How is it determined which TV channels I receive?
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Significantly viewed doesn't apply to satellite in the same way that it applies to CATV. Significantly viewed is something the station has to earn, you can't just fill out an application.
If elections results are your primary concern in this, consider using the Internet to get the information you require. Other news doesn't typically observe political boundaries.
I feel your pain - sort of. My in-laws live in Clay County and some of them have opted to "move" to Macon county and another has not because I think he's afraid he'll get caught, have his DISH equipment impounded, or something like that. However, it's not out of the realm I could live there someday - and if so I'd "move" in a heartbeat. To my knowledge, the Atlanta stations never make any mention of Clay County - even for severe weather crawls, though I cannot verify that. However, WLOS (Asheville) references Clay or Cherokee County weather in almost every weather segment of their newscasts and does a good job of covering their local news, too - along with severe weather crawls. WYFF (Greenville) references Cherokee and Clay very little in news, but a decent amount in their weather. WSPA (Spartanburg) very rarely mentions this area in their news or weather - but WSPA and their transmitter are also located the farthest away from Cherokee and Clay. PM me, pcanup - we may know each others' relatives since Clay is so small.
doesnt look like it. The Chattanooga station are SV in Clay County
Clay
WRCB-TV, 3, Chattanooga, TN
WTVC, 9, Chattanooga, TN
WDEF-TV, 12, Chattanooga, TN
WSB-TV, 2, Atlanta, GA
WAGA, 5, Atlanta, GA
WXIA-TV, 11, Atlanta, GA (formerly WQXI)
This strange DMA system was mainly fueled by the cable companies.
When they began importing signals from distant markets, where they got the signal from in an area with difficult OTA reception, determines which DMA you were put into.
If a station in a city further away already had facilities to upload signal to cable companies or if it was cheaper than some of the nearer stations, guess who got selected for importing - and here we are today.
There are proposals out there to mandate in-state locals, but NAB is resisting.
The whole of New Mexico is dominated by the Albuquerque stations. They even own satellite full power stations 250 miles away, yet there are still corners and counties that get signal from El Paso or Amarillo or Midland/Odessa out of Texas because that's the way it is and always has been.
When they began importing signals from distant markets, where they got the signal from in an area with difficult OTA reception, determines which DMA you were put into.
If a station in a city further away already had facilities to upload signal to cable companies or if it was cheaper than some of the nearer stations, guess who got selected for importing - and here we are today.
There are proposals out there to mandate in-state locals, but NAB is resisting.
The whole of New Mexico is dominated by the Albuquerque stations. They even own satellite full power stations 250 miles away, yet there are still corners and counties that get signal from El Paso or Amarillo or Midland/Odessa out of Texas because that's the way it is and always has been.
my favorite one is still Wyoming. There are counties in Northern WY that have Denver locals even though Cheyenne and Casper are between Colorado and those counties 
(but back then they got the Denver 4, then Denver 5 via C-band satellite)
(but back then they got the Denver 4, then Denver 5 via C-band satellite)
yeah the map of NC is really goofy...lots of counties with out of state loclas
That map is actually incorrect for Avery County.The southern portion nearest to the Mitchell line gets Greenville/Spartanburg dma.The rest get Charlotte.
They really need to re-evaluate these zips and dmas.There are parts of Avery Mitchell and Watauga counties close to the TN border that always relied on WCYB out of Bristol for the weather.The local cable company carries both the Tri Cities and Cha locals.The southern tip of of Avery has no cable,there are transponders in Spruce Pine just across the county line that makes getting Greenville/Spartanburg fairly easy with a good antenna.Watauga used to be part of the Greensboro/High Point dma.So to say it's all screwed up is an understatement.
It is not done by zip code by by county. It is also different rules from cable. The rule is which stations most households watch in the county. It is the big 4 cumulative. So, essentially a highly populated section of a county can set the TV viewing for the rest of the county no matter if the rest of the county gets a different DMA OTA.
This is how cable has a lot of influence. If they bring in stations that are watched more than the OTA ones, the ones they bring in could make the county go with the brought in ones vs the OTA ones. It is also really hard to move to another DMA since cable and satellite are essentially dominated by the assigned DMA, and there are not enough OTA viewers to tip the balance.
