Dirt -- Jonesboro, AR DMA HD locals question

[Skip06]

Currently on western arc. Jonesboro, AR DMA. ABC and PBS from Jonesboro, CBS, NBC, FOX from Memphis, all SD.
I see that KAIT ABC HD was turned on today from sat 61.5.
If I change to eastern arc or add a 61.5 wing dish, will I get NBC, CBS, and FOX from Memphis in HD now too?
Today's uplink report shows Memphis in SD turned on 61.5, it doesn't mention Memphis HD for Jonesboro DMA.
The Memphis stations are in HD on 129 and 61.5.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

I am in the Jonesboro DMA and would also like to know how this works. From what I can find from looking at uplink reports and channel lists, IF a person had a dish pointed at 61.5, they could now get KAIT and KTEJ in HD, but the lists I looked at still show the three Memphis stations in SD for Jonesboro DMA, just as you stated.

For me, that doesn't help much since I already get KAIT and KTEJ in HD using the OTA module. I am on the far side of the DMA from Memphis though, kind of in the middle of nowhere and down in a hole, so no OTA reception of CBS, NBC or FOX is practical.

What I am interested in knowing is when they eventually add the three Memphis network stations HD signals to the playlist for this DMA, will that turn on the HD signals on both the EA and WA, or only on EA? If I can get the Memphis channels in HD and stay on the WA, I probably wouldn't bother to make any changes in my dish installation, since I am fine with getting the two Jonesboro stations OTA.

 

[Jim5506]

It appears that certain Memphis stations' SD signal is being imported into the Jonesboro DMA since it only has ABC and PBS stations natively.

I am not sure about whether Dish must carry those in HD for the Jonesboro DMA, they are available in HD on 61.5 for the Memphis DMA and the carry one-carry-all rule applies to the Memphis DMA.

Just prima facia - Dish is carrying all the Jonesboro locals in HD by carrying ABC and PBS, so the imported stations from wherever probably do not have to be HD since they are not required in the first place - just gratis.

 

[Skip06]

You'd think they could just add the zip codes of the Jonesboro DMA to the existing Memphis HD channels. (less ABC and PBS)
If they can't do that then their software needs to be improved. No need to waste bandwidth to upload the channels again.
We pay just as much as other DMA's, at the very least we should get the big four in HD.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

I agree Skip. As I mentioned before, I have no need to get the Jonesboro stations from Dish in HD, it is NBC, CBS and FOX that I need.

I do believe they can add the existing HD feeds to any DMA they want, so there is no additional bandwidth needed for us to get the Memphis stations in HD. I think it is called a "Market Flag" in the uplink listings or something like that. The question I guess now is whether they will do so.

In looking at the unofficial local channel list here there are other markets where out-of-market channels are carried and available in HD. They are marked as "SV" for significantly viewed, the same as the designation on the SD version of the Memphis channels we have now.

Hopefully there are just some more administrative details to work out before this all gets turned on correctly for us. After all, considering how few people in this DMA there are that cannot receive KAIT and KTEJ OTA with just a modest antenna, it would seem to be a waste of satellite bandwidth to put them up in HD but NOT give us the others in HD also.

 

[Skip06]

Lifesaver,
I'm one of those that cannot get an OTA signal. The recent Raycom problems proved they can give us other stations. (they replaced Memphis with Paducah) So it shouldn't be that difficult to turn on the HD. If they can't get an agreement with Memphis stations try Little Rock, FCC used to have Little Rock as significantly viewed here. (I haven't checked in a few years, I'd prefer Little Rock anyway) After I started this thread a dirt member PM'd that he had no info on any of the other stations.
For what it's worth I swung my dish around to get Eastern arc to see if I had line of site before the leaves fall. The Memphis stations are in 16X9 SD format on 61.5.

 

[Mr Tony]

I am not sure about whether Dish must carry those in HD for the Jonesboro DMA, they are available in HD on 61.5 for the Memphis DMA and the carry one-carry-all rule applies to the Memphis DMA.

the rule of thumb use to be that if the locals in a short market were in HD then the imported ones would be too. But I have seen recently that is not the case

 

[Lifesaver2000]

I too would prefer the Little Rock locals instead of Memphis. Since I am in the far western part of the Jonesboro DMA, the Memphis stations do not cover any news or severe weather for my area. The Little Rock stations on the other hand do cover the severe weather and often have news vans up here for any significant story. Seems to me that out-of-market stations should be from within the state if possible anyway, but I guess those over east of Jonesboro see Memphis as more local than Little Rock.

Maybe the Jonesboro DMA should have an eastern half that has the Memphis CBS, NBC and FOX, and then let the western half have Little Rock. But, all I really care about are the network entertainment programs, so if I can just get ANY affiliate of NBC, CBS and FOX in HD, I will be happy.

 

[bluegrassboy75]

I would prefer the Little Rock locals as well, but I don't see that happening.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

Skip, just saw where you mention moving the dish and finding the Memphis SD stations in 16X9. Getting those in full screen instead of inside the 4x3 box would be a big improvement, even if not in HD. Might be worth the trouble after all.

