KBTX (CBS) Not on Waco/Bryan, TX Locals?

[DishAggie]

I continue to send emails to E* customer service to find out why my local CBS affiliate KBTX is not on my locals. E* offers me KWTX which is located in Waco, Texas while KBTX is located literally 7 miles from my house in College Station, Texas. E* has a different "form" answer each time.

KBTX officials say that they have asked E* for years to be added and even went to Denver to visit them in person. Still no KBTX on my locals.

KBTX is a stand alone, full power, CBS affiliate with local news, weather, and sports, that is produced locally, while KWTX does not cover this area at all.

In fact, all of the "locals" that E* offers me living in College Station, TX, all affiliates are physically located some 90 miles away in Waco.

It must be one the perils of living in the WACO DMA, but having a local CBS affiliate that E* refuses to retransmit to me.

A sidenote, D* as been offering KBTX AND KWTX for several years to subscribers in this area.

Another example of E* not fully understanding its subscibers concerns in unique DMAs.

Anyone have any other information on this?

[juan]

You need to do a little research. Local's on satellite are based on "DMA" whichhas absolutly nothing to do with how close a tv signal is to your house. If the channel you want is not part of your "DMA" there is little or no chance you can see it via E* satellite tv (see distants thread) Cable TV follows different rules than satellite

[Iceberg]

I continue to send emails to E* customer service to find out why my local CBS affiliate KBTX is not on my locals. E* offers me KWTX which is located in Waco, Texas while KBTX is located literally 7 miles from my house in College Station, Texas. E* has a different "form" answer each time.

KBTX officials say that they have asked E* for years to be added and even went to Denver to visit them in person. Still no KBTX on my locals.

your market has 2 CBS stations. One in Waco and one in College Station (as you've noted). Per "must carry", Dish (and Direct) only need to carry ONE of them. There are 3 ways to make them carry both.
1. Dish volunteers to carry both
2. The owner of both stations say "carry both or none"
3. They are licensed in different states (this is the ONLY way Dish is forced to carry both)

KBTX is a stand alone, full power, CBS affiliate with local news, weather, and sports, that is produced locally, while KWTX does not cover this area at all.

according to what I've read, KBTX Is a satellite station of KWTX. There may be some local news but it looks like they are one in the same. That gets back to the above point. Since all the other stations in your market are from Waco, maybe the college station one can't get a good signal to the POP so that's why it isnt carried.

In fact, all of the "locals" that E* offers me living in College Station, TX, all affiliates are physically located some 90 miles away in Waco.

lots of DMA's are like that. My uncle lives 160 miles from Minneapolis, yet he still has Mpls locals. Fargo is about 90 miles away.

It must be one the perils of living in the WACO DMA, but having a local CBS affiliate that E* refuses to retransmit to me.

A sidenote, D* as been offering KBTX AND KWTX for several years to subscribers in this area.

Another example of E* not fully understanding its subscibers concerns in unique DMAs.

Anyone have any other information on this?

read above. Dish doesn't have to carry both unless they want to due to must carry.

[digiblur]

I continue to send emails to E* customer service to find out why my local CBS affiliate KBTX is not on my locals. E* offers me KWTX which is located in Waco, Texas while KBTX is located literally 7 miles from my house in College Station, Texas. E* has a different "form" answer each time.

Looks like an OTA digital signal is the way to go. Their signal covers college station even if they are still at low power:

Low power :
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-serv...=DS676778.html

Full power :
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-serv...=DT600472.html

[DishAggie]

Sorry for not including some additional facts about KBTX in the original post.

KBTX and KWTX are both owned by Gray Communications, a company with stations across the country in a variety of markets.

They are two TOTALLY seperate stations/affilates. It's NOT one of those situations where they produce the programming in one place to make it look like it is for another place.

Yes, this market/DMA does have two CBS affiliates.

The primary local cable companies in each town (Waco area vs. Bryan/College Station area) only carry the CBS affiliate that provides the local programming for that particular area.

The stations, despite being owned by the same corporation, do a lot of different programming especially in what each decides to be a part of syndication wise. They have totally seperate managements.

I do receive the KBTX via an OTA antenna. I want DISH to add it primarily so I can utilize my DVR to record the local news and sports.

Thanks for all the input!