to concentrate only on reception issues. I think schedules of Mets' games should have its own thread..


I hope we can stay focused here solely on information regarding the going-live dates, power, and coverage of the returning NY OTA HDTV channels.


Rick
 
#10 ·
I tried to tune in WEDW-49 (PBS-Bridgeport) or WLIW-22 (PBS-Plainview) last night to watch the Tom Petty concert but could not get a digital signal (got analog OK).


Tried again earlier today and got the same results... Plus WTNH-10 (ABC-NH) was DOA as well. CSI was A-OK last night (empire).


What gives? Anyone got a digital signal from PBS? Soundstage is on again tonight.


Thanks.
 
#15 ·
Can we please keep this to NYC HD channels? There are other threads that address receiving PA/CT stations, antennas, rotors, and so forth.


I'm purposely trying to keep this thread limited to the status, strength, and estimated on-air dates of NYC channels.


Thanks.


Rick
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally posted by cpto
I hope we can stay focused here solely on information regarding the going-live dates, power, and coverage of the returning NY OTA HDTV channels.

Ok Rick, for what it is worth I will give a little summary of what channels I can receive and my equipment.


I have an RCA DTC-100, a UHF/VHF Radio Shack antenna and a Radio Shack amp. I am located in Plainview, NY, which is right in the middle of Long Island (north to south) and on the Nassau/Suffolk border. With the antenna pointed to NYC I receive the following digital signals:

WCBS 2-1 (Strong with great HD)

FOX 5-1 (Strong but not HD)

WOR 5-2 (Strong but lousy picture quality)

WPIX 11-1 (12-1,75-1) (Good with great HD, a few breakups)

WLIW 21-1 (Fair with great HD, many breakups, but watchable)


If I turn my antenna North toward CT I can receive:

WTNH (ABC) on channel 10-1 (Good with great HD, a few breakups)


As far as the return of some NY OTA channels, the man to ask is George Thompson. The last post I read from him said "Early Sept is a little too optimistic I think" but he does believe the ESB combiner will be going this fall.


Hope this helps,

Joe
 
#17 ·
George - Is there anything we can do to get ABC up in time for MNF (i.e. letters to the FCC, network heads, contributions)? I know this has been a herculean task getting everyone to agree on the combiner but aren't the networks even a bit embarrassed how long this is taking? Its not like we are in the #1 DMA or anything.
 
#18 ·
For what it's worth, I recently sent a letter to the WSJ. Don't know if it will do any good but at least they might think about it...


I would like to suggest a possible article for the WSJ. This has been widely discussed in the HDTV areas of avsforum ( www.avsforum.com ).


The destruction of the World Trade Center building had an enormous effect on the Nation. Congress rapidly passed bills authorizing payments to those who lost their lives, and pledged billions more to help the city. It seemed that the US came together following 9/11.


Yet one aspect has been largely ignored. Before 9/11, NYC, the number one television market, had HDTV broadcasts for the three major networks, Channel 11, and a digital signal from FOX. Following the attack, only channels 2 and 5 remained (with channel 9 sharing channel 5's bandwith).


One might think that in a time of crisis the area would have pulled together to provide rapid installation of the antennas that were lost. Possibly the best site - Governors Island - was rapidly rejected by the mayor. Problems with government agencies and local townships caused the collapse of efforts to install transmitters in NJ.


Finally, the stations "agreed" to piggyback on the transmitters that were in place in the Empire State Building. Some problems were real - such as the need to run new power lines up to the top of the building or to get new equipment. Others were money - there appears to have been a lot of conflict and negotiating over the rates CBS (and perhaps FOX) would charge other networks to piggyback their signals. The "long-term" interrim goal is to build a $M 50 temporary tower on Governors Island. All that means is more delay and an increase in advertising rates as the local stations cover their costs.


Two facts seem to have been forgotten. Broadcast TV is a means of reaching almost everyone in the metro area that has a television set, regardless of whether thay have cable. And, the FCC is pushing the conversion to digital of all broadcast stations.


I know this is not a story of major interest, but I think it does indicate how the interests of the public are subsumed to politics - even when the interest is the potentially critical one of being to receive television news and programming. Approximately 2.1 million ditigal sets were sold in 2002 - see http://www.digitaltelevision.com/200...igital_1.shtml - so the market is not small.


In summary, it would be interesting to see the WSJ investigate the delays in getting a permanent solution to NYC digital transmission. Something is going on here - money or politics - and the end result is that the public is being shortchanged.


Sincerely,
 
#20 ·
I'm still baffled as to why the stations and the MTVA did not flex any of their considerable PR muscle with regards to the best location (Governors Island) as the permanent site. They just asked the Mayor, he said no, and they just said "ok". Can you imagine the PR nightmare for City Hall if there had been ANY media reports on how the Mayor is laying off cops and firefighters and cutting all kinds of services, yet he summarily rejects a project that would bring millions of dollars in taxes to the city coffers, simply because it doesn't agree with his "vision" for the island?


Hey Bloomberg, when you have a budget crisis such as this one you can't afford a "vision"!


I just don't understand why the MTVA didn't exploit this angle. If they had, the permanent tower on Governors Island would already be on its way.
 
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