I understand what your saying.That said there has to be something to the zip code at least where sat is concerned.28657 gets Charlotte,28777 gets Greenville/Spartanburg.Most of Avery County was at one time part of the Tri Cities dma but,now you can't get them at all with sat.WCYB used to have news trucks come here when I was growing up now you never see them.They do still make local school announcements and weather statements.
I think if you look closely you'll find that the DMA boundaries are determined not by what stations are popular but where you're most likely to shop for goods and services.
This is NOT the case. There must be transponders in an area for cable to carry the signal.
Cable doesn't "select" stations, they carry the DMA's station and they may carry another DMA's station if there is demand. Cable is not allowed to carry "distant" stations.
Here's your guilty party in the "franchising" of DMAs.
I don't think it is true that cable cannot carry anything outside the DMA. I grew up in a section of Massachusetts that was part of the Albany, NY DMA. Cable there provides the aAbany stations but also Springfield, MA and Hartford, CT DMA stations.
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"Distant" has a very special meaning and it doesn't include nearby stations (unless the distant DMA happens to be adjacent to your market). You would be better served to use "adjacent" or "significantly viewed" instead.
Dish can't sell any distants unless its a RVer or semi driver
Dish can't give you any station outside of what is designated your market unless the market you are in is missing an affiliate (short market)
Dish can't give you any station outside of what is designated your market unless the market you are in is missing an affiliate (short market)
you need to send in the proper paperwork and get approved. And all that would do is give him NY & LA which still wouldnt be his locals
The maps Ice has been posting are about three years old now. I haven't taken the effort to scour the internet looking for info on the changes that have happened since these boundaries were published by the Congress when setting up STELA.
Some counties move year by year. One county in Ohio (Auglaize) tends to move between the Dayton and Lima market every year or two. The whole thing depends on several factors...TV station ratings is only one factor. Another major factor is where the majority of the population shops, works, and plays. In other words, where do the advertisers need to reach? If I live 20 miles from one community, but I work, shop and go to restaurants and movies, etc. in the outskirts of another community that may have the city center 50 miles away, then that is my market, not the one in which I reside.
They look at the majority of the population in a county. I've mentioned it before, but in my area Butler County (just north of the county Cinicnnati is in) has very large communities on the southern side which are considered part of the Cincinnati market. Rightfully so... But the folks who live in and north of Middletown (aptly named) are more likely to deal with Dayton area businesses. However 70% of the population of the county is economically tied to Cincinnati. So the entire county is in the Cincinnati DMA. Same goes for Warren county 10 times over. Residents of [Carlisle] (in Warren Co. on the border with Montgomery County/Dayton, OH) who can literally look out their living room windows and see the Dayton Area TV towers are stuck in the Cincinnati market.
Before I get a note from Some one who claims to be in [Carlisle] and they get Dayton channels on satellite, do you have a Montgomery Co Zip? If yes, there is your answer.
Some counties move year by year. One county in Ohio (Auglaize) tends to move between the Dayton and Lima market every year or two. The whole thing depends on several factors...TV station ratings is only one factor. Another major factor is where the majority of the population shops, works, and plays. In other words, where do the advertisers need to reach? If I live 20 miles from one community, but I work, shop and go to restaurants and movies, etc. in the outskirts of another community that may have the city center 50 miles away, then that is my market, not the one in which I reside.
They look at the majority of the population in a county. I've mentioned it before, but in my area Butler County (just north of the county Cinicnnati is in) has very large communities on the southern side which are considered part of the Cincinnati market. Rightfully so... But the folks who live in and north of Middletown (aptly named) are more likely to deal with Dayton area businesses. However 70% of the population of the county is economically tied to Cincinnati. So the entire county is in the Cincinnati DMA. Same goes for Warren county 10 times over. Residents of [Carlisle] (in Warren Co. on the border with Montgomery County/Dayton, OH) who can literally look out their living room windows and see the Dayton Area TV towers are stuck in the Cincinnati market.
Before I get a note from Some one who claims to be in [Carlisle] and they get Dayton channels on satellite, do you have a Montgomery Co Zip? If yes, there is your answer.
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