Quote:
Originally Posted by
Opusnbill7 
Yeah, we also need it to start acting like a "real" station. So far, it still shows Fox 4/17 on their spots only. If they're serious about turning it into a "real" station instead of just a translator (like they've had here for years), they're going to have to get on the ball... Right now, I can get 42 OTA better than I get 51, and the transmitter for 51 is only 2.5 miles from my house...
And, of course, you can't forget that they also aren't broadcasting in HD on 51 yet, either...
I doubt that Pappas intends for 51 to be a full local station. My guess is it's just there to preserve the rights to Fox in Lincoln, to keep 10/11 from being able to take the affiliation. In reality 42 is the local affiliate for Lincoln, with "local" ads and news, and having more local content on 51 would take away from 42's viewership in Lincoln, weakening its position. This was likely a factor in dropping CW, as 51 may have been affecting Lincoln viewership of 15, already Omaha's least-viewed full power station. Getting 15 carried as the designated local CW affiliate on DirecTV for the Lincoln market has surely been a boost to that station.
Between 42 and 51, while 42 still is pretty clearly a low-budget operation, they still have a lot more going for them than 51 does. 51 just keeps the Lincoln Fox affiliation with Pappas while 42 seems to be what they intend most viewers watch (despite claims that 51 would put 4/17/51 in a better position to increase Lincoln viewership). Thus 51 only has to cover a minimal area so as to say they are providing a service to the community of license, and 42 can blanket the Lincoln area with more local info and the Fox HD signal.
