HD LiLs - Anyone else hear this?

[waltinvt]

Below is a response I received from a programming coordinator for 2 of the Burlington DMA affiliates regarding their switch to digital that is happening this month.

Has anyone else heard this about their areas? It just strikes me as odd. I would have assumed that most affiliates would jump at the chance to increase their viewership - especially in rural mountain areas where many in their DMA can't get OTA.

"Satellite companies will have to build their own facilities at our site to be able to carry the local channels in HD over their feeds. You would have to contact DirecTV or Dish Network to find out their timeline for that."

 

[dendox]

In San Antonio they are capturing the signal via OTA which doesn't require what they are talking about. Not sure it is like that everywhere, but it sure seems a whole lot easier than having to build on their site.

 

[waltinvt]

In San Antonio they are capturing the signal via OTA which doesn't require what they are talking about. Not sure it is like that everywhere, but it sure seems a whole lot easier than having to build on their site.

Makes sense to me although I suppose a direct fiber link is more secure and less prone to local weather problems at the link. I can't see how it would be that expensive - whomever does it.

 

[bhelms]

It's easy for me to imagine that local stations don't want to make any additional investment to enable LiL for the sat. providers. I believe they get "credit" for all the potential viewers in their DMA regardless of whether or not those folks can actually receive the signals OTA so there's no increased ad revenue if the signal is also carried LiL into that same DMA and actually reaches more viewers. And I also believe the local stations still view sat. providers as threats with the DNS debacles, etc., even tho' having HD LiL would help their cause. (If they can't source an HD signal then they might feel doubly threatened...?) Am I wrong on any of this...?

I look at the local cable head-end I can see out my window. They have a whole slew of OTA antennas on their towers in addition to the microwave drums and dishes. Looks like they have to grab what they can as well with no help from the local stations themselves...

 

[Bill R]

Even if a station has a fiber link, that link goes back to the local POP (point of presence), not directly to the DBS vendor. At the POP the signal is "processed" and combined with other local channels (SD and HD) before it is sent back to the vendor (by fiber). I know in my market DirecTV has fiber from most local stations but some of the "lesser" stations are picked up at the POP via OTA antennas. As of last year DISH was picking up all the local stations via OTA antennas at their POP. I don't know if this is still the case, I haven't talked to the station engineers lately about the subject.