Fort Wayne, IN - HDTV - Page 104

Anyone know if Fox 55 did anything to boost their signal. I am actually pulling something in (Wallen and Coldwater) area.

I doubt Fox 55 raised their signal. Down here in Berne I'll pick it up around 58% alot of the time, usually at night, just comes and goes whenever. Does anyone know if Lima TV stations are in digital? I pointed my antenna that way today, and I'm getting nothing. But according to tvfool.com I should be able to pick them up????

I've done a bit better in Huntington when I've tried the last couple weeks.

Anyone hear if they are going to extend the deadline? The last we heard congress was going to try and vote on an extension again this week?

Steve

No news yet. Watch this thread for updates.

Copied from another thread...

WLIO-DT 8 is at full power and operational.

WTLW-DT 44 flash-cut a month or two ago.

The others are low-powered and unaffected by the digital transition...

Anybody know if CBS has plans to send out Digital TV Guide? From what I've gathered, PBS had a deal to do the analog, but now CBS has the digital. I called in and spoke with somebody in the engineering dept., but he didn't know anything about TVGOS.

For the DIY in all of us
Sorry if something similar has already been posted to this forum but I don't remember reading about it.

How to Make a TV Antenna for HDTV

tvantennaplans-com

Regarding the above post from a couple of weeks ago.

Does anyone know if its possible, or practical to build several of these & somehow hook them together? One of the videos mentioned doing two side by side to get a DB8, but I didn't see how to connect it.

Or maybe multiply the dimensions, using 28" or ??? instead of 14" pieces so those of us in deep fringe areas can get more gain?

welcome Jimmy, I recall some very detailed web pages dealing with the specifics of connecting any two antennas together, but as I recall (from personal experience) it can add more hassles than benefit if the antennas, cables, etc are not 'perfectly' identical. google 'antenna stacking' and see if you think it'll work for your situation.
there may be others on this thread who can provide you with more detailed info if you wanna try to tackle it.

Looks like the Senate approved the delay of the digital transition.

*sigh*

Doesn't mean much if they don't regulate nightlighting (which I wish INC and WANE would do, for all the work they've done in upgrading to full digital). WFFT, on the other hand, won't have to be liable for tower crews working in this weather (though the FCC would have let them slide for a bit longer, I'm sure).

As goldrich stated in this post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...2#post15659642

It looks like WFWA is planning on switching on 2/17. It seems like it would be in the best interest of the other stations to continue to air their 2/17 deadline ads and not report this story. That way they could save on 4 months of enormus electric bills. They were all ready for it now (well... WFFT hangs head) and it has to happen sometime.

WFFT.... well what can you say. I don't watch them anymore anyways. I'm almost to the point where I don't care anymore. I have so many other HD options now than I did in 2003 when I got my first HD set.

The station arguably most in the "public interest" goes first. So much for that argument. INC might as well, they've had voiceovers for every single day, and somebody's gotta get paid.

Don't think that I have seen this website shown here. Has good info for the people in the fringe reception areas.

Steve

http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_...t_Wayne_IN.pdf

Found this from another post, interesting to see what the other stations here in Fort wayne are planning on doing? From a bussiness stanpoint this would make alot of sense.

Also the delay won't make any sense if the government don't have a plan because the same people who have been putting this off will do the same in July.

diehard

After some looking I found a couple of interesting things.

WNIT (34-1,2 PBS) out of South Bend has turned off their Analog signal since last year. They had transmitter failure so they just shut it down.

WSJV (28-1 FOX) out of South Bend filed the same report as 39 did in Fort Wayne. This is more fascinating if you compare WFFT who hasn't embraced the DTV conversion, but FOX's affiliate's station in South Bend has made the choice to convert.

diehard

???

WSJV is owned by Quincy Newspapers, WFFT is owned by Nexstar.

- Trip

But they are both FOX affiliates.

This is exactly why, WFFT has a crappy company owning them which is too cheap to increase their power to a decent level so even neighbors living 2 miles can get there station whereas WSJV has a good company owning them that allows people 50 miles away get their strong signal.

My point was that WFFT isn't doing anything, yet their FOX sister station is and has done alot to further their adventure into the digital market.

diehard

I agree with your point 100% but generally in the industry when one speaks of "sisters" they're referring to stations with the same parent/owning company. (Get it? ) That's what threw me.

- Trip

Granted the owners of WFFT delayed spending the $ for DTV as long as possible, however I know for a fact that Nexstar popped a big pile of green to update 55 to 1 million watts of DTV power. I have been in the new addition to the building and stood next to the brand new high power DTV transmitter. It is currently operating wasting electricity=$ into a dummy load.

