DirecTV and Time Warner both broadcast local PBS sub-channels. Why doesn't Dish?

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sjvirchow

sjvirchow

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jan 15, 2011
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Rio Rancho, New Mexico
As far as I know, DirecTV carries almost all local channels that subscribers to Time Warner get can here. (The Lincoln-Kearney Nebraska DMA, which is one hell of an odd DMA) This means the local CBS (KOLN/KGIN), ABC (KLKN out of Lincoln and KHGI out of Hastings), NBC, CW (KXVO out of Omaha), and ALL PBS (KUON NET-1, NET-2, NET-3 and NET-HD) stations.

What's stopping Dish from carrying these? *D even carries my local PBS station in HD, while *E doesn't, and *E doesn't carry my local CW station either.
 
sjvirchow said:
As far as I know, DirecTV carries almost all local channels that subscribers to Time Warner get can here. (The Lincoln-Kearney Nebraska DMA, which is one hell of an odd DMA) This means the local CBS (KOLN/KGIN), ABC (KLKN out of Lincoln and KHGI out of Hastings), NBC, CW (KXVO out of Omaha), and ALL PBS (KUON NET-1, NET-2, NET-3 and NET-HD) stations.

What's stopping Dish from carrying these? *D even carries my local PBS station in HD, while *E doesn't, and *E doesn't carry my local CW station either.
Click to expand...

Wait a few more years after Dish adds more satellite space
 
sjvirchow said:
So it's basically because DirecTV has five birds, while Dish only has three?
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No, cause D* does NOT generally carry subs either - UNLESS it's a major network in a given market. (such as a CW, MNTV, etc.) It's simply because nether DBS provider has the capacity to carry all of the these subs in EVERY, single market w/out having to drop other things.
If it's any consolation, AT&T U-verse does NOT carry subs, either - & they HAVE the capacity to do so.

dwarren2 said:
Good reason to have an ota. That's how I get all the subchannels that are broadcast ota.
Click to expand...

That's the solution...
 
Also, it seems like there is just less space for channels in the Omaha and Lincoln markets. Here in Omaha, KXVO on Dish isn't in HD, while some other areas do have CW in HD. (It's worse than SD... it's KXVO HD on a SD channel meaning black bars on all sides!) Up in Sioux City and Norfolk, they have both NET1 and IPTV in HD (but I don't think KTIV's CW station is carried and I know MNTV is not). Apparently that transponder/spotbeam has room for more channels.

As a general rule, for Dish to carry a subchannel, it has to be one of the big four. Case in point: KFXL, which is actually KHGI 13.2 on Dish and DirecTV, showing up on the channel number of the former KTVG (17). The KFXL-TV 51 OTA signal in Lincoln is just SD, so they provide the KFXL signal that is carried in HD on a subchannel in Central NE.

Directv has chosen to carry more channels in the Lincoln market -- KHGI HD, MyTV, and NET HD/2/3, plus one out-of-market: KXVO from Omaha. They must have more transponder room in this area. Dish opted to go with just the big four locals, and not carry KHGI in HD as they have KLKN HD (despite bad reception from KLKN at their Hastings uplink site). KXVO is not carried as it's out of market - Lincoln has no CW affiliate. Dish rarely if ever carries significantly viewed out of market stations, and until recently I don't think they were even permitted to.

I thought Dish provided national feeds in short markets, but I guess this doesn't apply in Lincoln. I may be wrong but I thought you should be able to get a CW superstation like KWGN to make up for no local CW. It would be in SD. Maybe they've forgotten Lincoln/Tri-Cities doesn't have local CW anymore, as KTVG used to be the Fox affiliate and KCWL was CW, until KSNB/KTVG shut down and KCWL became KFXL.
 
dwarren2 said:
Good reason to have an ota. That's how I get all the subchannels that are broadcast ota.
Click to expand...

Some people don't live in areas where they can get channels with an OTA (or maybe have a tall building in the way of reception, or whatever). Besides, even for those who theoretically can get channels OTA -- if they are paying Dish for television, and local channels are listed as included as part of the package, should they really have to buy an OTA and maintain it and so on and so forth just to get what all the other providers provide for no additional fee?

This is an issue with the lack of channels from secondary markets as well.

Do OTA stations even charge providers extra for their secondary channels? Or are they being made available to Dish for no additional fee and Dish isn't broadcasting them because of space limitation/lack of desire to put another satellite in the air?
 
And Dish certainly has more than 3 birds. Heck, there are 7 satellite slots in active use, and some spots have more than one bird.
 
You can have 1 satellite or have 10 but you still only have the same mount of DBS bandwidth there. Its not like adding a satellite adds more channels there.
 
I'd be happy just to have my local PBS main channel in HD before they carry any of the subs.
 
I call BS. According to THIS list, DirecTV doesn't carry any of the subchannels the OP says. Of the 30 or so local sub-channels in my average sized market, DirecTV carries 1. So the title of this thread is patently false.
 
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Unfortunately for me, I can't get any local stations with an OTA. I used to when OTA was still analog, but since they switched to digital, it's been either "no signal" or a very pixelated picture. At least with analog OTA, I could at least get some kind of usable picture. Hence why I got Dish.
 

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