Are any hardware changes needed to move to the Eastern arc from the Western? Are there any other differences in the channels available?

Bluegrassboy75: Maybe we should start a petition!

 

[bluegrassboy75]

Lifesaver,

I did ask via PM to a DIRT member about HD channels from Memphis if we could get them. He is asking his engineers and going to get back with me.

 

[Skip06]

Lifesaver,

I have a western arc 1000.2 dish and LNB. So I swung it around as a test. Had to change the skew and pointed the 119 towards 61.5, the 129 to 72. I get them both but the signal isn't great. I can peak on either and get better on that sat but the other drops. I left it a bit more towards 72, get 50's while getting 40 on 61.5. I plan on turning it back in a day or so. Should get better signal with the proper eastern arc LNB.
The 16X9 isn't full screen it's 4X3 width, black all around the picture, though I can zoom to full screen. Most channels seem to have more color saturation compared to western arc.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

Skip, thanks for the info. I guess I'll just wait a while then. I am curious. Without getting too specific as to location (don't want to be nosy), I am wondering if you are in the eastern or western part of the DMA? Just trying to get an idea of how good the signals would be on EA if it does come to that. As I said before, I am at the far western edge.

Bluegrass, that is great. Hopefully you will hear back that they will turn them on in HD for us today! (but I won't hold my breath)

 

[Skip06]

Lifesaver,
I'm almost in the Springfield, MO DMA

Bluegrass and Lifesaver, wonder who we could contact at Dish to request a change to Little Rock for the out of market channels. If not a full move at least give us one.

 

[bluegrassboy75]

I don't think they will Skip. They always say that it is regulated by the FCC, however Direct get locals out of Cape G, Paducha, KY and one out of Illinois.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

I had PM'd a DIRT member months ago about going to the Little Rock locals, and was told that it could not be changed. Also, I was a Nielson household about a year ago, and in the final comments section I wrote a lengthy note about how crazy it is that locals in this area are not from Little Rock. But I would expect getting something sensible done is quite difficult.

I know of a number of people who won't switch off of cable because they don't want to lose the Little Rock stations, as much for sports as anything. I also know of a lot of people who "live" or have "moved" to Independence county so they can get the correct locals.

Skip, sounds like you are about as far west as I am, so it sounds like I should be able to get the EA signals if it comes to that.

For me, if I could just get CBS in HD it would be a big improvement, since about half of the new prime-time programming I watch is from CBS. But, considering I went for about twenty-two years during which the only reliable TV reception I had was KAIT and PBS, then I guess I can live with what I have.

 

[Mr Tony]

The reason (just an assumption) you get Memphis locals is because when Jonesboro was launched in SD (on 129W) the Memphis locals are on the spotbeam that covers the whole market. Looks like the Little Rock spotbeam may not cover the whole Jonbesboro market.

Usually when there is a fill in station Dish uses a station that is on the same spotbeam...so they dont have to reuplink it twice

 

[bluegrassboy75]

I just heard back from a DIRT rep. He said that there would need to place a new antenna for the Memphis HD stations. I asked for an appt to have a tech come our and swap these.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

Thanks for the info Iceberg. I hadn't considered that there was an actual technical reason for some of this. I will say though, as I have mentioned before, there are a lot of people close to me and in the surrounding areas who simply, shall we say, "mislead" Dish about there physical location and receive the Little Rock stations. I have even heard that there is one Dish installer around that encourages this practice because he knows that nobody in this area wants the Memphis stations. But again, this is in the part of the Jonesboro DMA that is directly adjacent to the Little Rock DMA, so there could be a problem doing it over in the eastern area.

I guess the real solution would be if Sharp county here in Arkansas were simply transferred (or whatever it is called) to the Little Rock DMA. Although KAIT does include us in their weather maps and they cover some news in the area, they don't really pay as much attention to things over here as they do the other counties in "Region8" as they call it. If you go to their web site, they have an option to get community news for a particular area, but they do not even include Sharp county in the choices.

But anyway, this is getting off the subject a bit of the original post, and is all stuff that has been hashed and rehashed in other threads about different areas, so unless some lawmaker in DC gets the notion to give people choices instead of forcing them to do what the broadcasters want, nothing is going to change.

 

[Lifesaver2000]

Thanks BGB75. You posted while I was typing my previous post.

That is interesting. I have to wonder though, since the HD version of the Memphis stations being provided to the Jonesboro DMA don't have the Market Flag for us (according to the uplink reports I read and the local channel list I mentioned above), whether you will get those station in HD, or only get KAIT and KTEJ in HD? Let us know how it turns out.

Skip had said that he had temporarily repositioned his antenna for the 61.5 sat and had seen the Memphis stations only in SD. Maybe since you have a conversation going with this DIRT rep, you might ask him if they have any plans to enable the Jonesboro DMA Market flag for the HD version of WREG, WMC and WHBQ. Since those station already have an HD signal on the both the EA and WA sats, it would not add any bandwidth, so should be a no-brainer since they have the other Jonesboro DMA stations available in HD now, as required by the rules.