WFFT is waiting for a tower crew to arrive and install the new feed line and hang the new antenna. Nexstar may be guilty of being slow and even cheap, but the bottom line is but they are doing what is needed and building the maximum facility allowed. They got caught by tower crew delays likely caused by the bone headed decision to schedule major changes to transmission towers all across the country during the winter season.

When you slander some one you should know what you are talking about, instead of spouting off. Unless it is an O & O, Network affiliation has nothing what so ever to do with how the owners operate broadcast stations.

BTW I live more than 2 miles from WFFT and get a perfect signal at my house.

Lots of things about the DTV transition are messy and confusing on both sides of the situation. I have been in the TV broadcast world for better than 25 years so I have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about.

MK

slander

–noun
1. defamation; calumny: rumors full of slander.
2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name.


Slander is a big word coming from a one post wonder. If you are going to use these harsh words I would highly recommend you take some time before you post to read the earlier posts and then you would have a more than a dozen people to accuse of slander that has complained about the very poor management and direction that WFFT has done in the past.

If the direction of managment has improved to supply the public with higher power signals then that is great and this conversation is mute, but I still find that the South Bend and Fort Wayne markets is more advanced than what WFFT has put forth. And with the proposed delay I'm sure WFFT will take full advantage.

It's great to have people like ENGjas and jckrac that are in this thread and respond to our concerns, unlike WFFT that has totally ignored our e-mails and requests for any kind of status. My kodoos to ENGjas and jckrac, thanks for all your help.

diehard

pbsmatt-How is it 55 is the only Fort Wayne station that got "caught by tower crew delays likely caused by the bone headed decision to schedule major changes to transmission towers all across the country during the winter season."?
Becuase they were the only cheap asses in Fort Wayne to wait until they did to try and schedule the tower crew-no slander, just fact.
Obama needs a better press secretary, you should apply.

RE: pbsmatt's comment

It appears Nexstar just discovered AVS Forum... Welcome, I guess when your stock is worth seventy-five cents a share it's time to start working on that Public Relations effort, huh

Where have you been while we've been talking and asking questions about you for years?

House defeats bill to delay digital TV transition

WASHINGTON - Bucking the Obama administration, House Republicans on Wednesday defeated a bill to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting to June 12 leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now.

The 258-168 vote failed to clear the two-thirds threshold needed for passage. It's a victory for the GOP members, who warn that postponing the transition would confuse consumers.

The rest of the article:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

diehard

I should have listened to the little voice in my head that told me to Just let it go, never post in public forums when you are mad, but I did it anyways. Since I have planted my foot in mouth and invited great walls of flame rolling my way I might as well get it all out.


I do not work for or have any connection to Nexstar or WFFT. I have worked in Fort Wayne Television for better than 25 years. I have been reading this board for quite a few years and have participated in the past under another user name when I worked for WKJG/WISE. I took a new user name so as not to be associated with them. I currently work for WFWA.

So I'm not really a one post wonder as someone said. That type of statement and treatment is the prime reason that I rarely offer anything on forums.


The little voice said just let it be, but I'm tired of reading the pure speculation, half truths and just plain wrong statements I see in this and other forums. Some people here are genuinely helpful in many ways, other just whine and bitch or belittle others without any clue as to what might be happening behind the scenes or why.

I have had the pleasure of working with ENGjas and jckrac as well as many other talented dedicated engineers, operators newspeople, photogs, etc at the Fort Wayne stations. It's great that they participate and offer up inside glimpses of what goes on under the tower. Just remember we/they do the best we can under the framework set by management.

TV is vastly different from when I started way back when. Broadcasting was a noble profession and business. Serving the public need was priority one, making a profit was second. In the current world of private equity ownership and funding things are very different. They expect a certain % of return and it is provided one way or another, every penny is accounted for and every piece of gear or person has an ROI statement attached to it. Broadcasting to them is simply a way to make money!

Some pure broadcast groups still exist. Of course they want to make a profit (they always did) but it is not the only reason they are broadcasters. And other groups are some combination of the two.


Now then on to Nexstar; No denying they are dragging this out and if the government pushes back the transition date they will be very happy indeed. If the date does not change they will pay the price for being slow to move. I have it on good authority that the tower crew was originally scheduled for late fall/early winter and the arrival date has been postponed three times so far due to delays on other broadcasters projects. Someone asked why no other Fort Wayne station got caught by this I would have to say that the others perhaps were a little more forward thinking and maybe better able to shoulder the financial burden of the DTV conversion. I really don't know why Nexstar waited so long, do you?

As for WFFT flying under the information radar; did it ever occur to anybody that perhaps the suits at corporate HQ don't want information exchange in these types of forums or anywhere else it seems? I think they have done themselves and all the viewers a great disservice by not being upfront and forthcoming with information as to what they are doing at WFFT. A little information can go a long way. Without solid information all the rumors half truths and speculations go wild.

