EKB News Monitor Poll: How do you feel about split market signal importation?

[Raymie]

Congress Ready To OK Importing Signals - 2009-05-03 06:00:00 | Multichannel News

The hot issue with cable in Congress right now is whether to let satellite companies (and possibly cable) import signals from other markets to so-called split markets. Split markets contain parts of two or more states. Under this law, Dish and DirecTV could import signals from the Peoria, Illinois, market into the Illinois side of the St. Louis market.

Cable is lobbying to get this treatment too, saying if one, then the other.

It is possible that the split-market importation could be part of SHVERA's renewal. [I'm unsure if Dish's existing ban on distant networks would extend to split-market signals, but I assume not.]

Split markets include St. Louis, New York, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Yuma-El Centro, Chicago, Cincinnati, El Paso-Las Cruces, Amarillo, Pittsburgh, Boston, Providence, Tallahassee, Mobile-Pensacola, Albuquerque, Rochester-Mason City-Austin, Shreveport, Portland OR, Medford-Klamath Falls, Tulsa, Lincoln, Burlington VT, Paducah, Washington DC, Kansas City, Idaho Falls, and more, and portions of quite a few of the 210 TV markets would be affected.

 

[photogray]

I think its a great idea

 

[Lt Disher]

I imagine this is going to be a pretty lopsided poll. Why not give people their choice. The only ones I can imagine voting for lack of choice would be the TV stations themselves.

 

[dfergie]

It should be Peoples Choice...

 

[Raymie]

I've posted an editorial on this today at the News Monitor. I see this as not just a refreshing change to allow viewers access to information they are entitled to on TV but as a help and catalyst in resolving some of the largest retransmission consent disputes: Fisher, WBRZ, and any others that could come up.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Makes sense ,especially dmas where there are only one or two stations in that market. Then you could combine the nearby dma to get all 4 networks and possibly Cw too. Without it satellite will never see the need to uplink the last 20 or 30 dmas , since they are mostly dmas with only one or two networks in them. Not cost effective to put these on the satellite ,even by law I believe they have to have all the country uplinked by next year or 2011.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Yes it should be done.
We should be able to have a few Locals from Surrounding DMAs.
Its nice to know whats going on just outside of your local area, but yet its still in your area surroundings.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Cable already has rights that satellite doesn't, so I'm not sure why cable needs anything.
My local Cable company carrys 16 total local channels in my DMA ,from Scranton, Philly and NY.
Directv only has 6 in my DMA, Unless your an HD subscriber then 7 From Scranton only
Dish has 7 from Scranton DMA only as well.
So What more does cable need?

 

[Raymie]

This is where a market crosses state lines. The Scranton Wilkes-Barre market does not extend beyond Pennsylvania's borders, so that market does not get extra channels.

 

[Dah-Henny]

I live right along the NC/TN border. My DMA is Charlotte (75 miles away), which I like, but the towers for the Tri-Cities of TN are only 20 miles away. Charter Cable in Boone, NC carries BOTH DMA's. I can't get TN or Charlotte OTA, and would gladly pay for both if available. It seems to me that cable already has a big advantage over satellite.

 

[Raymie]

Do you live in North Carolina or Tennessee?

 

[Stargazer]

This would be great for markets in WV as well such as Parkersburg, WV

 

[Dah-Henny]

Do you live in North Carolina or Tennessee?

NC by about 1000 feet.

 

[Raymie]

Then you probably won't get them if they flag it that way, but you'd be in the range where you'd likely get them.

 

[KG4KBU]

what about Kentucky I live in southern Laurel county and the cable company here offers some Knoxville stations as well as my DMA stations from Lexington, KY I would so love th get those knoxville channels as well as the lex stations
Also I wonder how this will affect WYMT hazard kentucky if any ?

 

[PATECO]

I also feel you should be able to receive any signal that you are within the Grade B signal area for. I can get grade B signal off air for three DMA's, The cable company provides channels from these other DMA's, but Dish and Directv are restricted to provide only from the DMA I live In.

 

[Stargazer]

It seems discriminating for the cable companies be allowed to offer channels that the satellite companies cannot.

 

[HDRoberts]

This doesn't go far enough. People should be able to get adjacent markets of anything, not just across state lines.

 

[KG4KBU]

yeah I would love to get Knoxville and Louisville DMA markets now that would be kewl

 

[aperry]

It seems discriminating for the cable companies be allowed to offer channels that the satellite companies cannot.

I agree. Our local cable co offers our local channels (Fayetteville/Ft. Smith AR), and also offers an extra ABC channel from Tulsa, OK, and a CBS from Springfield, MO. At the very least, Dish/Direct should be allowed to offer us these channels as well.