The puny little WFFT DTV signal meets the letter of the law for an FCC approved STA license that supposedly covers the city of Fort Wayne. With not much more money or effort they could have provided something far better but for some reason they chose not to. I don't know why do you?

I am NOTdefending Nexstar or WFFT it is simply that the FOX bashing was the straw that broke my silence. For better or worse I have added my thoughts and some facts as I know them.




So there you have it. I'm not trolling, baiting or looking for a flame war. I don't even own a flame suit. If you must; flame away. Or better yet maybe we can have a nice civil discussion about things DTV related. I am not an expert on everything DTV related but I am quite knowledgeable on that subject and anything related to TV operations and engineering. I think under my previous user name I said a few years ago that this whole world of DTV broadcasting and reception equipment is new to everybody and maybe we can all learn something as we go along.

Unless it is for something constructive I'm going back into lurk mode. Rant OFF
Statements made here are strictly my own are not related to WFWA in any way.

Regards to all

Matt Kyle
Formerly of WPTA a long time ago
Formerly of WKJG/WISE for a long time
And currently
Engineering Manager
WFWA-TV/DT

I boils down to this. A company cannot expect to have a good public image in today's market by hiding behind a shroud of secrecy. How hard would it have been for the manager of WFFT to tell one of his engineers to spend 5 min a day to read this forum and defend/explain what they are doing? Like you said, that would go a long ways.

As for their conversion "plans", this date has been known for a very long time. It will be interesting to see if people outside of a 2mile radius will receive WFFT on 2/18.

Matt - Sorry you had to bear the brunt of WFFT/Nexstar's chosen business practices. Now that you've explained your affiliation, it's clear you didn't deserve the blowback.

I offer my apologies to you and the other members of the broadcast/engineering community for the harsh treatment. It's always been pretty clear who 'the good guys' are around here, as is our appreciation for their efforts.

That said, other than 'professional courtesy' (and perhaps then need to mooch parts once in awhile) the I can't imagine why anyone would put themselves in a postion to defend the actions of WFFT/Nexstar. If rumor, half-truths and speculation prevail they have nobody but themselves to accept responsibility. It's clear whether by calculated corporate decree or simple tone-deafness that they care little about the market they serve except perhaps to extract revenue.

Being an 'old school' type myself, I share your disappointment in the state the industry finds itself in, but in Nexstar's case it's self-inflicted and doesn't deserve our sympathies or defense.

Don't stay in lurk mode too long... light from any source should be welcome!

Are you serious?

Defending station actions in public on an open internet forum is not a good idea - especially if your answers will not satisfy those individuals. Answering the phone or via postal or email would be a better way to respond. No station is under ANY obligation to answer to you on this forum or any other. The only requirement is that if you do send them a letter or comment directly they need to put it in their public file. They can send you a "thank you for your comments" email or postcard with no real answer if they like. The station doesn't answer to you!

It isn't a shroud of secrecy ... it is just a privately operating business doing business on it's own terms.

Yes

I thought I'd chime in my own personal opinions here (my opinions, not of my employer!)

I've had the chance to work along side Matt a couple times recently and he is a class act through and through. Trust me when I say he has the best interests of his viewers.

I think justalurker hits a good point. No matter what stations do, we will do something that isn't liked. If someone is upset with something that is being done, coming on a forum to defend it is often a fruitless exercise. I've always made it a point to not to try and defend anything we do, but rather give you insight on how the process works.

Keep in mind we as engineers are constantly getting flamed over the phone. Half of my day (and that isn't an inflated number) is spent on the phone with people that can't tune my station in on digital. And as I try to explain or talk them through, it turns into them flaming me, even though the 20 year old rabbit ears they use to pull in my analog from 50 miles out snowy is a major part of the blame.

I personally come on here because I want to get an informed opinion from a group of people that care about the signal. When we have staff meetings, I often refer to this place as another line of defense. When I go home after being at the station all day, the last thing I want to do is turn on the TV usually.

I can't speak for the engineers at 55 or any other station, but I can speak of my first hand dealings with him. He has helped WANE out a couple of seperate times and I would do the same for him if asked. This is pure speculation, but the engineer is an engineer at heart: I'd be willing to bet he'd love to be blasting out at full power right now.

In closing, there are several companies in the world that outright ban the engineers or any other station personnel from posting on public forums. I can't say that Nexstar has this policy, but even if they didn't, what could they say at this point?

The point I'm trying to make is this: the engineers I've met at all the locals here in FW really bust it hard and do a lot behind the scenes to keep these rigs running. (We've flopped recievers from Indy 7 times the last couple of days, anybody notice?) I think its safe to say that if we had our way, we'd all be blasting out a million watts digital with our analog slowly rusting away.

Thank you for allowing me time to speak a bit.

Jeff Kracium
WANE Engineering Supervisor